Frederique Constant, from its name sounds like it belonged from the holy trinity of horology but it isn't. The brand's name didn't even come from the brand's founders or per se legendary watchmakers back in the 1800's. Frederique Constant was created in 1991 by the couple Aletta and Peter Stas. They got the name from the first name of each of their great grandparents namely, Frederique Schreiner and Constant Stas. Peter's great grandfather, Constant, founded a company in 1904 that was making printed clock dials for the industry, but it wasn't actually from that company that this brand was born from, it simply was from the same ingredient why you are reading this article today and why I am writing this article at this very moment... The passion for watches.
Now as we all know, almost anything that has a 'Swiss' on dial today has a luxurios price tag on it. And some 20 years ago, during the quartz crisis, Peter and Aletta saw the opportunity to dive into the crisis by introducing affordable luxury timepieces that could rival what the quartz watches from the east had to offer and still have that classic and timeless design and manufacture that you could only get from a Swiss made watch.
And so, for my 43rd Watch Recommendation, it is the Frederique Constant Slim Line Automatic with reference no. FC345NS5S6.
What drew me to this watch? FC has different variants offering but mostly in the lines of iconic and classic designs that will withstand the styles of the times. And it was actually the simplicity and cleaness of the design of the watch that makes it a proper dress watch.
The dial is a simple 2 hander for hour and minutes with a small seconds subdial at 6 o'clock and date aperture at 3 o'clock. The thin indices are done correctly too that fits the whole package.
The movement is an ETA 2892-2 that has been tastefully finished with FC rotor as you can clearly see on the exhibition caseback. I also like how the caseback is secured with 6 screws with italic typography all over. Not a screw caseback that are for sport watches and not snap on casebacks from vintage ones.
Heres a sample of that FC rotor.
Heres a 360 view I found over the net.
What I also like about FC is that they also have inhouse movements powering their watches that certainly impresses watch connoisseurs all around and that deserves another story of its own.
I recommend this Slim Line Automatic as it is a humble representation of what Frederique Constant is all about, living the passion on watches that is accessible and is still considered a luxury.
And, they maybe hundreds of independ brands sprouting all over, but I believe Frederique Constant is the brand of our generation. We certaintly weren't there when Patek or Vacheron was founded, and its great to see that in our period of digital luxury, a mechanical art and tradition continues to be born and tuly will be valued for decades or centuries to come.
Now as we all know, almost anything that has a 'Swiss' on dial today has a luxurios price tag on it. And some 20 years ago, during the quartz crisis, Peter and Aletta saw the opportunity to dive into the crisis by introducing affordable luxury timepieces that could rival what the quartz watches from the east had to offer and still have that classic and timeless design and manufacture that you could only get from a Swiss made watch.
And so, for my 43rd Watch Recommendation, it is the Frederique Constant Slim Line Automatic with reference no. FC345NS5S6.
What drew me to this watch? FC has different variants offering but mostly in the lines of iconic and classic designs that will withstand the styles of the times. And it was actually the simplicity and cleaness of the design of the watch that makes it a proper dress watch.
The dial is a simple 2 hander for hour and minutes with a small seconds subdial at 6 o'clock and date aperture at 3 o'clock. The thin indices are done correctly too that fits the whole package.
The movement is an ETA 2892-2 that has been tastefully finished with FC rotor as you can clearly see on the exhibition caseback. I also like how the caseback is secured with 6 screws with italic typography all over. Not a screw caseback that are for sport watches and not snap on casebacks from vintage ones.
Heres a sample of that FC rotor.
Heres a 360 view I found over the net.
What I also like about FC is that they also have inhouse movements powering their watches that certainly impresses watch connoisseurs all around and that deserves another story of its own.
I recommend this Slim Line Automatic as it is a humble representation of what Frederique Constant is all about, living the passion on watches that is accessible and is still considered a luxury.
And, they maybe hundreds of independ brands sprouting all over, but I believe Frederique Constant is the brand of our generation. We certaintly weren't there when Patek or Vacheron was founded, and its great to see that in our period of digital luxury, a mechanical art and tradition continues to be born and tuly will be valued for decades or centuries to come.
