Frederique Constant Introduces Calibre FC-375 in the All-New Classic Power Reserve Big Date Manufacture

Frederique Constant has just unveiled the FC-375 — the brand’s thirty-first Manufacture calibre — housed in the all-new 40 mm Classic Power Reserve Big Date Manufacture. Four editions have been introduced. The first of the lot is the most exclusive: released in a limited edition of 35 (in honour of the brand’s thirty-fifth anniversary), it features a polished platinum case and a meteorite dial. The navy blue alligator strap matches the dial colour. The second — a limited edition of 350 — sports a rose gold case and a sun-brushed grey dial. The two others, which have polished steel cases and blue or silver dials, will be a part of the brand’s standard collection.

Since its inception in 1988, Frederique Constant has produced an impressive range of quartz and mechanical models, and 30 calibres, designed, developed, and assembled in its Manufacture at Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva. The brand new FC-375 joins this range of calibres that includes movements like Tourbillon, Perpetual Calendar, and Flyback Chronograph complications, along with the Monolithic, a type of escapement never seen before in watchmaking, made of a single piece of silicon, beating at a rate of 40Hz.

The FC-375 is the first of Frederique Constant’s calibres to offer a big date, a moon phase and a power reserve indicator that’s positioned at 9 o’clock. The power reserve (a total of 50 hours) is indicated by a slim, dedicated hand travelling along an arc marked from 0 to 50, ending in a red zone warning that lets the wearer know when it’s time to wind the watch. The big date window is displayed between 2 and 3 o’clock and the moon phase, set against a starry blue background, is placed at 6 o’clock.

All three complications can be adjusted via the crown at 3 o’clock, ensuring ease of use. There are no additional pushers or correctors, lending the watch a sleek, modern appeal. The lugs, slimmer hour markers, and diamond-faceted, hand-polished hands amp up the contemporary aesthetics of the timepiece. The open caseback allows the wearer to marvel at the workings of the brand new movement.