The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2023 - Issue 34

bitewatches Two years later, they launched the Heart Beat models, display- ing the watches’ beating heart through the oscillating balance wheel of its automatic movement with an aperture on the dial at 12 o’clock. Their first in-house Heart Beat calibre FC 910 movement launched in 2004 established them as a vertically integrated manufacturer. The movement featured the signature emblemat- ic Heart Beat opening at 6 o’clock on the timepieces. Four years later, Frédérique Constant unveiled its first Tourbillon Manufac- ture limited edition with the FC-980 calibre featuring a silicon escapement. It also had the Heart Beat aperture on the dial po- sitioned at 6 o’clock. The following year, the Runabout collection was created, in- spired by the eponymous boats of the Roaring Twenties. In 2012, the Classic Worldtime timepiece showcased the world’s 24 reference cities’ time zones with the FC-718 calibre functional- ity that could easily but solely be adjusted through the crown. Three years later, the first Swiss Made smartwatch with connect- ed functions and analog dial with an electronic module mount- ed on a quartz calibre was linked to the Frédérique Constant Smartwatch App. A year after Citizen acquired the business in 2016, Frédérique Constant released the Flyback Chronograph with an FC-760 calibre. The flyback mechanism in this model replaced the con- ventional column wheel with a star-shaped patented wheel, cre- ating a thinner movement with fewer parts and operations. The following year, the Classic Hybrid Manufacture timepiece with connected functions, combined quartz calibre and a mechanical movement was unveiled at Carpenter’s Gallery. In celebration of its 35th anniversary this year, Frédérique Con- stant presented its 31st calibre, the open-back FC-735, in the Classic Power Reserve Big Date Manufacture. The timepiece housed in a 40 mm case features a big date and moon phase, power reserve indicator, diamond-faceted and hand-polished hands, lugs and profile. The first style is encased in a rose gold case with a grey anthracite dial limited to 350 pieces, and the other two are in a steel case with a blue or silver dial as part of the standard collection. The power reserve indicator is located at 9 o’clock by a slim, ded- icated hand travelling along an arc marked from 0 to 50, ending in a red zone warning that indicates it’s time to wind the watch before it stops. Between 2 and 3 o’clock, you’ll see the big date in an encircled double window and the radiant, poetic moon phase at 6 o’clock on a starry blue background. The three complica- tions, time set function, and winding mechanism, are adjustable through the crown at 3 o’clock. Frédérique Constant also introduced three new variations of its Classic Carrée Ladies watches powered by the FC-200 quartz movement and equipped with set diamonds, a gold-plated case, broad Roman numerals and a sunburst dial decorated with a Clous de Paris guilloché central disc. The Classics line unveiled in 2005, has since been a staple of the brand’s collections. The three styles maintain the coherence of the line and embody the same creative flair as the originals. The first style features a midnight blue dial with a matching leather strap, sports set diamonds on the guilloché dial, and a rose gold plated case. The second has a softer, cosier feel with