Going back to the Classics Manufacture watch itself, it’s a fine daily wear if your tastes are more… well, classic. It also works as an occasional suit or formal timepiece for when the situation demands it. At 42mm wide the case wears comfortably with its rounded curves. It doesn’t feel like a small watch, but it doesn’t feel too large, either. Personally, I really like the mixture of size and traditional design. It works well in many situations, and can even be worn with casual attire. The onion-style crown is something you don’t see that often on dress watches, but it makes using the crown easy.
It would be correct to call the dial “Breguet-style.” The means classic Roman numerals, pomme-style hands, and the machine guilloche engraved-style dial. What really drew me to the design at first was the black color of the hands in addition to the hour markers. Most watches like this use blued or silver (bad idea) hands. By using black hands, Frederique Constant ensures a great level of legibility because of a high contrast between the black and silver of the dial. So while the overall dial design feels familiar, there are enough unique elements to make the Classics Manufacture stand out from the crowd.
The dial doesn’t have lume, but most dials of this style don’t. That isn’t really a downside given this genre of timepiece. Along with that is the 50 meters of water resistance: that rating isn’t very high, but is pretty standard for a dress watch. Given the comfort, legibility, design, and value, I really can’t think of much bad to say about the watch. Frederique Constant offers the watch in a few styles, and what is impressive is that, for a brand that cycles through models relatively rapidly, Frederique Constant seems to still be making these handsome watches.
While Frederique Constant may not be a status watch maker at this time, they do make a very respectable watch that even the most seasoned watch lover will nod their head at. I hate to use the term “budget” because this isn’t a budget watch, but it is something that represents a lot of value for what you’d normally spend a lot more money for. The Frederique Constant Classics Manufacture ref. FC-710MC4H4 watch retails for $2,895. frederique-constant.com
Necessary Data
>Brand: Frederique Constant
>Model: Classics Manufacture
>Price: $2,895
>Size: 42mm
>Would reviewer personally wear it: Yes
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Some with the desire for a Swiss watch with an in-house made movement and no hassles.
>Best characteristic of watch: Overall great presentation that combines great features, design, and value.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Being well-priced for what you get intrinsically means that it has less opportunity to be a status watch (which implies it costs a lot for what you get).
