As a basic everyday watch, I found the Frédérique Constant Horological Smartwatch to work very well. It is not as light as you might expect for a quartz watch, weighing in at 120g, but you are dealing with a steel case and bracelet (plus whatever else needed to be packed into the case for the tracking and syncing). That said, I do find myself more accustomed to heavier watches, so this one felt right at home. In terms of the deployant, this is something that Frédérique Constant just gets right. Sometimes, the extra bulk of a butterfly clasp really ends up causing discomfort, but that is not the case here. Once the bracelet is sized properly, it’s a cinch to get on and off, and is a comfortable wear throughout the day. Sure, there is no on-the-fly micro-adjustment available in this configuration, but you end up with a much cleaner look on the bracelet.

The bracelet of the Frédérique Constant Horological Smartwatch is primarily polished, with two matte stripes running through. I appreciated the differentiation, though the watch does, overall, have a very polished and shiny look to it. This works great at the office or with a suit, but can look a little out of place if you leave the watch on to track your steps during a workout (which I did do a few times). Then again, the Frédérique Constant Horological Smartwatch is not going to be viewed as a workout companion. No, this is a stylish Swiss watch that means to accompany you throughout your day, and be constantly on your wrist quantifying your activity. In that regard, I think the brand hit all the right marks with the Frédérique Constant Horological Smartwatch.

Looking at the Frédérique Constant Horological Smartwatch in the wider scope of what fitness trackers and smartwatches can do, then it would fall short on a few measures. That, for me, is less of a concern at this point, as the watch really signals something else altogether. Frédérique Constant is signaling a different way of building up a smartwatch platform. Through the partnership, they have built a first-generation tracker that is ready to be built into any watch – allowing watch designers to focus on designing watches, not circuits. This willingness to work with other brands is a hopeful sign that the MotionX technology could have some legs, as would this recent award it won. With wider adoption, one would presume we will see the platform evolve and gain more capabilities.

As a first foray into this arena, the Frédérique Constant Horological Smartwatch is solid offering, providing additional capability to a luxury quartz watch with a starting price of $995. It is also something that makes me optimistic about what future iterations could offer, given the modular nature of the platform. Then again, time will tell how this particular implementation – and the wider smartwatch segment – plays out. frederiqueconstant.com

Necessary Data

>Brand: Frédérique Constant
>Model: Horological Smartwatch
>Price: $1,150 (steel, bracelet), $1,295 (rose gold, leather strap), $995 (steel, leather strap)
>Would reviewer personally wear it: Yes, I would see this working its way into the rotation, particularly on days I find myself in a suit.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: This is for the person who really wants to track their steps, but is loath to have yet another thing strapped onto their wrist.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Limited to the watch, I’d say lack of nighttime readability. Expanding out a bit, I’d point out the fact that the data is stored on your phone, and phone only.
>Best characteristic of watch: Just how unlike a fitness tracker it looks, and how much it looks like other watches from the brand (read: a classic luxury dress watch).