This year at Watches & Wonders 2024, Frederique Constant revisited the Manufacture Classic with two new models: the Manufacture Classic Date and the Manufacture Classic Moonphase Date. Both models have existed in some form within Frederique Constant; however, the new ones received two major upgrades. Firstly, they feature a brand new manufacture movement with a longer power reserve, and secondly, they have been resized from 42mm down to 40mm. Both changes will be welcomed with open arms amongst enthusiasts. Both watches feature stainless steel cases and sunburst dials, creating a classic look. These watches can easily compete in the big leagues, and it’s nice to see Frederique Constant constantly evolving their watches for the better, especially after only celebrating its 35th anniversary last year.
The cases on these two releases are identical. They both come in a highly polished stainless steel 3-part case with an onion crown. They measure a very appealing 40mm in diameter and 12.4mm in thickness. Considering other Frederique Constants in this size, these will appeal to most wrist sizes. The new dimensions were much needed, as the previous 42mm cases were just a bit long lug-to-lug. Both releases are affixed with a screw-down exhibition caseback. One thing Frederique Constant has been doing lately is making attractive movements, so exhibition casebacks are a must on their newest releases. I’m a sucker for skeleton oscillating weights. Being dressier watches, a 5 ATM water resistance is expected.
Manufacture Classic Date
The new Manufacture Classic Date comes in three different sunburst dial colors: two lighter options of salmon and silver, and a darker black option. All three dials have applied silver color slim diamond cut indexes, with a minute rail track encircling the sunburst dials. The hand-polished hands sweep across the dial. The date dial at 6 has a matching hand. With the longer power reserve, you will find yourself not setting the date as much, only changing it over for those shorter months. The salmon dial has black printed graduations and dates and comes with a brown leather alligator strap with tone-on-tone stitching. The silver dial also has black printed graduations and dates and comes fitted on a dark blue leather alligator strap with tone-on-tone stitching. The black dial comes printed with white graduations and dates and comes on a black leather alligator strap with tone-on-tone stitching. All three come affixed with a folding buckle.
The movement for the Manufacture Classic Date is the new Frederique Constant’s in-house caliber, FC-706, derived from the FC-710, which they have been using since 2012. Through the see-through caseback, you can see perlage and fan-shaped Côtes de Genève decorations. The FC-706 has 26 jewels and beats at 28,000 alt/h. It also thankfully comes with a 72-hour power reserve; it is great to see more manufacturers creating these longer-lasting movements.
Manufacture Classic Moonphase Date
Frederique Constant has come out with a few different designs of these in the past, with the Classic Index Moonphase and the Slimline Moonphase. The new Classic Moonphase takes bits of both and creates something superior to its predecessors. The new Manufacture Classic Moonphase Date comes in three different sunburst dial colors: silver, blue, and green. All three dials share similarities to the Classic Date: Applied silver color slim diamond cut indexes, and a minute railtrack that encompasses the dials. The hands are also hand-polished and silver. Where they differ at six o’clock, you see a date track plus the added complication of a moonphase. All three have a blue starry night moonphase dial. The silver dial has black printed graduations and dates and comes with a navy leather alligator strap with tone-on-tone stitching. The blue has silvery-white printed graduations and dates and also comes fitted on a navy leather alligator strap with tone-on-tone stitching. The green also has silvery-white printed graduations and dates and comes fitted on a dark green leather alligator strap with tone-on-tone stitching. All three come with a folding buckle.
The movement for the Manufacture Classic Date is the new Frederique Constant’s in-house caliber, FC-716, derived from the FC-715, which they have been using since 2015. Through the see-through caseback, you can see perlage and fan-shaped Côtes de Genève decorations. The FC-715 has 26 jewels and beats at 28,000 alt/h. It thankfully comes with a 72-hour power reserve, which is great to see more manufacturers creating these longer-lasting movements. The longer power reserves are nice on moonphase watches.
Frederique Constant continues to remain putting out some of the highest quality affordable Swiss dress watches. While Frederique Constant has been slowly climbing up in price, with new complications and more refined craftsmanship, it is expected. The new Manufacture Classic Date and Manufacture Classic Moonphase Date are a hit for me. The smaller sizes are all-around great for everyday wear. I enjoy dressing down dress watches with jeans and a T-shirt, or casual shirt, and the smaller size helps with that. It becomes more of a subtle statement piece at 40mm. The green dial from the Frederique Constant Manufacture Classic Moonphase Date is the most unique out of the bunch, and I think it stands out the most. For the price, you cannot go wrong with any of these models. The Manufacture Classic Date in salmon, silver, and black (Reference# FC-706SAL3H6, FC-706S3H6, FC-706B3H6) retails for $3,495 USD and is available starting in May. The Manufacture Classic Moonphase Date in silver, blue, and green (Reference# FC-716S3H6, FC-716N3H6, FC-716GR3H6) retails for $4,095 USD and is available starting in May. For more information, please visit Frederique Constant’s website.
