I was surprised to find out how long these watchmakers and artists trained, with 4-6 years of schooling followed by an apprenticeship. Considering the skills needed to design, build, and detail these watches, I understand the price premium that we pay for a Swiss timepiece. Not only do we pay for tiny, difficult-to-fabricate pieces and the materials themselves, but also the long development processes and the highly skilled labor that bring these designs to light. For me it makes the relatively attainable prices of the Frédérique Constant and Alpina manufacture lines much more remarkable.
As we were under time pressure at the end of the program and the personalized plate for the automatic movement still required finishing, I was not able to complete assembly of the automatic winding mechanism. Despite this, Pim was able to get it cased so I could see what it would look like and take some pictures. Ariel and I were given choices of dial colors, steel or rose gold-plated cases, and different straps. I chose the classic appearance of stainless steel and the dark blue face, but couldn’t decide between the blue alligator strap and the steel bracelet. Pim made it easy by giving me both! Sadly, I left the Manufacture without my new watch, as it still had to pass Quality Control, but it would be sent to me once testing was complete. As a testament to the excellent and nearly foolproof design of the movement as well as Pim’s expert instruction, my watch passed QC with no problems and was shipped to my home. But the several weeks of waiting were excruciating.
Frédérique Constant really knocked it out of the park with presentation of the watch. It came in a beautiful lacquered wooden box that, according to my coworker, looked like it cost more than her wedding ring. Upon gazing at my now-complete creation, I was smitten. The first thing you notice is the expansive blue dial with a subtle sunray pattern in the light, but it can look matte black on first glance. The markers and leaf-shaped hands are long and thin, offering a timeless appearance that harkens back to 1960s-era watches but in a much more contemporary size of 42 mm. Despite the size, it doesn’t look huge, even on my skinny 6.5-inch wrists, and it easily slips under a cuff. When compared side by side with my other watches, it doesn’t look much thinner, even alongside my wife’s FC-700 (yeah, she wanted a Frédérique Constant too). On the wrist is a different story; the elliptical or lens shape of the case in cross section really allows it to sit with a much lower profile. With its large convex sapphire crystal, thin bezel, and low height on the wrist, it seems to fit the Slimline name well. The watch is very comfortable and has a nice weight. I have been wearing it on the highly polished steel bracelet, which is very flexible thanks to its seven-element links. This was my conceit toward having a more custom watch, since this model is not available from the factory with the bracelet, but rather the blue alligator strap with a tang-and-buckle fastener. And in the spirit of customization, I got the alligator as well with a beautiful deployment clasp prominently featuring the Frédérique Constant shield. Overall I love the looks and comfort of the watch.
Some may be disappointed with the lack of a seconds hand. Typically I like having a running seconds hand, since one of the joys of owning a mechanical watch is seeing its smooth movement around the dial compared to the tick of a quartz watch. However, on this watch I don’t miss it since the dial is so classic and legible, and the moon phase complication and date hand at the 6 o’clock position add additional visual interest. The moon phase is a feature I’ve been interested in for a while now, since one of the superstitions in medicine is that the most complex or strangest patients come out during a full moon. I intend to use the moon phase to gauge for myself if there may be some truth to this (though the literature indicates otherwise). The moon phase, like all settings in this watch, is controlled through the crown.
Of course, I have to mention the personalized movement! The automatic caliber FC-705 is fully visible through the sapphire caseback. Ordinarily it is decorated with perlage and circular Côtes de Genève and bears the Frédérique Constant logo and descriptive text. The customized plate engraved at Blandenier instead features my hand-engraved initials “A.C.E.” on a brushed background that allows the letters to pop. The brushed finish also nicely complements the finish of the large, open gold rotor that allows a largely unimpeded view of the balance wheel and escapement. This is a lovely movement; I find myself taking off the watch often just to look at the back.
In conclusion, I would like to thank Ariel Adams and aBlogtoWatch for masterminding this incredible giveaway, and Frédérique Constant for their sponsorship and for giving me an amazing experience that I will carry with me forever. I have to especially thank Pim Koeslag for being an unflappable and patient instructor, as well as a lot of fun to hang out with on our field trips. I would also like to thank Rhodior and Blandenier for allowing us to peek into the world of the suppliers and decorators, which while seldom acknowledged, are the craftspeople who give detail and warmth to the mechanical watches we watch nerds love. After this experience I have a far greater appreciation for watchmaking as a whole and an enhanced love for well-crafted timepieces.
