Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. A Stylish Green Dial for the Accessible Steel Frederique Constant Classic Tourbillon Manufacture
A refined limited edition tourbillon in steel with a green dial is an eloquent advocate of FC’s unwavering commitment to “accessible luxury”.
Frederique Constant has gone a long way in proving that its “accessible luxury” slogan is not an empty catchphrase. Offering high-end complications in its Manufacture collection, Frederique Constant shook up the market with the release of a perpetual calendar for under EUR 8,000 and a tourbillon and perpetual calendar combo in steel for under EUR 20,000. To celebrate its 35th anniversary in 2023, FC unveiled a sleek 39mm rose gold Classic Tourbillon Manufacture model powered by its 2008 in-house tourbillon escapement, followed shortly thereafter by a more accessible version in steel retailing for EUR 14,995. Today, FC unwraps another very attractive rendition of the Classic Tourbillon Manufacture in a steel case with an on-trend green dial. Rowing against the inflationary tide, the best news of all is that the new 150-piece limited edition respects the price of the 2023 steel edition.
It’s worth mentioning that the 2023 Classic Tourbillon Manufacture made its debut in rose gold with a grey dial and later on in platinum with a meteorite dial for more elevated yet still competitive prices of EUR 25,995 and EUR 42,995, respectively. However, unlike many upscale watch brands that often retail their steel versions for as much as gold editions, Frederique Constant sticks to its “accessible luxury” guns, delivering extraordinary value for money.
Moving away from the brand’s more corpulent and classical case styles, the case and dial of the 2023 tourbillon were designed with more contemporary aesthetics in mind. The smooth, rounded silhouette of the case, with its compact 39mm diameter and relatively slim height of 10.99mm, is pleasingly proportioned and polished throughout for a more refined look. One feature that has been retained from earlier models is the onion-shaped crown, a nod to yesteryear pocket watches.
The clean, sober dial, a far cry from the faux-guilloché, Roman numerals and Breguet hands of pre-2023 editions, allows the tourbillon to play a starring role. Donning an attractive palm green dial with a radiant sunburst finish, the choice of faceted, silver-coloured indices and stylish lance-shaped hands to indicate the time consolidate the desired minimalism.
A large aperture at 6 o’clock, known as a Heart Beat opening at Frederique Constant, reveals the one-minute, 81-part tourbillon fitted with a silicon escapement wheel. Held in place by blued screws, the cage and bridges are nicely finished with polished bevels and brushed surfaces. An individual serial number is engraved on the cage of the tourbillon and the rim of the caseback. The reverse reveals other components along with the traditional finishes applied to the FC-980-4 movement, displaying bevels, circular graining, straight-grained flanks and mirror polishing. Beating at 28,800vph, the movement delivers a somewhat modest power reserve of 38 hours.
The FC Classic Tourbillon Manufacture is paired with a 20mm wide green alligator leather strap with tone-on-tone stitching and a steel folding buckle. It is a limited edition of 150 pieces and is now available for EUR 14,495.
For more information, please visit Frederiqueconstant.com.
4 responses
That’s not accessible because it costs like a car. And if I decide to dump 15 grand on a watch, it won’t be a FC.
Speaking of watch being “accessible”: 15k Eur + 23% VAT here would be 18.5k Eur.
Who is the buyer? Certainly not a middle class person.
Upper class? Do they need an FC Tourbillon?
Greg you are correct as far a price goes but 15 years later the car would be scrap and the watch will still be a ticking!
@greg my money likely would go elsewhere as well but find me another handsome tourbillon for $14k. FC has been doing a lot of nice things last couple years.