Frederique Constant is presenting the Slimline Moonphase Date Manufacture seconde/seconde/ Limited Edition, the result of a collaboration with the French artist seconde/seconde/. Originally, the manufacture wanted to emphasise the craftsmanship that goes into its watches. With this task in hand, seconde/seconde/ set to work. Romaric André artistically customises vintage watches. The commentator, comedian and watch freak came back with a watch that rejects conventions as if the centuries of horological development were no argument. To emphasise the craftsmanship behind Frederique Constant’s timepieces, the seconde/seconde/ limited edition features randomly laid out indices and handwritten text elements. This unique and humorous concept is available in two versions, limited to 10 and 100 pieces respectively.
The watch case is of stainless steel and measures 42 mm in diameter and a slim 11.3 mm in height. The bezel merges into the centre section of the case, which in turn curves towards the case back. This makes the watch appear even flatter. The onion crown on the side is typical of the manufacture and appears here in stainless steel or rose gold-coloured, depending on the version. The water resistance of the watch is 3 bar or 30 metres. Last but not least, an inscription is on the glass of the case back. It summarises the story of the watch’s creation in a humorous way: “How do we tell the world that manual-assembly is at the core of our Manufacture? We asked artist seconde/seconde/. He took it too far”.
The matt silver dial serves as a playground for artist seconde/seconde/. Using various elements, he satirises the artisanal aspect of manufacturing a Frederique Constant. The applied indices appear to be randomly distributed. The lettering of the logo and the numerals of the date display look as if they are handwritten. The moon and the stars on the display at six o’clock are more reminiscent a child’s artistic self-discovery. Although these elements are intended to emphasise the imperfection of the craftsmanship, they themselves are perfectly finished. And the watch is still capable of telling the time: two silver main hands make their rounds in the center of the dial – in a wholly conventional way.
Inside is the in-house FC-705 calibre, which is based on the FC-700 but also integrates a moon phase module. The power reserve is 38 hours, but the openworked rotor ensures continuous winding. The balance beats at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour or 4 Hz. The watchmakers decorate the movement with perlage on the movement plate, Côtes de Genève on the bridges and even blued screws.
The Frederique Constant Slimline Moonphase Date Manufacture seconde/seconde/ Limited Edition is available in two versions. Firstly, in an edition of 100 pieces in steel and in an edition of 10 pieces with a rose gold crown and dial elements in the same colour. The former comes on a black alligator strap, while the latter comes on a brown alligator leather strap. However, both have a stainless steel folding clasp. The price of both versions is 3,295 euros.
