Frederique Constant’s release of a new perpetual calendar watch at the beginning of this year could not have been better timed. The Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture Designed by Peter Speake was created in cooperation with the independent British watchmaker Peter Speake, who conceived a minimalistic design with an open-worked dial and selected colour accents. The timepiece is a limited edition and part of the Manufacture collection.
Made of polished stainless steel, the three-part case offers an elegant frame for the movement with its prodigious complication. The diameter of the Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture Designed by Peter Speake is 42 mm and the case measures 12.05 mm in height. Moreover, anti-reflective, convex sapphire crystal protects the sensitive movement on the front and open caseback, through which the wearer can admire the skeletonised rotor.
In addition to the engraving ‘3 ATM’, which refers to the water-resistance of up to 30 metres, the engraved cursive lettering ‘Frederique Constant Perpetual Manufacture’ adorns the frame of the open caseback.
The open-worked dial echoes the shape of the case with its cloverleaf pattern. It made up of the four tangent, ring-shaped displays of the perpetual calendar. Convenient for everyday use, the rings displaying the day and date are placed next to each other. While the month is showcased at 12 o’clock, the date is located at 3 o’clock, the moonphase is at 6 o’clock, and the weekdays are featured at 9 o’clock. The printed white indices covered in luminous paint stand out against the matt anthracite-grey dial.
In keeping with the airy design, the dial’s five hands are skeletonised. The hour and minute hands as well as the three hands for month, day, and date have a luminescent coating. In addition, the latter bear red colour accents on their triangular tip. Last but not least, the moonphase also glows in the dark or in poor visibility conditions.
At the heart of the Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture Designed by Peter Speake is the in-house automatic calibre FC-775. Here, too, the functional components have been refined in an aesthetically pleasing way, including components with perlage decoration. The wheels of the perpetual calendar, on the other hand, have a circular, satin finish. Blued screws and a blue rotor provide additional pops of colour. To match the dial, the bridge is anthracite-coloured and features the engraving ‘Designed by Peter Speake Limited Edition 135 pieces.’
The movement oscillates at a frequency of 4 Hz and has a power reserve of 38 hours. There is no need to manually adjust the watch’s indications in the event of a leap year as the grand complication of the perpetual calendar has been set accordingly. Thus, a small window integrated into the month ring indicates a year with 366 days through a red dot. Otherwise, the dot in the window remains white.
A dark grey Nylon strap with white lining and a folding clasp rounds off the 135 pieces of this limited-edition watch. The timepiece is available for 11,995 euros.
