Frederique Constant is a brand known for its focus on affordable luxury, rational watchmaking with a fair share of complications (including its own perpetual calendar and even a tourbillon with a perpetual calendar), and primarily watches with classic, restrained elegance. This well-tuned recipe has been the brand's key to success for over 30 years. However, last year, Frederique Constant decided to venture into more sporty territories. By launching the updated Highlife collection, FC entered the challenging and highly competitive luxury sports watch market with integrated bracelets. Just a year after the launch, the collection includes a wide range of models, from automatic chronometers to perpetual calendars and women's models. Today, it's time for the Frederique Constant Highlife Automatic Skeleton to join this lineup.
The Highlife collection is not entirely new; it's more of an update to an existing model from the late 1990s with the same name. In 1999, the Highlife design was already characterized by an integrated strap/bracelet, a round case with a central lug module, and somewhat whimsical dial design. Of course, those times have passed, and the new Highlife models are much more modern, sporty, and finally, they do not hide their mission to compete in the ultra-competitive luxury sports watch market. This means that while some design features of the past model have been retained, the collection now exudes a relatively understated aura of the 1970s.
With the new Highlife Automatic Skeleton model, the brand adds new, bolder, and even more modern watches to its growing collection. Yet, the new model does not deviate from the formula established a year ago, starting with its distinctive design. The watch has the required case shape as demanded by this category. It also comes with integrated straps and/or bracelets and combines edges and curves. The most characteristic elements are the semi-lunar concave shapes of the case and the smooth thin bezel. The Highlife Automatic Skeleton model measures 41 mm in diameter and under 11 mm in height, maintaining the relative elegance of its sisters. The case is equipped with sapphire crystals on both sides and is water-resistant up to 50 meters.
The main novelty of this collection is the openwork mechanisms, a modern take on classic automatic models without complications, not even a date. The Frederique Constant Highlife Automatic Skeleton is an automatic watch where the star of the show is the central part of the dial, revealing parts of the mechanism, including the balance at the “12 o'clock” position (reminiscent of the brand's Open Heart watches). To match the rest of the collection, the plate was hollowed out in a modern graphic style, once again depicting the curvature of the globe - a distinctive feature of all Highlife watches.
The rest of the dial is executed in a traditional style, with a sunray-brushed inner ring displaying the second hand with white print, as well as faceted, polished applied indices with Super-LumiNova luminescent coating. The hands are identical to the rest of the collection, with polished surfaces and luminescent inserts. The movement powering the Frederique Constant Highlife Automatic Skeleton is the classic Sellita SW 200, operating at 4 Hz with a power reserve of 38 hours. The caseback reveals an individual rotor and bridges coated in black lacquer.
Two editions of the Frederique Constant Highlife Automatic Skeleton will be released, each limited to 888 pieces. The first edition (Ref. FC-310NSKT4NH6B) features a classic stainless steel case with matte and polished surfaces and a dark blue inner ring on the dial. The indices and hands are silver-colored. This version is worn on a matte and polished steel bracelet, with an additional blue rubber strap included. Note that both options come with an easy-change device. The retail price of this model is 2,295 Euros.
The second edition (Ref. FC-310DGSKT4TNH6B) is much less classic and gives the model a more polarizing and sporty look. The case is matte throughout and coated with a titanium PVD finish, resulting in a dark gray outfit from case to bracelet. The dial's inner ring is dark gray, and the hands and indices are colored in “black pearl.” A black rubber strap is also included, and the retail price is 2,395 Euros.
More detailed information can be found on frederiqueconstant.com.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS – FREDERIQUE CONSTANT HIGHLIFE AUTOMATIC SKELETON
Case: diameter 41 mm x height 10.84 mm – matte/polished stainless steel OR matte titanium with PVD coating – sapphire crystal front and back – water resistance 50 m.
Dial: openwork dial with partially visible mechanism – blue or dark gray inner ring with white second scale – applied silver or black pearl markers with SLN – polished or black pearl hands with SLN
Movement: caliber FC-310 (base Sellita SW 200-1), skeletonized – automatic – 26 jewels – 28,800 vibrations/hour – power reserve 38 h – hours, minutes, seconds
Bracelet: H-shaped integrated bracelet with easy-change system – polished/matte stainless steel or matte stainless steel with titanium PVD coating – folding clasp. Also includes additional blue or black rubber strap with pin buckle
Availability: both models limited to 888 pieces
References: FC-310NSKT4NH6B – steel, blue dial, FC-310DGSKT4TNH6B – PVD, black dial
Price: 2,295 Euros – steel, 2,395 Euros – pvd