Frederique Constant Classic Date Manufacture

It’s definitely still a Classic, but with some major new features: the Classic Date Manufacture now sports the new FC-706 Manufacture calibre with a 72-hour power reserve and a five-year warranty. The steel case has been resized to a slightly smaller 40 millimetres, a classy and classic diameter housing a new dial free from figures. Slim hour markers and a ‘railtrack’ minute circle encompass a sunburst dial finished in silver, black or salmon.

There’s the form, and then there’s the substance: while the three new incarnations of the Classic Date Manufacture remain true to the canons of authentic, traditional Fine Watchmaking, they do so by adopting a different stylistic and technical approach to that of their predecessors.

The ethos of the new models is all about refinement, starting with a considerably slimmed-down case diameter of 40mm instead of the previous 42mm. This evolution is in line with the current expectation of lovers of Fine Watchmaking – and also reflects the dimensions of most of the timepieces released over the past fifty years that have gone on to become timeless icons.