Green is Good: A Closer Look at The New Frederique Constant Classic Tourbillon Manufacture

The raison d’être of the Geneva-based brand Frederique Constant is delivering affordable Swiss-made luxury watches. How do they do it? I’m no economist, but I wager that the brand’s investment in talent and its engagement with collectors has paid off with some great timepieces.
 

Take, for example, 2023’s Classic Tourbillon Manufacture. This launch featured a striking new 39mm case made from 18-karat pink gold. So luxe. Very elegant. And yet, this precious metal-encased, tourbillon-equipped stunner cost less than $30,000.

Since then, the brand has used the Manufacture collection to experiment with other premium materials, such as limited editions with aventurine and meteorite dials and platinum or white gold cases.
 

For 2025, Frederique Constant is continuing to explore the collection’s range with a new stainless-steel, tourbillon-equipped model featuring an entrancing palm-green, sunray-finished dial.

Even if the Constant Classic Tourbillon Manufacture cost the same as other Swiss-made examples of the tourbillon complication, we’d still be impressed by its finishing.

The existing three-part 39mm Classics-style case is the same shape as the 2023 model, but this one is executed in highly polished stainless steel. The streamlined and slim proportions are balanced by more distinguished touches, such as an onion-shaped crown.
 

What’s novel is a deep palm-green dial featuring a flawlessly executed radiant sunburst finish. This field of dreams is decorated with applied silver-colored diamond-cut indices paired with hand-polished hour and minute hands. In theory, it’s formal, but in practice, it’s all about play… of light.

At the center of this display is the tourbillon at the 6 o’clock spot, which also provides the backdrop for a small-seconds hand. Moreover, blued screws provide an extra pop of color.
 

The constant motion of the tourbillon is grounded by the soothing green dial and matching topstitched alligator deployment strap.

The openwork tourbillon display offers a peek at the inner workings of this watch. Flip it over, and you can observe the Maison’s self-winding FC-980 manufacture movement at work through the transparent caseback.

This mechanism, which was wholly developed and assembled in-house, beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour and has a power reserve of 38 hours. This mechanism also features traditional finishes, such as circular graining, straight-grained flanks, and mirror polishing.
 

The Manufacture collection is the crème de la crème of the Frederique Constant catalog. So, while accessible pricing and modern styling make these pieces appealing to younger enthusiasts, the fact that they are limited editions makes them desirable to hard-core collectors.

Limited to 150 pieces with an individual serial number engraved on the cage of the tourbillon and the frame of the caseback, the Classic Tourbillon Manufacture is now available and is priced at CHF 14,995.
 

For more information, check out the Frederique Constant website.