I recognize that other watches in the Frederique Constant catalog have similar cases, but on the Moonphase Manufacture, it feels a lot more round than it needed to be. Overall, I felt the case was a bit of an odd design choice. The 5 ATM water resistance was a nice step up from the typical 3 ATM of many dress watches, though I still avoided the water.
A flat sapphire crystal fits to the back, so the in-house movement is fully on display. I wasn’t constantly pulling the watch back to the center of my wrist, as I would have expected with a thicker watch with larger lugs (ah-la Chronoswiss). They offset some of the thickness by sitting nicely against the wrist.
The lugs extend straight from the case and feature a clean taper that makes the watch very comfortable. The convex sapphire crystal butts up nicely to the bezel and gives the watch a uniform aesthetic. Maybe I wear my sleeves too tight, but I do feel the design of the case was certainly unforgiving. However, I found the case thick enough to consistently catch on my sleeves, no matter which wrist I wore it on (eliminating the large onion crown as the culprit). I imagine the dramatic taper off the sides is intended to help the watch slide under a cuff better. First, the bezel is thick, significantly rounded, and tall. I don’t necessarily mind the design, but I did find a few irritants about the size and flow of the case. The stainless steel case measures in at 42mm but is relatively thick for a dressier style watch. The decision created a slew of interesting models, including a Flyback Chronograph and a Worldtimer that both come in at less than $5,000 - a very competitive offering. Because of this approach, they aren’t limited to heavily modifying a Sellita or ETA to achieve the desired features. This allowed them to be a little more creative and offer a better-value product than many other brands in the same price bracket. About 15 years ago, Frederique Constant looked to set itself apart from the competition (because let’s be honest, the brand is in a pretty saturated space) by starting to manufacture movements in-house. They have done some creative things in their short time on the scene, and the Classic Moonphase Manufacture - a simple dress watch that features an in-house movement, at a fair price - is a case in point.īefore we get to the watch, I want to highlight why I find the brand so appealing.
I’ve been drawn to the brand for a while. One of the more interesting dress watches of the year came from Frederique Constant. I often find myself in a suit, so I’m always looking for a solid dress watch to complete the ensemble. Dress watches are a breed of their own, often avoided by bloggers and enthusiasts because of their delicate balance of clean and boring.
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