New Full-Steel and Blue Editions of the Frederique Constant Classics Premiere

Frederique Constant, the brand that has cemented a reputation for accessible luxury, unveils two new iterations of its Classics Premiere unisex dress watch. Dressed in attractive pastel dial colours, the compact 38.5mm case size is paired with a new stainless steel bracelet for a more contemporary and versatile look.

When applied to watchmaking, the term “classic” is often used to describe more traditionally styled watches. Introduced in 2023, the three-hand Classics Premiere collection fit the bill nicely with their round polished cases, classical Roman numerals and large onion crowns. Perhaps a bit too classic and august for younger buyers, FC followed up with a more vintage-infused edition in 2024 with a lovely stepped, salmon-coloured dial with Arabic numerals, a slimmer bezel and case height, and a smaller crown.

The new Classics Premiere models come with cloud blue and salmon dials. Yes, the salmon dial is identical to last year’s model, but it was an EU exclusive and is now combined with a stainless steel bracelet.

Playing with different textures and heights in the fashion of Art Deco sector dials, the lively dial features a wide circular-brushed chapter ring with applied slanting Breguet-style Arabic numerals framed by two railroad tracks. Moving down a step, the recessed centre of the dial features a contrasting matte, grained finish matching that found on the peripheral minutes/seconds track. The hands are also inspired by Breguet’s open-tipped indicators, consolidating the retro spirit of the dial. Like the applied hour numerals, all three hands are polished.

As mentioned, the novelty here is the newly designed stainless steel bracelet with a folding buckle with push buttons. Similar in style to a Rolex Jubilee bracelet, it has five links. The wider lateral links are brushed, while the three smaller internal links are polished, matching the finish of the 38.5mm steel case with a height of 10.67mm. However, the pairing of the case with a steel bracelet gives the watch a less formal and more versatile presence than the earlier model on a leather strap.

The sapphire caseback affords a view of the calibre FC-301, a new generation automatic movement with an extended power reserve of 68 hours. In line with FC’s accessible luxury policy, the movement is based on the La Joux-Perret G100, a movement maker owned by Citizen and sister company of FC.

These two new Classics Premiere models join the regular collection and retail for EUR 2,095. More information at frederiqueconstant.com.