FROM THE STARS TO THE ART OF WATCHMAKING

The FC 335 caliber was designed with a particular focus on simplicity: Winding, hours, minutes, date and setting the moon phases are carried out via a single crown! The first position is used to wind the movement, the fourth to set the time. The date is corrected via the second position and the moon phases via the third – provided that the hands have been set to 10:10 beforehand so as not to damage the mechanism. The moon phases are located at 6 o’clock in perfect mirror symmetry with the ‘Heart Beat’ opening.

Once considered a feminine complication, the mechanism is now appreciated for its cosmic beauty by men and women alike. “The art of watchmaking is the daughter of astronomy,” said the historian Dominique Fléchon, and the first measurements of time were also made by observing the stars. Today, the poetic complication, which extends over an almost monthly cycle of 29.5 days, balances out the fast rhythm of the second hand and builds a bridge between short and long time-intervals. Between conventional and sidereal time. Between the earth and the cosmos.

A contemporary scene in dark blue unfolds around these two poles. The color sets the stage for the moon phases by evoking the infinite expanse of the cosmos, just like the blued elements of 19th century timepieces. True to the brand’s custom, Frederique Constant has guilloched the timepiece at this point with a ‘Clous de Paris’ decoration, a centuries-old motif that plays with the light through numerous reflections. But words and images could never adequately capture it, so come and see this cosmic beauty for yourself!