The Classics Carrée collection, which was launched in 2003, scored highly with its unique geometry. This was followed by an XL model and the famous ‘Heart Beat’ opening on the escapement that made Frédérique Constant famous. The most modern watch was given a blue dial and a matching strap in the same colour with blue stitching.
Now the Classics Carrée Automatic has been further developed – and significantly so. The first major change: the Heart Beat opening closes and once again harbours the well-kept secret of the timepiece’s Swiss Made mechanism. The result is a new, much simpler dial. The broad Roman numerals give way to applied indices, which are doubled at 12 o’clock. The style is timeless and much closer to the aesthetic feel of the 1920s.
Fashion comes and goes – but Frédérique Constant always remembers it fondly. Just under a century ago, shortly before the beginning of the 1920s, the watch slipped out of the jacket pocket and onto the wrist. More than a development: a revolution! Shapes, bracelets, buckles and sizes were invented that had never existed before.
All ‘designers’ – who were not yet labelled as such at the time – set out in search of new possibilities for graphic expression. The round, often oversized pocket watch belonged to an era that people now wanted to leave behind. The break was complete: both shape and format were out. A new shape was in: the rectangle.
This form survived an entire century – which was characterised by major changes – and made it into the modern age. Watchmaking loves simple patterns such as circles, rectangles and squares. Frédérique Constant is now reviving this truly timeless design. The centre of the dial features sophisticated finishes. The rectangle, which also corresponds to the exact proportions of the 30.4 x 33.3 mm case, is closed by a chemin-de-fer minute track typical of the 1920s and the Art Deco movement. A very fine groove pattern is reserved only for the owner.
These subtleties ensure that the three-hand movement provides a better contrast. The hour and minute hands are designed in the Dauphine style, which is also typical of the last century. The simple, sleek shape allows the time to be read perfectly anytime and anywhere, as the two facets are orientated at different angles, which means that at least one of the two facets always catches the light. The watch is set at 3 o’clock using an onion crown, which was found on almost all watches until the middle of the last century.
