Frédérique Constant Runabout Moonphase Automatic


For the fifth consecutive year, Frédérique Constant — well-regarded by many collectors for its affordable Swiss watches with mechanical movements — served as a title sponsor for the Lake Tahoe Concours d’Elegance, a renowned event showcasing vintage wooden boats. As it has done in previous years, the brand has concurrently produced a new, limited-edition timepiece in its wooden-boat-inspired Runabout collection. Available in both steel and rose-gold plated versions, and both priced under $4,000, the Frédérique Constant Runabout Moonphase Automatic is this week’s Watch to Watch.

Both versions of the Frédérique Constant Runabout Moonphase Automatic feature a 40-mm round case (11.21 mm thick), with a diamond-hard convex sapphire crystal protecting the dial as well as a sapphire window in the caseback to display the movement. (The flag of the Riva Historical Society, a Milan-based organization dedicated to the preservation of classic wooden boats, is etched into the caseback window.) The silvered dials have a guilloché decoration in the center and applied indices and hour numerals (either rose-gold plated or pearl black). The watch’s functions are displayed in a trio of subdials — month at 12 o’clock, date at 3 0’clock, day at 9 o’clock — and in the moon-phase aperture at 6 o’clock. The two O-rings in the winding crown help make the case water-resistant to 50 meters.

Frederique Constant Ref. FC-365RM5B6The movement that powers both versions of the Frederique Constant Runabout Moonphase Automatic is the self-winding Caliber FC-365, with a balance frequency of 28,800 vph, 25 jewels, and a 42-hour power reserve. The watches are delivered on “crococalf” leather straps — brown for the rose-gold-plated model and black for the steel — with folding buckles. As with their predecessors in the Runabout collection, each watch comes in a specially designed gift box with a miniature replica of the model’s inspiration, a wooden Runabout racing boat. Finally, these timepieces are available at prices that even non-boat-owners will find accessible. The Frederique Constant Runabout Moonphase Automatic in 18k rose-gold-plated steel case (Ref. FC-365RM5B4) retails for $3,195, and the stainless-steel-case version (Ref. FC-365RM5B6) sells for just $2,995. Each is limited to 2,888 pieces.

Frederique Constant Ref. FC-365RM5B4

Save

No Responses to “Frédérique Constant Runabout Moonphase Automatic”

Show all responses
  1. Debashish

    Wish I could click on the pictures to enlarge them.

    Instead of small 38.2 KB and 41.6 KB, wish the pictures were at least 1 MB or more.

    Reply
Leave a Reply