Frederique Constant Unveils 40 Hz Silicon Oscillator
Best known for affordable complications, Frederique Constant’s recent watches include a flyback chronograph for US$4,000 and a perpetual calendar for a bit under US$10,000. But the brand has also applied modern technology to its watchmaking with its analog smartwatches. The brand’s latest offering is cutting-edge horology, but in a mechanical movement. The Slimline Monolithic Manufacture is equipped with an automatic movement that runs at 40 Hz, or 288,000 beats per hour (bph), thanks to a compliant-mechanism silicon oscillator instead of a balance wheel. Initial thoughts It’s a pleasant surprise to see Frederique Constant delving into advanced horological solutions with its silicon compliant mechanism and entering a space often associated with pricier brands like Ulysse Nardin and Zenith. Even more impressive is the fact that the movement is not just as a concept, but a commercially available watch that will be in stores in fall of this year and priced relatively affordably, starting at €4,495, or about US$5,300, in steel. The advanced movement leaves the design of the Monolithic Manufacture incongruous with its classical styling and a truly modern oscillator. However, as such watches go, the design is not the point – it is all about the novel escapement that will certainly pique the interest of technical-minded enthusiasts. Hi-tech collab The high-frequency silicon oscillator was born of a collaboration with Flexous, a startup focused on compliant mechanis...
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