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ReviewHere To Stay: Frederique Constant’s Highlife Collection—The Automatic COSC And More

The most accessible point of true Swiss-made luxury, Frederique Constant's Highlife collection includes an automatic chronometer, a Heart Beat model and an edition with a perpetual calendar

Ajinkya Nair July 29, 2021

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Making it in the watch industry is one especially tough nut to crack. But making it as a newcomer? That’s just playing the game on the hardest level of difficulty there is. All you hear in the watch world is heritage this and legacy that. But the thing is, they aren’t lying. Some watchmakers have been around since the 1700s—brands like Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Blancpain, Girard-Perregaux. That’s spanning three centuries! So, if you see watchmakers mention their past, it’s okay—they have earned those bragging rights. But that makes things all the more difficult for relatively new players to make a mark in this pedigree-driven industry. Frederique Constant, however, have cracked the code. This Geneva-based brand have gained international recognition for manufacturing elegant watches with interesting complications and a luxurious appeal for reasonable prices. Cleverly positioning themselves in the quickly growing ‘accessible luxury’ segment, the Swiss watchmakers are now the go-to for anyone who desires an exquisite Swiss watch that is both reliable, yet not exorbitant like several of its counterparts from other brands.

Frederique Constant Highlife

One of the most iconic nameplates in the marque’s history is the Highlife collection, first launched in 1999 as a flagship for the company. The line-up was characterised by its integrated strap (or bracelet) and a distinctive case silhouette. Over the years, the hype of the Highlife collection may have fizzled out, but Frederique Constant was never one to just rest on its laurels. So, in 2020, the brand announced the return of their Highlife watches, featuring new streamlined integrated case designs, modern updates, and reliable movements. The brand updated the concept of these luxury sports watches and reinvigorated the collection with three new models the Highlife Automatic COSC, Highlife Heart Beat and the Highlife Perpetual Calendar Manufacture.

Definitive Elements Throughout The Collection

The Case

All watches in the collection share the same 41mm case with a stainless steel construction. This lends the collection an instant identity and lowers production costs significantly. Streamlined and clean with an unguarded pillbox crown and a narrow, polished bezel, the case takes on a smooth, vaguely hexagonal form with fine brushing. The delicate contouring work along the case sides allows it to flow organically around the wrist, creating a smooth and streamlined continuous curve that is as comfortable as it is attractive. The dedication to the concept of visual flow makes the integration of the lugs into the main body of the case a no-brainer.

All watches in the collection share the same 41mm case with a stainless steel construction
Streamlined and clean with an unguarded pillbox crown and a narrow, polished bezel, the case takes on a smooth, vaguely hexagonal form with fine brushing
Using the same case throughout the collection lends it an instantly recognisable identity and lowers production costs significantly
The delicate contouring work along the case sides allows it to flow organically around the wrist, creating a smooth and streamlined continuous curve that is as comfortable as it is attractive
The dedication to the concept of visual flow makes the integration of the lugs into the main body of the case a no-brainer
The streamlined structure of the case helps ensure that it sits well on the wrist

Interchangeable Straps And Bracelet

Integrated into these cases are the many choices of either a steel bracelet, a leather, croco-calf suede, or rubber strap, allowing you to switch styles from classic to sporty without skipping a beat. The easy-change system lets you switch the strap or bracelet and the personality of the watch in seconds without a tool. All you need to do is work the pins at the back of the strap, where it meets the caseback, to release it.

Integrated into these cases are the many choices of either a steel bracelet, a leather, croco-calf suede, or rubber strap
This allows you to switch styles from classic to sporty without skipping a beat
The easy-change system lets you switch the strap or bracelet and the personality of the watch in seconds without a tool
All you need to do is work the pins at the back of the strap, where it meets the caseback, to release it.
The strap is integrated, which is a style that has seen a considerable surge in popularity in recent times

Frederique Constant Highlife

The Dial

The dials of the new Highlife series models use the brand’s globe motif—a symbol that Frederique Constant says symbolises the Earth as well as ‘encompasses the brand’s ideal for sustainable living on earth’. The globe stands as the unifying visual centrepiece for all these new models and is engraved into the dials. Mimicking the imaginary longitudes and latitudes of our blue rock, the pattern is striking on navy blue and black dials, while on the lighter, silver-hued dials, the engraving is more subtle and nuanced as it blends elegantly into the background. All the watches of the collection carry the same pencil-shaped hands with matching indices. Protecting the dial and the working components within is the sapphire crystal glass with antireflective treatment on either side.

Frederique Constant Highlife

The Highlife Automatic COSC—Frederique Constant’s First Certified Chronometer Timepiece

The COSC (Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute) certificate is only issued to pieces that can guarantee perfect isochronism over a given time and at given positions—effectively those that tell the time correctly, consistently and precisely, within the strict limits enforced by an ISO standard. COSC-certified pieces form an elite class of their own, intended for collectors for whom ‘Swiss precision’ is of utmost importance. The Highlife Automatic COSC was developed especially for them.

This watch draws inspiration from a 1999 model and is the most straightforward take on the updated collection. All we have is a clean closed dial and a time-date display on the face. The three-hand design is pure and unfettered by complications, save for a three o’clock date display. Frederique Constant powers the Highlife Automatic COSC with the Sellita SW200-1 based FC-303 automatic movement. This is the first Frederique Constant movement to be chronometer-certified by the COSC for accuracy, with a 38-hour power reserve and a 28,800vph beat rate. The Highlife Automatic COSC is available in four versions—steel with a blue or silver-coloured dial, steel with gold-plated elements and a silver-coloured dial, and a full gold-plated version with a black dial.

The Highlife Heart Beat—The Genesis

To many experienced watch enthusiasts, when you say the words, Frederique Constant, the original Heart Beat is what flashes in their minds. Frederique Constant’s first Heart Beat watch, launched over 25 years ago, became a cult favourite among collectors when it hit the market. Its design revealed the inner workings of its movement through an aperture on the dial at 12 o’clock. Frederique Constant was still a fairly new brand at the time when the Heart Beat design was introduced, and it wasn’t patented back then. Since then, many other watchmakers have introduced their versions of the dial aperture.

The new model follows the same footwork as its predecessor. Through this aperture, those who have a penchant for enjoying the inner mechanism of a timepiece can witness the oscillation of the balance wheel—the beating heart of the watch.

Through this aperture, those who have a penchant for enjoying the inner mechanism of a timepiece can witness the oscillation of the balance wheel—the beating heart of the watch

Visible through a transparent caseback (and of course the open aperture on the dial side) is the calibre FC-310, based on an automatic Sellita SW 200-1 movement, offering a power reserve of 38 hours. This model retains the same 41mm case and dial pattern and is available in three different versions: steel with a black dial, steel with a blue dial and pink gold-plated with a silver dial.

Frederique Constant Highlife

The Highlife Perpetual Calendar Manufacture—Pure Watchmaking Excellence

The most ‘Highlife’ watch of them all, the Perpetual Calendar epitomises everything the line was known for and also sets the tone for the future of the series. The perpetual calendar is a rare offering in the world of watches, especially in this price range. It features the company’s in-house-made FC-775 calibre with an internally developed quantième perpétuel module, which famously made its debut in the brand’s first perpetual calendar in 2016.

The self-winding mechanical movement beats at a frequency of 28,800vph and holds a power reserve of 38 hours. The dial is characterised by three counters: day at nine o’clock, month and leap year at noon, and the date at three o’clock. A moon phase indicator at six completes the look.

Frederique Constant Highlife

This updated Highlife collection sees Frederique Constant re-enter one of the most dynamic segments of the industry—luxury sport watches with integrated bracelets—offering high-quality, reliable timepieces that are accessible to a wide audience. With the integrated bracelets, easy-change system, reliable, tried-and-tested movements and the classic Frederique Constant aesthetic, these watches are not only extremely versatile but look quite dashing too. There really isn’t much to complain about. The Highlife offers more bang for the buck, and is a great entry-point for budding enthusiasts to get into the game. Accessible luxury is how the brand made their mark in the first place and we’re glad to see that it’s the route they’re continuing to take with this collection, which is certainly here to stay.