ReviewThe World On Your Wrist: Frederique Constant Manufacture Worldtimer

Summer is here and it is the season for vacations. My own social media feed has been taken over by pictures of my friends holidaying in exotic foreign locales, leaving me pining for a getaway! Vacationing and globetrotting leave us in a state of euphoria and only the best timepiece has the ability to grab our attention. The Frederique Constant Manufacture Worldtimer is one such watch that’ll subtly sit on your wrist yet encapsulate the entire world within its dial. Elegant and easy to operate, the Worldtimer is one of Frederique Constant’s ‘trophy’ series after the success of the Slimline Moonphase.

The brand’s USP: Frederique Constant has the reputation of offering a considerable number of complications in their watches at very accessible values. The Worldtimer is just the right representation of this USP. Given that it is relatively easy on the pocket compared to other travel/GMT watches, and has features at par, makes it a natural watch of choice for world travellers.

In this story, we will be taking a closer look at the 3 most popular variations of the Worldtimer – steel case (silver dial) on blue leather, rose gold plated steel case on leather and finally, the steel case (blue dial) on blue leather.

The elegant new designs- The 42mm case with variations: Frederique Constant has manufactured the Worldtimer in interesting configurations. Among the most popular variant is the revamped, rose gold-plated stainless steel case watch with a brown dial. The elegant new Worltimer has the world map embossed (as seen on all variations) on the patterned brown dial. The brand offers a royal vibe to adorn your wrist with, in the shape of a stainless steel variation with a blue dial. The third variant is a simple and ageless design which incorporates a silver dial within a stainless steel case, fitted with a fine blue leather strap. What makes the watch aesthetically so captivating is the raised world map etched in the centre of the dial, reinforcing its image as a globetrotter. The map is in different hues to match the base colour of the dial. So while it’s in dark brown on the brown dial, an olive green tint sits perfectly against the blue dial and the anthracite grey is used for the raised continents on the world map on the silver dial. The dial features applied white luminous indexes in all the references. The collection is tailor-made for the quintessential business traveller or frequent flyers who are constantly jet-setting.

Workings of the Worldtimer:

First and most importantly, you need to note that the Worldtimer allows you to simultaneously read the time in all 24 time zones! The FC-718 movement powering the Worldtimer was designed by Frederique Constant to be clean, and simple to operate from the get-go. From the smoothness of its functionality, one can tell that it’s a manufacture movement. There are three main elements that the watchmakers have incorporated in the Worldtimer – a ring with 24 major cities of the world, a 24-hour disc divided into day and night and a crown that operates all the functions. The 24-hour disc is represented by a bi-colour (light and dark) for easy reading. So how do you read the time in all zones? Simply choose the city that represents your home time zone at the 12 o’ clock position and then the in-house built FC-718 automatic movement does the rest. It lets you read the current time in every city via the rotating 24-hour disc. Here’s where the day-night colour differentiation helps; at a glance you know whether it is night or day in a particular city.

Focusing on the crown –  Bank on Frederique Constant to push the boundaries on the technical front and they’ll deliver without disappointing. But what’s really praise-worthy about the new Worldtimer is that while the watchmakers made the crown mighty powerful by imbibing all the functions in one key, it has also negated the need for any additional pushers which endows the watch with absolutely clean lines.

What adds to the functionality is the large date display at 6 o’clock. With a power reserve of 42 hours and water resistance of 50 metres, these watches tick off all features on the checklist for the best travel watch.

The see-through case back: The sapphire crystal see-through case back features intricate engravings. Getting to see the movement first-hand, draws upon the elaborateness of its making.

There are variations in straps too: While the blue dial and silver dial watch features a navy alligator strap with off-white stitching, a stainless steel pin buckle and a water-resistant inner lining (ref: FC-718NWM4H6), the brown dial version is complemented by a steel bracelet (ref: FC-718WM4H6B) and a navy alligator strap with off-white stitching (ref: FC-718WM4H6) respectively. The classic gold case watch with a silver guilloché dial has an enhanced aesthetic appeal thanks to its black alligator strap.

Last word: In my opinion, if you are looking for the perfect travel watch, then there is none other with a better value than the Swiss-made, in-house Manufacture Worldtimer.

What are your favourite watches from Frederique Constant? Let us know in the comments section below!