Frederique Constant prides itself in being a true Swiss watch manufacture that creates its own movements and assembles its watches by hand. Yet this fact isn’t always prominently highlighted. The brand asked French artist seconde/seconde/ to find a way to convey the message in his own distinctive, cheeky style. He might have gone too far. The result is two altered limited editions of the Slimline Moonphase Date Manufacture – one in steel that’s limited to 100 examples, and the second in steel with a rose gold tone crown and dial elements limited to 10 pieces.
Somewhere between a commentator, comedian, horological hacker and even a guerrilla artist, Romaric André is better known to the world under his alias seconde/seconde/. In a short few years, seconde/seconde/ has become a mainstay in many watch collectors’ radars. From editing vintage watches with playful elements to collaborating with brands of all sizes and price segments, seconde/seconde/ found in the watch industry a perfect and somewhat untapped playground for combining his two passions: satire and horology.
On his first collaboration with Frederique Constant, Romaric André shared, "As watch lovers, we’re looking for perfection… but when it becomes too perfect, we start to regret the lack of soul, the lack of connection with the ‘artisanal roots’ of watchmaking. It’s the same in life where the quest for perfection sometimes is conflicting with our human nature and beauty. I love to talk about our contradictions as social bodies, and I think this watch embodies a bit of this sweet bipolarity we all have.”
Frederique Constant CEO Niels Eggerding added, "Romaric's dynamic and innovative spirit serves as a true inspiration, injecting a fresh and disruptive energy into our collaboration. Renowned for steering powerful and creative initiatives within the industry, he has rightfully earned his reputation. We feel privileged to join forces with him on the creation of one of the most successful Manufacture calibers ever produced by our brand. Our shared commitment to disruption aligns seamlessly, and we appreciate the bold provocations that Romaric has infused into the distinctive design of the Slimline Moonphase Date Manufacture. Together, we embark on a journey that celebrates innovation, pushing boundaries, and setting new standards in craftsmanship."
For his first collaboration with Frederique Constant, seconde/seconde/ sought to shine a light on what he considers the brand’s greatest strength (and perhaps frustration): the hand-assembled aspect of its watches. The result is a quirky and slightly chaotic reimagining of one of Frederique Constant’s most emblematic references from its “Manufacture” collection, the Slimline Moonphase Date. The duo decided to create two limited editions: one of only 10 pieces featuring rose gold accents on the case and dial – a first for the model – available exclusively on Frederique Constant’s online boutique, and a second edition of 100 pieces in steel available from authorized Frederique Constant retailers around the world.
Upon a first glance from a distance, the Slimline Moonphase Date Manufacture appears… totally normal. The finely polished three-part 42mm stainless steel case, the subtly sparkling matt silver dial and harmonious moonphase and date display are all there. Yet a closer look reveals that nothing is as it seems. On the online-exclusive edition, the crown, hands and applied hour markers reflect a rose gold hue, contrasting against the coolness of the steel and silver elements. But that’s just the beginning.
Something is clearly not right with the dial. The applied hour markers appear to be weirdly and unevenly dispatched. The script of the logo and the date indication look like they were hand-written. Even the moonphase disk’s moon and stars look uneven and drawn by hand. For seconde/seconde/ though, it makes perfect sense: to highlight the handcrafted aspect of Frederique Constant’s Slimline Moonphase Date Manufacture by incorporating a bit of human error and uneven typography that could only have been drawn by hand, while the elements themselves are perfectly executed and embellished by hand.
On the reverse side of the case, the open display case comes with something of a disclaimer that perfectly sums up this unexpected and unprecedented collaboration: “How do we tell the world that manual-assembly is at the core of our Manufacture? We asked artist seconde/seconde/. He took it too far”. Beneath this message, one can admire a view of the FC-705 in-house automatic calibre, complete with perlage graining on the base plate, côtes de Genève striping on the bridge and blued screws throughout. Its bi-directional oscillating rotor efficiently winds the mainspring barrel to deliver a power reserve of 38 hours.
Who says that serious watchmaking can’t be light-hearted?
