This week, we are testing the new Frederique Constant Highlife Worldtimer with the brand’s in-house manufacture movement that is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Let’s see what the team thought during their team test.
Sophie Furley
When I mentioned to a friend that I was testing the Frederique Constant Highlife Worldtimer Manufacture this week, he asked me: “Why would you want to test that? You aren’t going anywhere!” Thanking him for reminding me of my unadventurous life right now, I quickly put him in his place, telling him that I have enough international Zoom calls for such a tool to come in extremely handy! And come in handy it has. I have been chatting to people all over the place this week, from the US to Nigeria, China to the UK. What a joy to be able to look down and see the time in all these places at a glance. What I have really enjoyed about the Highlife Worldtimer Manufacture is how easy it is to use. The first position in the crown winds the watch, the second position allows you to set the home city (at 12 o’clock) and the third position allows you to set the time. It is a piece of cake. It is also very legible which is not always the case with a world timer. It also has a day/night indicator (very useful for not calling people in the middle of the night), a date, a quick-change stainless-steel bracelet (plus rubber and nubuck straps) – all for CHF 4,195 – which makes it a winner for me, even with no travel plans!
Marie de Pimodan
It is half past 12 on the Frederique Constant Highlife Worldtimer: Time to head out for lunch on the slopes of Gstaad! As I leave The Alpina hotel, my stomach grumbling, I wonder what my friends across the world are up to at this very moment in time. In Dakar, it’s time for a snack. In Tokyo, my childhood friend is probably enjoying ramen for dinner. As for my cousin in New York, he will soon wake up, have a coffee and some toast, and head out to work. If I can’t travel easily, the Worldtimer still offers me the world at a glance. An invitation to dream, this watch with its elegant and legible dial displays the world’s 24 time zones with 24 cities. One small regret, the date disc hides the time in Polynesia, more precisely the Samoa Islands, and I was already trying to imagine myself on the beach! I console myself by appreciating the discreet look and the comfort of this watch which adapts perfectly to my daily program, both sporting and culinary!
Jordy Bellido
This week, our team test continues the focus on travel watches, much to my pleasure. Twenty-four world cities on your wrist (and the date), that’s what the Frederique Constant Worldtimer offers. This watch would have been very useful during my Christmas holidays in the US to know what time it was back home. As a result, I did a lot of mental calculations before calling my relatives. That being said, what I find great about this watch is its level of complexity. All its functions (time, day/night, date, and cities) are manipulated by one and only one element: the crown. Pull it out one or two notches, turn it clockwise or anticlockwise and you will see how easy it is to adjust its different functions. It is intuitive and only takes a few minutes to understand how it works. Be careful though, if you turn the crown the wrong way, you risk turning the city disc instead of changing the date. And, to get back to your city, you’ll have to do a tour of the planet. Is this really a problem? I don’t think so, it only takes a few seconds, so I think we can say thank you to Frederique Constant for this fantastic watch.
Brice Lechevalier
When a brand has been born and grown, when the course set at the beginning has been maintained without faltering and improvements have been made along the way, it inevitably benefits from an above-average level of appreciation. This is what has happened with Frederique Constant in the accessible and elegant luxury segment, where the company has already designed more than 30 in-house calibres, equipping Swiss Made models that are often the most affordable on the market. Whether it is a chronograph, tourbillon, or perpetual calendar, or in this world timer category, with the Highlife Manufacture Worldtimer, Frederique Constant timepieces deserve respect. The first glance is more than pleasing to the eye, with its harmonious shapes, its ocean blue dial, and its integrated bracelet. It is easy to read, which is not always the case with this particular complication. The aesthetic decoration (even on the back of the movement with its different decorative motifs) is of note, and it is a fun and comfortable watch to wear too. Finally, its ergonomics and functionality are also reflected in the easy adjustment of all indications through the crown. If the Millenium Watch Book collection ever includes a volume on world timers, this watch would definitely be in it!
Jean-Christophe Teigner
A world timer watch is an invitation to travel, to remember places previously discovered and to travel to places we dream of visiting. Very soon, hopefully! Destination Dubai, Singapore, Sydney…now boarding. Take Off. Discovery. This watch is really beautifully crafted. A blue dial evokes the depth of the seas of distant lands. A very well-made bracelet fits perfectly on the wrist. The movement is visible under a sapphire crystal with very beautiful decorative patterns. In addition to circular graining, there is also a circular Côtes de Genève motif, reminding us of the watch’s origins, but also of the attention to detail brought by the Manufacture Frederique Constant. This watch is beautiful above and below. North and South Hemisphere! In short, the Frederique Constant World Worldtimer offers you the promise of the world at your fingertips where the infinitely small opens the doors to the infinitely large.
