xactly 35 years ago, two bold young entrepreneurs took their first steps in watchmaking with a single aim in mind: making the fine workmanship of Swiss made watchmakers available to the general public at a fair price. Thus was born Frederique Constant. The original Geneva-based firm has since embarked on an impressive journey, becoming a fully-fledged manufacture that’s now international whilst remaining firmly attached to its Geneva roots.

To celebrate this outstanding odyssey, Frederique Constant is unveiling two new variations of its Highlife Worldtimer Manufacture. In just three years, the Highlife collection has earned a name for itself as Frederique Constant’s flagship collection, embodying the rise of the manufacture that first brought it into being.

The first of these Highlife Worldtimer Manufacture variations is an anniversary edition par excellence, comprising just 35 watches made with 18-carat rose gold – sure to delight collectors who now eagerly expect exceptional commemorative creations to appear from time to time in highly limited editions.

The piece’s highly contemporary, multifaceted case shows off the shimmering gleam of precious metal to the full; the Manufacture has further enhanced the resulting interplay of light by offsetting the brushed case with a polished bezel and crown.

For this edition, Frederique Constant has chosen a dial in petroleum blue, a hue soft enough to reveal the shades engraved on its surface: the Earth symbol, complete with lines of latitude and longitude, and a sunray finish at 6 o’clock on the date disc. The dial features luminous, gold-coloured appliqué hour markers matching the three central hands indicating hours, minutes and seconds.

The hands are carefully proportioned to give pride of place to the Worldtimer’s double disc; the external disc is marked with 24 cities denoting 24 time bands, while the second, internal disc displays the time in each reference city. Blue and white backgrounds allow the wearer to distinguish effortlessly between night and day.

To round off the monochrome effect, the watch comes on an interchangeable, integrated strap in blue alligator leather with a nubuck finish, as well as being supplied with a blue rubber strap.

The second, unlimited reference being unveiled sports the same features, with just three main exceptions. Firstly, the case is steel, suitable for more contemporary, urban wear. Secondly, the prevailing colour here is chocolate brown for the strap and worldtimer, coupled with a slightly lighter shade for the dial centre.

Lastly, this variation comes with three straps rather than two: chocolate brown alligator leather with a nubuck finish, a rubber strap of the same hue, and a polished, brushed steel 3-link strap.

The ballet of gears of the Manufacture FC-718 automatic caliber powers this model, backed by a 38-hour power reserve. With thoroughly tried and tested reliability, it’s the epitome of simplicity to use: all indications are set using the crown, thanks to an ingenious three-notch system. The first notch is for winding the watch. The second sets the date (going upwards) and the reference city (going downwards). The third sets the time on the central display.