rederique Constant’s Highlife collection was very much ahead of its time when it emerged on the watchmaking scene in 1999 with an interchangeable, integrated strap, a design in keeping with the best traditions of Swiss fine watchmaking, high-level finishings, and careful attention to detail – all at affordable prices making Swiss made luxury as widely available as possible.

The relaunch of the collection in 2020, accompanied by musician, producer and brand ambassador The Avener, immediately proved to be one of the Manufacture’s greatest successes.

The launch of two more new references is thus a major event, doubling the size of the collection at a stroke; above all, it provides collectors with two completely different alternatives.

The first now enters the standard collection and introduces a new variation on the Highlife Chronograph Automatic with the very first edition in plated rose gold. This luxurious choice delivers a model that’s still affordable whilst adding a touch of gold – a key component of the traditional, classy ethos of fine watchmaking. The piece’s midnight blue dial and strap and snailed silver subdials assert its unashamedly modern style. The finely worked details will be especially appreciated: hand-polished hands, alternating polished and satin surfaces and the option of a blue suede strap with crocodile pattern embossing alongside the rubber strap alternative.

The second piece takes a very different direction; rather than being a part of the collection, it will be strictly limited to just 1888 watches, making it a rare collector’s item. It’s only the second time in three years that Frederique Constant has produced a limited-edition steel Highlife Chronograph Automatic. The piece is housed in a steel case and offering the unusual combination of an opaline dial with green counters, setting a contemporary, sportier tone.

The steel case heralds a sporty temperament; the choice of straps and the fir green counters further assert the piece’s outdoor vocation. This variation remains subtly understated when combined with its green suede strap for city wear, while the other two straps (one in brushed polished steel, the other made from rubber) establish it as ready to explore the planet; the globe outline engraved on the surface of the opaline dial offers further confirmation of this calling.

The two sisters, each with their own temperament, share the same beating heart: the FC-391 calibre, powering an hours/minutes/seconds tricompax display and a date window at half past four. This reliable, tried and tested movement is already present in the collection’s two existing Highlife Chronograph Automatics and offers a 60-hour power reserve, taking the timepiece comfortably through the weekend so that those who remove their watch on a Friday evening will find it still faithfully telling the time on Monday morning. Visible through a sapphire crystal caseback, the calibre features Côtes de Genève decoration and is fittingly housed in a 41-millimetre case, guaranteed water resistant to 10 ATM.

The two pieces will come with two and three interchangeable straps respectively, as is the custom.