ridges are made to be crossed, and Frederique Constant has been bridge-building for over thirty-five years. Indeed, the Geneva manufacture is removing the barriers to a broader expression of fine watchmaking one by one – not least by creating affordable luxury timepieces, thus bringing together two adjectives previously held to be mutually exclusive. Today, the new Classics Moneta Moonphase perpetuates that same vision.

The idea is to erase the differences that traditionally distinguish mechanical watches from their quartz-powered counterparts. The first step was to do away with the seconds hand, in and of itself a sure way of identifying which type of calibre is being used. The Classics Moneta Moonphase thus has only two hands denoting hours and minutes, accompanied by a moonphase.

The upshot is that at first glance, there’s nothing to give away whether the timepiece is mechanical or quartz-powered. Rather than focusing on technical issues, the aim here is simply that of creating beauty and harmony, using the best calibre that will fit into a 37-millimetre diameter case at the best price.

With that in mind, the Classics Moneta Moonphase adopts all the stylistic attributes of mechanical fine watchmaking: a dial sporting a delicate sunburst finish, two Dauphine hands and applique hour markers. The ‘Moneta’ name is a nod to the flange of the timepiece, which features a delicately grooved guilloche pattern reminiscent of the edge of a coin.

At 6 o’clock sits an iconic complication of traditional watchmaking: the moonphase, located beneath a circular guilloche cut-out set above the words “Swiss Made”, denoting the manufacture’s Geneva roots. With the same attention to simplicity for all, the calibre and its complication are adjusted together, using the crown; not only that, the quartz movement will keep the moonphase accurate for months, even if the watch is not worn.

The externals meet the same demanding standards. The crystal is anti-reflective sapphire; the hands are hand-polished; the strap is genuine leather, with topstitching that matches either the colour of the dial or that of the strap itself, depending on the model.

The new Classics Moneta Moonphase has a guaranteed battery life of up to 60 months – a full five years. It comes in a 37-millimetre steel case with a choice of three different colour schemes for the dial and strap: a highly contemporary full black model, a radiant navy blue version and a more conventional watchmaking style featuring a silver-coloured dial on a brown strap.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Reference
FC-206B3S6

Movement

• FC-206 caliber, quartz
• 60 months battery life, 5 jewels
• Functions: Hours, minutes, moonphase

Case

• Polished stainless steel 3-part case
• Diameter of 37 mm
• Height of 7,65 mm
• Anti-reflective convex sapphire crystal
• Water-resistant up to 5 ATM/50m/164ft
• Threaded solid case back

Dial

• Blue, black or silver dial with sunray finishing
• Coin-edge inner ring
• Applied silver color indexes
• Hand-polished silver color hour and minute hands
• Moonphase at 6 o’clock

Bracelet

• Black calf leather strap with crocodile pattern embossing and tone-on-tone stitching
• Pin buckle