I recognize that other watches in the Frederique Constant catalog have similar cases, but on the Moonphase Manufacture, it feels a lot more round than it needed to be. Overall, I felt the case was a bit of an odd design choice. The 5 ATM water resistance was a nice step up from the typical 3 ATM of many dress watches, though I still avoided the water. A flat sapphire crystal fits to the back, so the in-house movement is fully on display. I wasn’t constantly pulling the watch back to the center of my wrist, as I would have expected with a thicker watch with larger lugs (ah-la Chronoswiss). They offset some of the thickness by sitting nicely against the wrist. The lugs extend straight from the case and feature a clean taper that makes the watch very comfortable. The convex sapphire crystal butts up nicely to the bezel and gives the watch a uniform aesthetic. Maybe I wear my sleeves too tight, but I do feel the design of the case was certainly unforgiving. However, I found the case thick enough to consistently catch on my sleeves, no matter which wrist I wore it on (eliminating the large onion crown as the culprit). I imagine the dramatic taper off the sides is intended to help the watch slide under a cuff better. First, the bezel is thick, significantly rounded, and tall. I don’t necessarily mind the design, but I did find a few irritants about the size and flow of the case. The stainless steel case measures in at 42mm but is relatively thick for a dressier style watch. The decision created a slew of interesting models, including a Flyback Chronograph and a Worldtimer that both come in at less than $5,000 - a very competitive offering. Because of this approach, they aren’t limited to heavily modifying a Sellita or ETA to achieve the desired features. This allowed them to be a little more creative and offer a better-value product than many other brands in the same price bracket.
![frederique constant runabout moonphase watch frederique constant runabout moonphase watch](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/8AQAAOSwmsFfxhZE/s-l640.jpg)
About 15 years ago, Frederique Constant looked to set itself apart from the competition (because let’s be honest, the brand is in a pretty saturated space) by starting to manufacture movements in-house.
![frederique constant runabout moonphase watch frederique constant runabout moonphase watch](https://cdn2.jomashop.com/media/catalog/product/cache/fde19e4197824625333be074956e7640/f/r/frederique-constant-runabout-automatic-men_s-watch-fc-365rm5b6_3_3.jpg)
They have done some creative things in their short time on the scene, and the Classic Moonphase Manufacture - a simple dress watch that features an in-house movement, at a fair price - is a case in point.īefore we get to the watch, I want to highlight why I find the brand so appealing. I’ve been drawn to the brand for a while. One of the more interesting dress watches of the year came from Frederique Constant. I often find myself in a suit, so I’m always looking for a solid dress watch to complete the ensemble. Dress watches are a breed of their own, often avoided by bloggers and enthusiasts because of their delicate balance of clean and boring.