After a bit less than two years, Frederique Constant has decided to revamp its Slimline Automatic model. The new watch, available in both stainless steel or in the same material with red golden plating, is now available with the new styling. On the other hand, its most important technical traits, including the automatic movement with three hands and a date display are retained. The same goes for its flat profile and the affordable price which is around $2,000 for the basic steel variant and just a slightly more for the gold-plated variant.
As it is quite self-explanatory, the Slimline collection by Frederique Constant got its name from the fact that it includes watches with thin profiles. Among the bunch, Automatic Slimline model is meant to be the piece that stands out as the most affordable price that still has the same DNA as the watches from the series, as well as the same refined appearance. Unfortunately, the data provided by the brand still do not state the exact price of the novelty, nor its case thickness. However, it is still quite safe to expect that they will be more or less the same as the ones in its predecessor from a couple of years ago. This older piece was sold at the price of about $2,000, while its more lavish version costed a couple of hundred dollars more. As for the case thickness, it was just less than 8 mm which is probably the case once again, since the brand opted to use the same type of caliber.
Slight Differences and the Same Philosophy
The new versions of the model are similar to the old ones, but there are still a lot of new details. These are mostly notable in the appearance of the silvery-white face. Instead of it being decorated with guilloche patterns, the curved dial is now crispy clear. Moreover, the square aperture that is used for the date display of the watch is moved from the bottom to the more traditional three o’clock position. Another change is in the shape of hand-polished black hands that are now teardrop shaped. They replace the previously used Breguet-style pointers. Otherwise, the face still includes black, painted and slim Roman numerals.
Further differences can be seen in the construction of the round housing of refurbished Frederique Constant Slimline Automatic model. To be more exact, they are visible in the appearance of the fixed bezel which is not ribbed as it used to be. The only other discrepancy between the old version and the new one is the fact that the novel one is with the diameter of 40 mm, just a millimeter wider than it was.
There are naturally much more similarities, so one can notice the same onion-shaped crown, as well as the same case-back with a sapphire window (which is by the way also the trait of all watches from the Frederique Constant Slimline series) and engravings which depict the number of the specific model in the series. Additionally, other shared traits are the presence of a convex sapphire crystal on the front, as well as supported water resistance to 30 meters.
The most important similarity is without a doubt the presence of the same FC-306 self-winding mechanical caliber. It is a movement that includes 25 jewels in its construction. It operates at the high frequency of 28,800 vph and it offers the modest power storage which lasts for 42 hours.
As it has been mentioned, the watch is available in two case materials, both with polished finishes. The steel version with the reference number FC-306MR4S6 comes with a black leather strap. The other one with red gold plating (the previous edition was with yellow gold plating which in my personal opinion looks a bit inferior than the new one) has the serial number FC-306MR4S4. This variant is paired with a chocolate brown attachment, once again made in leather. Each of the straps is locked with a pin buckle in the material of the case.
