Review: On our wrist today, is the Frederique Constant Highlife Heart Beat. Putting its heart on display and boasting interchangeable bracelets, here’s what we think.
The refreshed Highlife line is Frederique Constant’s latest magnum opus in terms of design and mechanical mastery, and they’re absolutely embracing it. Visually, it’s a metaphor for modern watchmaking, yet, it retains that classic FC recipe we know and love. For 25 years now, watch-geeks have associated Frederique Constant with this ‘Heart Beat’ design and it’s a Swiss icon in its own right. Incase you’re wondering, we’re talking about that tiny circular window at midday, that allows the wearer to peek into the watch’s inner workings. ‘Putting its heart on display’, it’s actually a perfect expression of summing up this silhouette. I think it’s one of two reasons as to what makes this FC timepiece so stunning. The second, is a nifty clip-on, clip-off trick with the straps.
I’ve wore the Frederique Constant Highlife Heart Beat to Monday business meetings, Saturday sundowners, and to a bunch of sporty events, casually switching between its alter-egos. And allowing me to do so, are the interchangeable watch straps.
We’ll continue talking about the timepiece but first, I’d like to quickly point out how nice the watch case looks. The green leather with contrasting white stitching on its corners is undeniably chic. On the inside, padded leather, in standard Swiss watch fashion and oh! Bonus, an extra watch strap. With the Highlife Heart Beat, you get to choose between a stainless steel or blue/black rubber strap (corresponding to the dial colour). This interchangeable strap tech comes quite handy but more importantly, it’s convenient. It spares me the time spent visiting a boutique to have it changed and nether do I need any professional tools for the job. A simple squeeze at two ends and viola! you can switch from business strap classy to golf day casual.
The dial of the Highlife Heart Beat is quite interesting. It boasts the motif of a globe which symbolizes the Earth, harmony, Frederique Constant’s dedication towards saving the planet and a sustainable take on watchmaking. With a gorgeous FC blue dial, the indexes are silver toned and feature white luminous tips. So do the hands. The main attraction however, is the window at 12 o’clock, putting its mechanical elegance on display. It gives you a peek into the FC-310 caliber, which runs automatic with 26 jewels and promises a 38-hour power reserve.
Another lovely feat is the stainless-steel case that houses all this elegance. It measures 41-mm and is topped with a convex sapphire crystal with anti-glare coating on both sides. It’s also water resistant to 50 meters. The rear, absolutely naked, shows off that FC-310.
The Frederique Constant Highlife Heart Beat surpassed my expectations. It’s one of those watches you can wear everywhere and at any time. All thanks to the interchangeable watch straps, it’s a big reason why I think many would be attracted towards this timepiece. I can’t emphasize how impressed I am with the interchangeable watch strap and the fact that it requires absolutely no professional tools to work with.
The heart window at 12 o’clock is certainly a lovey design feat but it actually would’ve liked it to have more of the movement on display. Why not show off that Swiss mechanical mastery? The rest of the dial embraces its simple elegance and classic FC design language. Also, as the brand stives to make luxury watchmaking more accessible, I believe this, just like their many other timepieces, does the job.
Priced at Rs 1,65,000. Available at select watch boutiques.
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