Frederique Constant Turn Up the Luxury with Platinum Classic Tourbillon Meteorite Manufacture

The Frederique Constant Classic Tourbillon Manufacture was a hit when it launched earlier this year. But don’t take my word for it, it was you the Oracle Time community who nominated as one of the best dress watches of the year in our awards – there’s still time to vote until October 31st. Now Frederique Constant are doubling down on its success by releasing the Classic Tourbillon Meteorite Manufacture which introduces a dial that’s quite literally out of this world.

Ok, that last sentence was perhaps toeing the line on cheesiness, but it was also factually accurate. The 0.5mm thick dial is made from a disc of actual meteorite that fell to Earth in Gibeon, Namibia. It displays the signature Widmanstätten pattern of striations and lines common to meteorites with high iron concentrations. It looks awesome and is protected by a ruthenium coating that emphasises the grey tones and protects the surface from oxidation.

I like how the straight lines of the meteorite almost blend in with the long, angular hour markers around the edge of the dial. Although what really draws the eye is the tourbillon located at 6 o’clock. It’s part of the Manufacture FC-980 Tourbillon movement that Frederique Constant introduced back in 2008. It’s automatic with a 38-hour power reserve and is celebrated for being competitively priced for a Swiss tourbillon – £12,750 for the previous steel editions.

However, don’t expect a price like that for the Classic Tourbillon Meteorite Manufacture because the 39mm diameter case is made entirely of polished platinum. That’s a pretty dramatic step up from its steel and gold predecessors in terms of luxury value. No surprise then that the piece is priced at €42,995 (approx. £37,300).

While that price alone would make the watch exclusive, it’s also a limited edition of just 35 pieces. I really like the watch. It manages to take the extremely reserved and classical design of the Tourbillon Manufacture and turn it up to 11 without losing sight of what made the watch popular in the first place. The meteorite adds an intriguing pattern without overwhelming the display and the platinum is luxurious without being gaudy thanks to its sleek silver colour. A well-executed hyper-luxe take on the design.

​Oracle Time 

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