Quick Summary
Frederique Constant may have just solved the dress watch conundrum for most people.
Their new model is under £1,000 and won't lose power for ten months.
If you're looking for a classically styled dress watch with modern tech under the hood, there might just be a new model for you. The new Frederique Constant Classics Moneta Solarmetre takes the brand's iconic silhouette and adds in a new movement.
The FC-120 calibre was crafted in collaboration with La Joux-Perret, and offers some pretty impressive specs. You can expect a whopping ten months of power from a single charge, while just ten seconds charging will restart the watch and ten minutes is enough to power the watch for a full day.
That sits inside of a 39mm case crafted from stainless steel, and sitting just 8.52mm tall. It makes for impressive reading, and should sit nicely out of the way under a shirt cuff.
The dial remains sleek and uncluttered, as you'd come to expect from the brand. Simple indices adorn the piece, with an aperture at three o'clock for the date and a two-handed operation devoid of a seconds hand.
There are three different dial colours on offer – white, blue and burgundy – each with a grained texture. That should offer a nice pop of intrigue against the fairly simple backdrop, which is a welcome addition.
Each of the models comes on a leather strap which complements the dial colour – brown for the white dial, navy for the blue dial, and black for the burgundy dial – but also includes a stainless steel Milanese bracelet. Both look sleek, though there's a certain charm about the mesh bracelet which is positively 70s.
Priced at £995 (approx. €1,150 / US$1,350 / AU$1,875), this sits at a great point for most people. Dress watches aren't the mainstay they once were, so many will look for a relatively affordable model which does the job without fuss.
This does exactly that, and should be a popular option as a result.
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