Frederique Constant × Revolution Slimline Monolithic FP(S)

Frederique Constant’s seminal technical breakthrough, the Slimline Monolithic Manufacture, is now dressed in a rosé-inspired color palette with oversized Breguet numerals in this exclusive limited edition.

There have been several attempts in recent history of watch brands trying to replace the escapement, hairspring and balance wheel with a single-piece monolithic oscillator. But there is no brand in the world save Frederique Constant with the courage, daring and resourcefulness to take a truly revolutionary silicon oscillator vibrating at an amazing 40 hertz or 80 beats per second, and put it into a regular production watch, which is incidentally priced at less than five thousand dollars. And I’m going to go on record here that their Slimline Monolithic Manufacture timepiece, which houses this staggering technical breakthrough, should be recognized as one of the most seminal achievements in modern watchmaking.

Which is exactly why I wanted to collaborate with them on a series of three models celebrating this titanic accomplishment. Our first watch is named the Frederique Constant × Revolution Slimline Monolithic FP.

These last two letters represent the name “Future Past” because the idea was to create a watch that created the ultimate dynamic tension between modernity and classicism. The modernity, of course, comes from this truly revolutionary oscillator featured prominently at six o’clock on the watch. The past comes from the inspiration of the dial, which references the classic gentleman’s chronometers of the 1940s. As such, we’ve selected a dial delineated by three different stepped sectors.

The inner dial and the outer minute/seconds track are both aggressively frosted or, as the Swiss call this texture, grené. The raised area under the hour markers is circular brushed, and the finish causes this sector to appear lighter in color. For markers, we selected oversized applied Breguet numerals. And we’ve kept the Breguet style hands. As with any chronometer of worth, our watch features a large visible center seconds hand.

Finally, as a nod toward dandyism and joie de vivre, we’ve selected a stunning shade of salmon for this first watch, a hue I like to think is somewhere between the cheeks of a beautiful woman blushing involuntarily after you’ve told her a horrifically dirty joke and my favorite summer rosé, Domaines Ott. As such, the full name of this Monolithic watch is the FP(S) or Future Past (Salmon), which gives you a hint about the other models to come. But let’s first look at the underlying innovation represented by the Monolithic that makes it one of the most important watches of our era.

Mega Monolith

What are the advantages of the Monolithic oscillator, you ask. Well, with the Monolithic oscillator, Frederique Constant has incredibly replaced 26 separate components including the escapement, the balance wheel, the hairspring and the anti-shock.

As it is crafted from a single piece of silicon integrating the four springs that drive its vibrations, it is totally unaffected by magnetism. And because it features a layer of silicon dioxide, it is not affected by thermal variation. It also requires zero lubrication, so the traditional issue of the degradation of oil is moot. Last but not least, the angle of its amplitude, which is six degrees as opposed to a traditional balance wheel’s 300 degrees, consumes so little energy that even though it beats 10 times faster than a normal watch at 288,000 vibrations per hour or 80 beats per second, it consumes far less energy. In the same movement with a traditional oscillator, the watch would have 38 hours of power reserve. In the caliber FC-810 with the Monolithic oscillator, you have 80 hours of power reserve.

What I love most is that Frederique Constant offers all these incendiary technical pyrotechnics at a price below USD 5,000. If this oscillator had appeared in any of the haut de gamme usual suspects’ lineup, it would be in a watch that costs a quarter million dollars.

Frederique Constant wanted to push the performance to the extreme, so their team decided on the 40 hertz vibrational speed, which is far faster than any other regular production wristwatch on the planet. They also had to focus on achieving a higher standard of chronometric performance. The first thing they did was to find a way to effectively regulate the oscillator. They achieved this by adding two small weights which are used to change the inertia of the balance. Even the most minute position change for these elements results in a huge difference in timing performance, so the team really had to develop their own expertise at regulating them.

One of the things I find most fascinating about the Monolithic is that the entire oscillator is not fixed by any axis to the movement. Instead, it is held in place by the stunning bridge which acts as a framework that retains it. The framework also acts to prevent the oscillator from bending to the point of breakage, a bit like an anti-shock device. Only the small silicon escapement wheel is fixed on an axis.

When in motion, the oscillator’s movement is just barely perceptible. However, one look at the seconds hand tells you if the watch is in motion. On that note, at 80 beats per second, the hand looks like it is floating mysteriously around the circumference of the dial.

The Frederique Constant × Revolution Slimline Monolithic FP(S) or Future Past (Salmon) will be made in just 100 examples and will come with two straps, a black calf leather strap with a deployant buckle, and an additional gray calf leather strap. It gives me incredible pleasure to collaborate with a brand that represents unparalleled courage, incredible innovation and unbeatable value on this iteration of what I feel is one of the horological world’s most important technical breakthroughs.

Technical specifications

Frederique Constant × Revolution Slimline Monolithic FP(S)

Limited edition of 100 pieces

Case

• Material: Stainless steel
• Diameter: 40 mm
• Thickness: 11.38mm
• Onion-shaped crown
• Screw-down, see-through caseback
• Water-resistant to 30m

Dial and hands

• 4N rose gold-colored dial with sandblasted & circular brushed finishing
• Polished, applied Breguet numerals
• Hand-polished steel hands
• 40Hz silicon monolithic oscillator with adjustable weights; amagnetic & lubricant-free

Movement

• Self-winding manufacture caliber FC-810
• 80-hour power reserve
• Rose gold-colored, engraved oscillating weight

Strap and buckle

• Black alligator-pattern calf leather strap with nubuck finishing
• Additional mid-grey alligator-pattern calf leather strap

MSRP: EUR 4'450

For more information, please visit revolutionwatch.com