Frederique Constant and Bamford Watch Department approach watch design from different areas of the industry, but both operate within clear, self-defined parameters. Frederique Constant has earned its reputation by producing accessible mechanical watches, manufacturing calibers in-house and maintaining a pragmatic, function-focused design approach. In contrast, Bamford is known for reinterpreting established forms through contrasting color palettes, material experimentation and uninhibited imagery anchored in a black-centric aesthetic.
The two companies had not worked together before, but the Highlife Chronograph Automatic seemed to be a stable basis for a facelift. Frederique Constant's requirement was simple: preserve the integrity of the FC-391 chronograph caliber, but allow Bamford to revise the external architecture and visual environment without restrictions. Bamford accepted the caveat and viewed the job as a complete reprogramming of the Highlife's exterior and display rather than a cosmetic variant.
The case of the Highlife Chronograph Automatic Bamford Special has a diameter of 41 mm and a height of 14.62 mm. It is a three-piece construction made from Grade 2 titanium that has undergone a crystallization heat treatment at 1,200°C before receiving a black DLC coating; The process creates a distinctive, uneven surface texture while maintaining titanium's low mass and corrosion resistance. The watch is equipped with a convex, anti-reflective sapphire crystal. The chronograph is operated via rectangular pushers at 2 and 4 o'clock; The screw-down, see-through caseback is engraved and uses a smoked sapphire to showcase the movement, maintaining the watch's monochromatic aesthetic. The water resistance is 100 m.
The dial is matte black throughout and features a traditional tri-compax layout (30-minute counter at 3, 12-hour counter at 6, small seconds at 9). The hour indices are attached and painted in a silver tone. The hour and minute hands are made of silver and filled with white luminous material. Important functional elements are highlighted in subtle turquoise: subdial hands, the small second segments and the larger part of the central second hand of the chronograph. The minute/second display around the flange is printed in white with turquoise elements for the tachymeter scale. The overall graphic design focuses on contrast and the clear time and chronograph display in poor lighting conditions. In contrast to the regular versions, the Bamford Special does not have a date function.
The Highlife Chronograph Automatic Bamford Special is powered by the in-house caliber FC-391, an automatic chronograph based on the established Valjoux 7750 architecture and refined through collaboration with La Joux-Perret. The movement runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour, has 26 jewels and stores around 60 hours of energy on a fully wound barrel. Finishes include Geneva stripes on the bridges and a gold-colored rotor visible through the smoked caseback.
Each watch comes with three interchangeable straps: black rubber, turquoise rubber and black nubuck. The limited edition is numbered (100 pieces) and the price is CHF 4,495. For more information, visit frederiqueconstant.com.
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