frederiqueconstant.timeandtidewatches.com Founded in 1988, Frederique Constant has become increasingly successful with its policy of high quality watches at affordable prices. Far from being an empty slogan, the brand's slogan of “accessible luxury” was realized with the release of a perpetual calendar, followed by a tourbillon and a steel QP, all at incredibly low prices. In 2020, FC expanded its classic, more elegant offering with the Highlife luxury sports watch collection. With its contemporary good looks, sturdy build and integrated straps, the Highlife has secured a firm place in the competitive luxury sports category, exceeding the brand's original sales forecasts. And now our friends at Time+Tide have released this collaboration, an incredibly elegant, sharp and mysterious watch, the first Highlife with a moon phase, a Jubilee-style bracelet and an index-less dial.
Founded eleven years ago in Melbourne, Australia, our friends at Time+Tide have come a long way and are now a global media platform and retailer with Discovery Studios in Melbourne, London and New York. On the occasion of Time+Tide's tenth collaboration, the 41mm Highlife is undergoing a fundamental change. For the first time in its five-year history, the Highlife is powered by the new Moonphase Date Manufacture caliber FC-716, previously seen in the Classic collection.
However, what really sets the tone of the watch is the deep black onyx dial. While FC has produced watches with stone dials, including the recently released Classic Perpetual Calendar Manufacture in yellow gold with an onyx dial and the stunning turquoise, lapis lazuli and heliotrope dials of the brand's 37th anniversary collection The Elements, none of these feature the radical minimalism of the T+T Highlife Moonphase.
Unlike regular Highlife models, the collaboration watch forgoes the embossed globe motif on the dial and reveals the dramatic black, light-absorbing onyx stone. In addition, the applied indices have been removed and the central hands with their faceted, brushed and polished surfaces are robbed of their luminosity.
In keeping with the watch's darker mood, the moon phase display at 6 o'clock shows a black starry sky, while the date numerals are white with a red number 31, matching the Geneve inscription beneath the brand name at noon. Additionally, the moon is pockmarked, giving it a more realistic texture.
The 41mm stainless steel case, approximately 12.5mm thick, with a 45mm lug width and 100 meter water resistance, now features an integrated five-link Jubilee-style steel bracelet with brushed and polished finishes. Equipped with the brand's quick release system, the watch comes with an additional black nubuck-style leather strap and a black textured rubber strap.
Launched last year, the new and improved automatic manufacture caliber FC-716 features a larger barrel that can store a power reserve of three days or 72 hours, an increase in autonomy of almost 90% compared to previous movements. To accommodate the larger barrel, the redesigned bridges are decorated with fan-shaped Geneva stripes visible through the openwork rotor.
The watch is limited to 100 pieces worldwide, 50 pieces of the Onyx Moon will be sold by Frederique Constant and 50 by Time+Tide. The watch will be available in retail from December 12, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. CET 4,895 euros, £4,350 or $5,695.
For more information and to order, visit frederiqueconstant.timeandtidewatches.com.
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