For Frederique Constant?s big new release at this year?s Geneva Watch Days, the brand is reaching back to their roots with a pair of watches that are very much in line with the traditional design language the brand has long been known for. While they?ve recently ventured into sporty territory with the Highlife series, I think it?s fair to say that when most people think of Frederique Constant the watches that come to mind are more ornate, on the dressier side, and take major style cues from classic designs by Patek, Vacheron, and others. The new Classics Heart Beat Manufacture is certainly in that core Frederique Constant wheelhouse, but there are a few subtle upgrades here that tweak the standard FC dress watch formula to make these watches worth highlighting. 
The centerpiece of the Classics Heart Beat Manufacture is, not surprisingly, the aperture at 6:00 that gives the wearer a view of the balance in action. This is a design trope that Frederique Constant has used frequently over the years, and while it might not be a favorite feature of hardcore watch enthusiasts, it?s the kind of thing that tends to bring new collectors into the hobby as they discover the romance of a mechanical movement. 

A close look at this particular aperture, though, reveals a key difference between the Classics Heart Beat Manufacture and every other Heart Beat timepiece Frederique Constant has made since 2004. For nearly twenty years, the dial aperture has been cut in the shap...