Affordably luxurious Frédérique Constant and its sportier sister brand, Alpina, are among the latest watch manufacturers to offer a glimpse of their upcoming new collections debuting at Baselworld in March. Frédérique Constant is launching a version of its Worldtimer model with a new green color scheme, while Alpina is introducing a quartz chronograph to its Startimer Pilot series. Here’s the lowdown on both.
Frédérique Constant Classic Worldtimer Manufacture, Ref. FC-718GRWM4H6
The Frédérique Constant Classic Worldtimer Manufacture, which debuted in a brown-and-rose-gold version last year, sports a new green-and-silver look in its 2018 incarnation. Like its predecessors, the watch has a three-part stainless steel case measuring 42 mm in diameter and a world-map dial swept over by hand-polished, luminous-treated hour and minute hands, and is powered by an in-house movement, Caliber FC-718. Composed of 139 parts, and visible through a sapphire caseback, it beats at a frequency of 28,800 vph, stores a power reserve of 42 hours, and features perlage and côtes de Genève finishing on its bridges and plates. The movement is notable for its world-time function, which is controlled entirely by the crown, with no additional push-buttons or correctors needed. The wearer can manually wind the watch by turning the crown upwards in its first position; set the date and city by turning it upward and downward, respectively, in its second position; and set the local time...