One of the biggest technical innovations of 2021 comes from a brand that has made accessible luxury its flagship. Frederique Constant, combining some of the most interesting technologies of recent years, presents a revolutionary regulating organ that offers a viable alternative to the balance-spring/anchor assembly.
The material is silicon, for its elasticity already used in unconventional escapements by houses such as Ulysse Nardin and Girard-Perregaux. The operating principle is that of the compliant mechanism, already seen applied - for example - by Patek Philippe in the Aquanaut Travel Time 5650G Advanced Research (2017).
The oscillator, then, in a small way may resemble that of the Zenith Inventor, but in addition to vibrating at a frequency of a good 40 Hz as opposed to the Zenith's 18, unlike the latter it incorporates an escapement with an anchor escapement-like operation (but with far fewer components and thus much less interaction and friction).
If it can be considered the child of an established trend, that of the study of new high-frequency, antimagnetic and more stable regulators, the Frederique Constant Slimline Monolithic marks a real milestone for mechanical watchmaking wishing to reinvent itself. The House not only launches a new time-measuring system, but uses it to equip a watch with a not unattainable price tag (around 4,500 euros in steel), in a non-limited edition.
Behind the project are once again Peter and Aletta Stas, the founders of the Plan-les-Ouates factory, and the Citizen group, which now owns it. The project was born in collaboration with a Dutch start-up (as well as the Stas) engaged in the development of compliant mechanisms in innovative materials: Flexous, which within the YES!Delft incubator specialises in innovation for the watch industry.
I can anticipate that this is only the beginning of a season of interesting collaborations. More will be discovered during Watches & Wonders. This one, in particular, is one that is good for the industry, bringing new technologies within reach of the general public of enthusiasts (if not everyone... at least many).
Dody Giussani
