Last year Peter Speake (aka The Naked Watchmaker or, going back further, Peter Speake-Marin, independent watchmaker and founder of his eponymous brand) launched his first collaboration with Frederique Constant, revising a model from 2016 for an open-worked version called The Naked Watchmaker X Frederique Constant Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture. This unlikely partnership was born of one of The Naked Watchmaker’s deconstruction of a Calibre FC-775, used in the Frederique Constant perpetual calendar, and a suggestion by Peter Speake to the brand.
The first fruit of this partnership was a watch in a 42mm stainless steel case with larger day and date dials, larger hands, two moons on the moonphase indication, the removal of the year, and an open dial with dark brown as the colour of choice, with white lacquer numerals. It was limited to 99 pieces.
Now, we have a new version of the original collaboration. Also in a 42mm (12.05 thick) stainless steel case, this Slimline Perpetual Calendar Manufacture Limited Edition forms part of the Manufacture collection, and is limited to 135 pieces.
Once again, the dial has been skeletonised, including the lumed hands (there is no seconds hand), with printed indices. This time the dial is matte grey.
Visible through the open dial (and through the case back) is, again, the automatic FC-775 which beats at 28,800 VPH and has a power reserve of 38 hours.
With an RRP of CHF 11,995, this limited edition (135 pieces) follows on from an even more limited (35 pieces) model released a couple of months ago – a version of the original Manufacture Slimline Perpetual Calendar collaboration in a 42mm grey anthracite DLC-treated stainless case and matching matte black open-worked dial. With delivery this month, it still appears to be available to pre-order at Frederique Constant’s site (priced at CHF 12,995).
[Photo credit: Frederique Constant]
Categories: Frederique Constant, Limited Editions, Speake Marin, Watch Profile, watches
HOROLOGIUM 
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