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Frederique Constant Classics Index Automatic 40mm Mens Watch
Ref. FC-303NV5B4
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Stepping up in Frederique Constant's range
The Classics collection has been Frederique Constant's clearest argument since the early 1990s that a Geneva-made dress watch need not carry a Geneva-level price. This reference makes that case in rose gold PVD over polished steel — a warm finish that reads richer than its construction and suits the silver dial and applied indexes without overwhelming them. The blue seconds hand is a deliberate contrast against that warm palette, and it works. At 10.3mm the case sits flat enough to disappear beneath a shirt cuff, which is the point of a watch at this weight and proportion. The brown calf leather with alligator embossing and off-white stitching is a considered pairing — it borrows dress-watch vocabulary without pretending to be something more formal. The FC-303 beneath the solid caseback is a Sellita SW200 in Frederique Constant's own dress, with an engraved rotor and a 38-hour reserve: reliable, widely serviced, and honest about what it is.
- Reference
- FC-303NV5B4
- Brand
- Frederique Constant
- Collection
- Classics
- Case size
- 40mm
- Lug width
- 20mm
- Case material
- Rose gold PVD
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Silver
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- FC-303
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Brown
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Learn more about Frederique Constant
Peter Stas and Aletta Bax, a Dutch couple, founded Frederique Constant in 1988 with a straightforward objective: make Swiss watches with genuine watchmaking content at prices well below where that content normally starts. The name combines those of two ancestors, Frédérique Schreiner and Constant Stas, the latter a manufacturer of watch dials from the 1900s.
The company designed its own movement, the FC-910 Heart Beat, in 1994 — an aperture cut into the dial to expose the balance wheel, which became the brand's signature and is now widely copied. It began manufacturing calibres in-house in 2004, an unusual step at its price point, and has since produced over thirty in-house movements including perpetual calendars, tourbillons, and a monolithic silicon oscillator replacing the traditional escapement entirely.
That last development, the Slimline Monolithic of 2021, was a serious technical achievement: a single silicon component oscillating at 40 Hz, delivering high-frequency regulation without lubrication.
Frederique Constant also produced one of the first Swiss-made connected watches, the Horological Smartwatch, with analogue hands and hidden activity tracking.
The company built a manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates near Geneva, shares it with Alpina, and was acquired by Citizen in 2016. It also owns the vintage-focused Ateliers deMonaco.
- 1988
- Peter Stas and Aletta Bax found the company.
- 1994
- The Heart Beat dial aperture becomes the house signature.
- 2004
- In-house movement manufacturing begins.
- 2016
- Acquired by Citizen.
- 2021
- The Slimline Monolithic introduces a silicon oscillator.
Also in 6 collections
This watch appears in the Frederique Constant Classics range (19), Automatic Watches (1,417), Leather Strap Watches (904), Silver Dial Watches (630), Dress Watches (456) and Rose Gold Watches (246).
Temporarily out of stock
Goldsmiths is not currently taking orders for this reference. Last listed as available on 26 September 2026. Stock is checked nightly and this page updates when it returns.
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 40mm suits most wrists
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Worth knowing
- 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
Frederique Constant Classics Index alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | FC-303NV5B4 | H32675140 | BMM0A10874 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,195 | £1,065 | £1,450 |
| Case size | 40mm | 40mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | — | 50 hours | 38 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched |
|
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Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Showering yes, swimming no. 50m covers splashes and brief immersion, but a swimming stroke generates well above the pressure that figure describes.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedWhat size strap does it take?
20mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 40mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
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