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Frederique Constant Classics Vintage Rally Healey Chronograph Automatic Limited Edition 42mm Mens Watch Blue
Ref. FC-397HLBN5B6
Sits in Frederique Constant’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Frederique Constant watches we list, which start at £520.
Price range £520 to £3,995 across 27 Frederique Constant watches in stock.The Austin-Healey name has a particular grip on a certain kind of enthusiast — the open-road, flat-cap, opposite-lock kind — and this is the official collaboration that honours it. Limited to 1,888 pieces, it is built around the specific shade of blue the Healey marque made its own: a sunray dial with a navy flange ring that shifts between registers depending on the angle of light, finished with a red chronograph seconds hand that reads as distinctly period-correct rather than merely decorative. The Healey roundel sits at 6 o'clock, and the rally-striped calfskin strap with its off-white contrast stitching extends the period detail onto the wrist without overstating it. The FC-397 inside is a modified Sellita SW500 base reworked to 62 hours of power reserve, which means a watch left on the bedside Friday evening is still running Monday morning. Frederique Constant leaves the caseback open, so the movement is visible — a reasonable decision given that the calibre has been finished to earn that exposure. The combination of a genuine motorsport collaboration, a numbered edition and a presentation box containing a miniature of the actual Healey racing car registered NOJ393 makes this as much an object for the cabinet as for the wrist, and it works honestly as both.
- Reference
- FC-397HLBN5B6
- Brand
- Frederique Constant
- Collection
- Classics
- Case size
- 42mm
- Case thickness
- 14.45mm
- Lug width
- 21mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Blue
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- FC-397
- Functions
- Chronograph, Small seconds
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Blue
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 62 hours
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 Stainless Steel Watches (2,953), Automatic Watches (1,324), Chronograph Watches (1,211), Leather Strap Watches (941), Blue Dial Watches (792) and Limited Edition Watches (176).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- One of Frederique Constant's more premium watches
Worth knowing
- 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
- 14.45mm thick, so it will not disappear under a cuff
Compare alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | FC-397HLBN5B6 | 85237AA35.BVA35 | 128681 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,995 | £2,950 | £2,780 |
| Case size | 42mm | 42mm | 42mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Leather strap | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | 62 hours | 38 hours | 38 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched | Closely matched |
Your new watch
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.
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Does it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
How long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 62 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
What size strap does it take?
21mm. 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.
Cheapest place to buy
Goldsmiths is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference new, at £2,995. There is nothing to compare it against today.
Who are Goldsmiths?
Goldsmiths has been selling watches in Britain since 1778 and is part of the Watches of Switzerland Group, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. They are an authorised dealer, so a watch comes with the manufacturer’s own warranty.
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