Tap the image to enlarge
Frederique Constant Classics 42mm Mens Watch
Ref. FC-718NWM4H6
Sits in Frederique Constant’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Frederique Constant watches we list, which start at £850.
Price range £850 to £3,995 across 22 Frederique Constant watches in stock.The FC-718 is a true manufacture calibre — conceived, built, and finished entirely at Frederique Constant's Geneva workshop — which makes the worldtimer complication it carries genuinely rare at this end of the market. Most watches offering 24-city world time at this kind of accessible entry point rely on bought-in movements; this one does not. The decorated bridges, perlage and Côtes de Genève finishing are visible through the caseback, though the more remarkable engineering is up front: time, the 24-city disc, and the pointer date subdial at six o'clock are all set through a single crown, with no pushers interrupting the caseband. The dial rewards close attention. An engraved world map sits at the centre, with a 24-hour ring around it divided into white and blue segments so the day/night reading is immediate rather than decoded. At 12.1mm the watch sits flatter on the wrist than the complication depth might suggest, and it is worth noting this reference was released as a limited edition of just 88 pieces. The deployant clasp is shaped after the brand's crest — a detail that only registers once the watch is on and you are fastening it, which is rather the better place to find it.
- Reference
- FC-718NWM4H6
- Brand
- Frederique Constant
- Collection
- Classics
- Case size
- 42mm
- Case thickness
- 12.1mm
- Lug width
- 22mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Blue
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- FC-718
- Functions
- Date, World time
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Blue
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 49mm
- Power reserve
- 38 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 7 collections
This watch appears in the Frederique Constant Classics range (19), Back in Stock (4,652), Stainless Steel Watches (3,115), Automatic Watches (1,724), Leather Strap Watches (1,023), Blue Dial Watches (863) and Limited Edition Watches (197).
Best of 2 retailers
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 49mm lug-to-lug keeps the 42mm case wearable
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- Second time zone for travelling
- One of Frederique Constant's more premium watches
Worth knowing
- 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
- 38-hour reserve means winding it after a day off
Frederique Constant Classics alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | FC-718NWM4H6 | WWDK01 | 85237AA75.BVA103 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £3,995 | £3,995 | £3,950 |
| Case size | 42mm | 42mm | 42mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Fabric strap | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | 38 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.
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 comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 38 hours fully wound — so it will usually stop if you leave it off overnight.
What size strap does it take?
22mm. 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.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 49mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16.5cm (6½ inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
How to size a watch to your wristIs it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's.
Cheapest place to buy
Both Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths list it at £3,995, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
More Frederique Constant watches like the Classics
In stock, and close on style and price
