FREDERIQUE CONSTANT. FLYBACK CHRONOGRAPH MANUFACTURE

2017, 2018, 2020: for the third time, and to respond to collectors' requests, Frederique Constant enriches its Flyback Chronograph Manufacture collection with two new variants. This creation, designed for the most attentive connaisseurs, was entirely developed, created and assembled at the Maison's Geneva manufacturing facility. It is one of the most appreciated collections by chronograph enthusiasts both for its singular characteristics and for the difficulties that must be overcome during the production phase. A HISTORY THAT GOES BACK TO THE ORIGINS OF THE CHRONOGRAPH The “flyback” function, or in French “retour en vol”, was one of the first features added to the chronograph during the 1930s. The principle is simple: it allows the chronograph to be stopped, reset and started with a single press on a button instead of three successive presses. This ingenious idea, which allows in particular to measure the time of successive runs during sporting events, presupposes at least one major mechanical challenge: if in the past stopping, resetting and restarting the chronograph were functions divided between two buttons operated in succession, the flyback mode allows them to occur simultaneously and to be combined with a single press on a single button. SIX YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT: A COMPLETE RECONSTRUCTION The traditional flyback mechanism is based on several column wheels that act as couplings and disengagements of the chronograph. The FC-760 caliber that powers the Flyback Chronograph Manufacture does not present this complexity: the wheel is no longer a column but a star. Fewer components, fewer operations, a reduced height: Frederique Constant's FC-760 caliber is simpler, more reliable and more fluid. By pressing the button at 4 o'clock it is possible to disengage the movement from the chronograph and reset the latter. Once the button is released, the movement and chronograph engage again, and the latter can start again. It took no less than six years of development to reach these levels of technical sophistication. The aesthetics of the FC-760 caliber are also improved, a quality that this new collection allows you to appreciate through the model's sapphire crystal case back. The flyback module is made up of just 96 components (out of a total of 233 for the entire movement), a number that makes it one of the most efficient retour en vol modules in the world, but also one of the most affordable due to its construction ingenious and patented. In fact, the new Flyback Chronograph Manufacture can be offered starting from 3895 euros. TWO SHADES, TWO NEW VARIANTS Today, two out of four models in the collection are already sold out. To respond to collectors' requests, Frederique Constant today unveils two new proposals. Their common point: the two-tone aesthetic with silver counters. It is the first time that this model features counters of a different color than the dial. This new contrast promotes readability and makes the aesthetic more sporty. The first version sports the three counters on a chocolate-colored dial, for a 42 mm rose gold-plated case. The second, on a blue dial with a steel case. Modern and dynamic, these new Flyback Chronograph Manufacture are equipped with baton indexes and luminescent hands, as well as an alligator leather bracelet with a folding clasp engraved with the Frederique Constant Manufacture coat of arms.