The Frederique Constant Hybrid Manufacture is what happens when a traditional Swiss watchmaker sits up, pays attention to technology companies parking tanks on its beautifully manicured Genevan lawn, and does something about it.
It may not be the whole-hog approach taken by Tag Heuer, maker of the Connected range of smartwatches with touchscreens and Intel processors. Instead, the Hybrid Manufacture is the result of Frederique Constant discovering a way to blend the centuries-old way of using jewels, mainsprings and a balance wheel, with Bluetooth, step-counting, and a rechargeable battery.
There is nothing quite so vulgar as notification alerts and a loudspeaker. Instead, this is a hybrid smartwatch which presents an opportunity for mechanical Swiss watch fans to dip their toes into the smartwatch waters, while sitting firmly on the shores of Lake Geneva.
Frederique Constant Hybrid Manufacture price and release date
- Priced from £2,995 to £3,295 ($3,495 to $3795, AU$5,300)
- On sale now
We feel that price needs explaining right off the bat, because regular TechRadar readers will likely balk at the idea of a smartwatch (actually, a half-smart hybrid watch) costing three grand. This is what happens when the Swiss get involved with making connected watches; they leap from the pages of glossy lifestyle magazines filled with yachts and private jet charter companies, and they end up mixing it with us technology folk.
We think this is a good thing, and are thrilled that the smartwatch industry has caused the Swiss to change their centuries-old ways, even if only slightly. But it means us accepting that they sell a great many mechanical watches with four, five, even six-figure price tags without batting an eyelid. It is tricky, therefore, to compare the Frederique Constant Hybrid Manufacture with the smartwatches which normally grace the pages of TechRadar.
Frederique Constant sells watches for between approximately £1,000 and £3,500, so at a fiver under £3,000, the Hybrid Manufacture fits into the range in the same way a Galaxy S9 does over at Samsung.
Design and display
- Classic Swiss watch design with steel case and alligator strap
- Water resistant to 50 meters
- Additional smart dial at 12 o’clock can offer three different pieces of information
The Hybrid Manufacture has a similar design to other Frederique Constant watches, with a stainless steel body (rose gold is offered as an option), black alligator strap, and a large but not overbearing 42mm case. Despite its smartness, the Hybrid Manufacture is almost exactly the same size and weight as our regular non-smart watch, a Tissot PRC 200, and thus felt very familiar as soon as we put it on.
That is to say, once we had switched the strap for one which fitted better. This writer’s slim wrists couldn’t quite be accommodated by the smallest option on the Frederique Constant’s strap, but if we had bought this watch ourselves, an extra hole could easily be stamped into the strap. The strap itself is soft, supple and has a secure clasp mechanism with the Frederique Constant logo on the outside.
The case is approximately 11mm thick (the same as the Apple Watch 3), but tapers at the front and back so feels closer to 8mm or so, keeping it in line with other non-smart watches with 42mm-wide cases. This compactness makes the Hybrid Manufacture feel almost dainty compared to the bulky Tag Heuer Connected Modular 41 we reviewed recently.
There are four versions of this watch, but only three are available in the UK at the time of writing. These are the steel with silver dial and black alligator strap as seen in this review, plus a model with a rose gold plated steel case, silver dial and dark brown alligator strap, and a steel model with dark grey dial and matching alligator strap with contrast blue stitching. A steel model with navy dial and blue alligator strap is limited to select European markets.
Mechanical watch fans can admire the Hybrid Manufacture’s FC-750 movement through the sapphire crystal back. Designed and built in-house, the movement comprises 33 jewels and has a 42-hour power reserve, meaning it will keep time for almost two full days of not being worn. An anti-magnetic shield in the case prevents the electronics from interfering with the mechanism.
The self-winding mechanism is activated whenever the watch moves, but it also comes with a display case with integrated rotating charger, which spins the watch to keep it running when not worn. The case, which plugs into the mains, also changes the watch’s battery by feeding power through a button at the 10 o’clock position - more on this later.
Sapphire is also used on the front of the watch, and the face includes Roman numerals, plus a second dial at six o’clock displaying the date. A third dial at 12 o’clock can be configured to show a variety of things, such as your daily activity, a second time zone and the watch’s battery level, or start a stopwatch for a run.
We’re fans of the Roman numerals and textured guilloche detailing in the centre of the dial. The second and third dials also look at home here, although the smart dial and its various readouts takes some getting used to.
The face may look cluttered at first, but each element is thoughtfully laid out and serves to make the watch feel more compact than it really is. It’s a satisfying thing to look at and doesn’t appear overly large, even on smaller wrists.
The dial shows three pieces of information by showing one constantly, then one briefly with one press of the 10 o’clock button, and a second briefly with two quick presses. We set the watch so it always shows our daily activity progress, then one press displays a second time zone and two presses shows the status of the battery.
That battery, by the way, only powers the watch’s smart functions and Bluetooth connection. If it runs out (after between six and seven days), the time and date will continue to function as normal, and can be adjusted via the crown in the usual way.
We were less impressed with the ‘Hybrid’ motiff on the face, as it reminds us of when manufacturers slap ‘Turbo’ on a product for no reason at all - like on a pair of sunglasses. Granted, this is genuinely a hybrid watch, but the badge ever-so-slightly cheapens the look of the timepiece, at least to our eyes.
To the untrained eye, there is no reason - apart from that Hybrid badge - to assume this is anything other than a beautiful, mechanical Swiss watch. We applaud Frederique Constant for that, and it excites us to think what other Swiss brands (cough, Rolex...) could do by mixing a dash of tech with their classic recipe.
Specs, features and performance
- FC-750 movement with 33 jewels and 42-hour power reserve
- Smart features have seven-day battery life
- iOS and Android app offers activity and sleep tracking, plus watch performance data
As we alluded to earlier, the digital and analogue sides of the Frederique Constant Hybrid Manufacture should be considered as two separate pieces of technology. They do not power each other and do not rely on each other to function.
However, if you open the companion app (available for iOS and Android), there is one area where digital and analogue worlds collide. For the watch geeks among you, the app can be used to check up on the watch’s mechanical performance.
Specifically, you can check the rate (how fast or slow the watch is running each day), the amplitude (the amount of rotation in the swing of the balance wheel, a good indication of overall health), and the beat error (how equal each swing of the balance wheel oscillation is).
If your eyes have glazed over at this point, then fear not - this is only one page of the app, each measurement is explained in layman's terms, and this data can be used to alert you if the watch needs maintenance or a service.
A quick note on reliability: During our week with the watch, the smart dial twice got itself out of sync, forgetting where 12 o’clock was and instead resetting randomly to a different position. This then made all three of its readouts wrong, forcing us to reset its position - something the app allows you to do, suggesting Frederique Constant knows it can sometimes go haywire.
Fitness
- Very limited abilities, with no heart rate monitor, GPS or other smartwatch features
- Sleep and exercise tracking require manual control - only regular steps are counted automatically
The rest of the app will be more familiar to smartwatch and hybrid watch owners. Sleep and activity are displayed as rings to be filled (just like on the Apple Watch), and there is a Coach section which offers advice based on what you get up to. We thought this would be fairly generic, but the pointers it provides closely relate to how lazy or active we have been. Improvements in daily steps are congratulated, while a lack of activity compared to previous days is brought up with advice for improving.
The Hybrid Manufacture’s ability to track steps and sleep felt fairly accurate, but the data produced by the app is quite basic, and there are some disappointing shortfalls. For example, you have to open the app then press the watch’s 10 o’clock button before it will sync with your phone; other hybrid and smart watches do this automatically, so pressing the button every time we wanted to check the data or adjust a setting felt like a step backwards.
Also, the watch does not automatically start sleep tracking. Instead, you can start it with a long press of the button, or by digging into the app and starting it manually. Sleep tracking then needs to be stopped manually when you wake up, or there is a function which stops tracking after you have completed 250 steps.
Presumably this is to prevent it getting confused if you get up briefly in the night, but we have to wonder who can log 250 steps popping to the bathroom and back. Perhaps the owner of a £3,000 watch, but we digress...
On the plus side, you can opt to track sleep either by wearing the watch, or by placing it on your bed. The latter produces less accurate measurements, but it works nonetheless if that’s what you want.
Although the step- and sleep-tracking works relatively well, we seriously doubt many people will use a £3,000 smartwatch for logging exercise or anything more strenuous than a day of wondering around the Monaco Yacht Show.
Battery life
- Mechanical side is powered by movement or the included rotating case
- Smart side is powered by the case or USB cable and lasts about six days
- Detachable charger is inexcusable ugly
Hybrid smartwatches outshine their touchscreen relatives when it comes to battery life, and the Frederique Constant is no exception. The mechanical side will last for as long as it is worn, then keeps time for 42 hours after you take it off before the mechanism needs powering back up (done by movement, or the included rotating case).
The battery-powered smart side of the watch is claimed to last “seven plus” days, although we found it had run dry at the start of our seventh day of use. Charging up is done by placing it in the case, or by attaching the inner mount to a mini USB cable. There appears to be no app notification to say the battery is running low, as we only discovered it was almost flat when syncing with the app and viewing the percentage there.
A quick note on the charging case, which is huge, wooden, and looks a bit like a flipper from Robot Wars when open. It is certainly what Swiss watch buyers will expect, and likely admire, but the detachable plastic mount is ugly and feels incredibly cheap.
The ‘designed in Geneva, made in China’ stamp of apparent approval doesn’t help its cause, and when attached to a USB cable (for when you are traveling and leave the main case at home), there’s no real way to sit it down neatly. Mostly, the watch just tumbles over onto its face.
Verdict
Frederique Constant describes the Hybrid Manufacture as the “world’s first 3.0 watch”, in that it blends a 1.0 mechanical watch with a 2.0 smartwatch. This, we feel, is a bit of a leap considering the limited smarts on offer here.
The Hybrid Manufacture is a beautiful Swiss watch with everything watch fans will expect for their £3,000 / $3,500.
It also adds a small sprinkling of smartness, but only enough to act as an occasionally useful distraction to the main event. Watch geeks will like the performance data, but the step tracking is nothing your smartphone can’t already do, and without automation the sleep tracking is generally more effort than it is worth.
Looking more broadly, it at least offers a tantalizing glimpse at what could become of Swiss mechanical watches.
But, given the industry's reluctance to embrace quartz in the 1970s - a move that put 1,000 Swiss watchmakers out of business in a disastrous decade - we wouldn’t count on connected Rolexes and Omegas becoming the norm just yet.
Who’s this for?
If you are in the market for a circa £3,000 / $3,500 Swiss watch and the smartwatch trend has piqued your interest, then by all means the Hybrid Manufacture will feed this curiosity.
If you do not currently wear a fitness tracker - and don’t count steps on your smartphone - this watch will provide you with data you won’t have seen before, which depending on your circumstances could just be the extra incentive you need to make the purchase over a more traditional alternative.
Should you buy it?
It’s a difficult question to answer because the Hybrid Manufacture finds itself in a class of one, with no real competition to speak of.
We like the approach Frederique Constant has taken here - demonstrating how Bluetooth and smartness can be seamlessly added to a traditional Swiss watch. The industry should applaud what it has done, and perhaps even follow suit.
But the execution falls a little below par. The watch is an interesting product and an indication of where the Swiss industry could go in the future, but for now it isn’t the complete package. Its roots remain firmly at the edge of Lake Geneva, not San Francisco Bay.
First reviewed: June 2018
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