What I Love and Hate about my Frederique Constant Watch #horology
This is the first mechanical watch that I bought way back in 2009 when I was just starting out my #horology hobby. Like most people just getting into something for the first time I was a newb, and so made typical newbie mistakes. I'd like in this post to discuss what originally attracted me to this Federique Constant watch, what I came to hate about it over time, and what I've learned from the overall experience.
I was dead-set on getting a mechanical Swiss-made watch with a classical look in a decent price range. The Frederique Constant Persuasion Heartbeat 315m4p5 offered a lot of what I was looking for. It had a classical look with roman numerals and came on a brown leather strap. It was 40 mm so it wasn't too big. It had a see-through caseback and also a small skeletonized section on the dial at twelve o'clock that gave a glimpse of the balance wheel swinging back and forth. The initial impression I got from the watch was something like a budget Breguet (Breguet being my favorite watch brand).
There are two versions of this watch, one in stainless steel and one with gold-plating. I wasn't that keen on gold-plating, however only that version was available at the boutique. Also, I was taken in a moment of weakness not only by my impulsiveness but by how absolutely stunningly beautiful the yellow gold looked against the brown leather strap of the watch (which originally came on it with a gold-plated buckle)!
The original leather strap was cow leather but made to look like crocodile which aesthetically gave that much more touch of class (though superficial) to the watch. Unfortunately over the years of changing straps I lost the original gold-plated buckle so the stainless steel buckle is shown here:
I liked that these watches were made in Geneva and that "Geneva" was printed upon the dial. I assumed at the time that the movement in the watch was in-house, which I liked, though unfortunately this is not the case. The movement is simply a dolled-up generic ETA 2824 movement. Having said that, they'd done something very unique with the date-wheel, making it with metal numbers instead of printed.
Okay, so I've gone through all the things that originally attracted me to the watch: It's a Swiss-made mechanical movement with Breguet-like styling in the Roman numerals and hands. Superficially at least it's a very classy looking watch in my opinion. Unfortunately it pretends to be a Geneva-seal watch by having Geneva printed on the dial, it pretends to have a crocodile strap and perhaps this is just coincidence but it seems even the name is pretending to sound like Vacheron Constantin.
And the things I came to hate and then despise about the watch over time: The gold-plating! Why oh why did I have to be so impulsive? It's fine if you can't get a gold watch, but if you can't then go with stainless steel! Sure the watch looked pretty, but I always had that worry in the back of my head knowing the gold-plating would wear off and reveal the steel beneath. I would have been much happier in the end if I'd have gotten this version of the watch in steel. Another thing I was extremely disappointed in was the customer service and available information and resources for the watch, or should I say, LACK THEREOF! Perhaps things have changed in all the years since I bought the watch, but at the time it was nearly impossible to find any real information on proper care and maintenance of the watch, seeing that it's a mechanical movement.
I came to dislike having a generic ETA movement in my watch. I even came to be bothered by the leather strap which I had to replace twice because of sweat and moisture destroying it over time, but perhaps that's more of an issue with leather straps in general than with the company. Because it gets so hot and humid here in Korea I now much prefer metal bracelets which not only withstand sweat and moisture better but are much easier to clean.
I'd like to share with you what I've learned from this whole experience so you don't have to make the same mistakes I did if you're just starting out in #horology buying mechanical watches. If you want to get a good value on pieces and more importantly have pieces that hold their value (or even increase) over time try and follow these guidelines:
NEVER PAY FULL RETAIL AT A BOUTIQUE. That was my biggest mistake in all of this. I went straight to the boutique to purchase this watch. My other option could have been purchasing one from a smaller, independent watch dealer.
NEVER BUY GOLD-PLATING. No matter the quality of the plating, it's inevitably going to wear off over time. Also, it says very poor things about one's character, much like wearing a fake Rolex. Just don't do it!
BUY SECOND-HAND. Going along with number one, if you're looking for value you must purchase second-hand. You lose so much value right away when buying new if you're paying anywhere near retail prices.
BUY QUALITY. It may be scary or even painful to pay the extra money for a better brand but if you purchase second-hand these higher level pieces can hold there value, or increase in value, over time. The lowest tier to get into for a watch of real quality and value is Rolex. From there be looking at brands like Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin and Breguet.
HOROLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE. Really look at the company and what they've done and are doing. They should (usually but not necessarily always, there are exceptions) produce their own watch cases and movements in-house. They should have pedigree and have contributed to the development of #horology and watch movements. They should display innovation. Look for craftsmanship in watch movements, i.e. Geneva Seal movements as found in Patek Philippe and similar brands.
Hopefully you've learned something from this post and won't make the same mistakes I have. The simplest advice really is just to buy quality. If you love mechanical watches like I do, you owe it to yourself to save up and spend the extra money on a decent timepiece because when you do you'll have something that you'll love the rest of your life.
Thanks for reading and please share any experiences, positive or negative, you've had with purchasing mechanical watches!