Rooted in the age-old canons of Geneva watchmaking, the two new timepieces also reflect the return of dials in pastel shades: one is Bermuda grey, the other salmon pink. Both colours have emerged as collectors’ favourites at major international watch shows, being acclaimed for their elegance and discretion – and their homage to the finest watches of the 1950s and 60s.

The styling here unashamedly emulates vintage watchmaking’s greatest classics. A typical twentieth-century font has been used for the Arabic numeral hour markers; above them glide ‘pomme’ hands that became popular in the mid-eighteenth century, while the ‘railtrack’ minute circles hark back to the Art Deco timepieces of the 1920s and their sector dials. The dial itself showcases Frederique Constant’s watchmaking expertise, with a delicately grained matte finish capturing the light on the central section and a circular sunray finish on the surrounding raised hour circle diffusing light to the markers arrayed around the dial.

Both models feature a new bracelet that adds a decidedly urban touch: a flexible five-link strap. Here too Frederique Constant demonstrates its devotion to fine watchmaking finishes, with three mirror-polished links nestled amid the two others; meanwhile the case is mirror-polished throughout, matching the similarly finished hands and hour markers. The horological pedigree of both variations is clearly visible too, thanks to a sapphire caseback that reveals the innermost workings of the automatic FC-301 calibre. The latter is a Swiss Made product through and through, developed from a highly-acclaimed La Joux-Perret base, packed with mechanical precision and boasting a power reserve of 68 hours – almost three full days.