Frédérique Constant · Classics Heart Beat Moonphase Date
The model in detail
The Heart Beat aperture shows the most understandable sign of mechanical life: a swinging balance. On the blue FC-335MCN4P5 dial it sits at the top, the moon phase below, while a separate central hand indicates the date on the peripheral scale. GQ’s fresh October 28 coverage draws attention back to this model; the primary source gives no exact reference debut date, so this examines its construction without presenting it as a premiere today.
The visible balance is not a tourbillon: it oscillates around its axis without making a circuit inside an entire rotating regulator carriage. The open dial section explains a conventional mechanical oscillator. The FC-335 is based on the Sellita SW200, runs at 4 Hz and has 26 jewels with 38 hours of reserve. A rotor under the rear crystal winds the spring during wear.
EnlargeThe FC-335MCN4P5’s transparent back reveals the winding rotor and the FC-335’s base architecture.
© Frédérique Constant · SourceMoon phase and date do different jobs. The first shows a position in the lunar cycle, the second a calendar day number; the Moon image is not a day/night indicator. A pointer date avoids a separate rectangular window but adds another long hand. Reading still requires attention to the composition: hours, minutes and date use different scales.
The official listing specifies a 40 mm case, 10 mm thickness and 6 ATM water resistance. A coating gives the steel case its yellow-gold colour; this is not a solid-gold case. Authorised US retailer Feldmar lists $3,195, a US-market price rather than a conversion of a Swiss amount. The leather strap has crocodile-pattern embossing; the manufacturer does not describe it as alligator leather.
