# Frédérique Constant Worldtimer



## giodoc

Hello All,

I was hoping to get a few opinions on the new blue FC Worldtimer. I recently purchased this beauty and am absolutely perplexed at how a watch of this quality can be had for around $3000? The FC 718 movement (which is very similar to their FC-700 Slim line) is an incredibly well built in-house movement and has received quite a bit of praise. Before buying I did quite a bit of research and absolutely nothing came even close when you take into account price, quality and looks. As an example, the watches that I looked at were the following:

Zenith Pilot Doublematic - Cost around $11k
Jaeger-LeCoultre AMVOX5 - Cost around $11k
IWC Pilot’s Watch Worldtimer - Cost around $5500

In my humble opinion, this FC Worldtimer can easily stand with any of the above mentioned (I literally had all three in my hand and inspected each one very carefully). Am I missing something?

Your feedback would be greatly appreciated!


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## Nokie

Beautiful watch. FC is a most excellent if sometimes overlooked, brand. Don't see one of these everyday.


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## KAW

Well the JLC and Zenith also include a chronograph. I personally like the world timer and chronograph combination but given the complexity of chronographs this will always cause a bump in price. I think the most significant difference with the FC world timer and other world timers is changing the city ring does not change the local time. Many 24 timezone world timers will automatically adjust the local time in 1 hour increments as you rotate the city ring, which means you can change timezones without having to stop the watch. With the FC world timer you need to change the city ring then stop the watch to set the local time for the new timezone. I think this is because they based their first manufacture world timer movement on the ETA 2893 GMT movement. This would have kept the development cost down and therefore enable a lower RRP although that's purely speculation on my part.


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## Laparoscopic Yoda

KAW said:


> Well the JLC and Zenith also include a chronograph. I personally like the world timer and chronograph combination but given the complexity of chronographs this will always cause a bump in price. I think the most significant difference with the FC world timer and other world timers is changing the city ring does not change the local time. Many 24 timezone world timers will automatically adjust the local time in 1 hour increments as you rotate the city ring, which means you can change timezones without having to stop the watch. With the FC world timer you need to change the city ring then stop the watch to set the local time for the new timezone. I think this is because they based their first manufacture world timer movement on the ETA 2893 GMT movement. This would have kept the development cost down and therefore enable a lower RRP although that's purely speculation on my part.


The FC worldtimer has nothing to do with the ETA 2893. It is based on the in-house FC-700 Manufacture movement, which has no commonality with the ETA 28xx movements.

Rather, like all movements based on the FC-700, the FC-718 is modular, and in this case has a worldtimer module on the base caliber. This allows the development costs to be kept down as you can simply modify the base caliber with the complication module rather than engineer a whole new integrated movement from scratch.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## IanCognito

The new blue version is just spectacular!
Good to see FC went more sporty for the refresh of the original.

As far as the movement goes, keep in mind all functions are also operated through a single crown whereas most other worldtimers require a second crown/pusher to move the cities ring.
This is a much more elegant design!

Mine says "hello"


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## metalaphid

Nice pieces there, giodoc and IanCognito, congrats! However, I can only AAAAALMOST love it completely. The date dial covering the bottom 5 cities just make things less incomplete. Is there any news about FC updating this beauty with all the timezones available? Thanks!


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## giodoc

Hey Metalaphid,

One of the things I actually liked about the watch was that part of the bottom time zones were covered. I think it looks cool that way, but obviously some feel it's too cramped (to each his own). I guess it all depends on taste, but can tell you if you're interested in this watch I have not one bad thing to say about it and absolutely love it!


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## Laparoscopic Yoda

metalaphid said:


> Nice pieces there, giodoc and IanCognito, congrats! However, I can only AAAAALMOST love it completely. The date dial covering the bottom 5 cities just make things less incomplete. Is there any news about FC updating this beauty with all the timezones available? Thanks!


I would seriously doubt that. The date wheel at 6 has become a design feature of FC, both as an integral part of the in-house movement and as a feature of their Horological Smartwatch. I can't see them shrinking the wheel, which would impair legibility, expanding the city ring, which would make the watch much larger, or doing away with the date altogether.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## IanCognito

metalaphid said:


> Nice pieces there, giodoc and IanCognito, congrats! However, I can only AAAAALMOST love it completely. The date dial covering the bottom 5 cities just make things less incomplete. Is there any news about FC updating this beauty with all the timezones available? Thanks!


It certainly is a bit of a nuisance to me since my parents spend 5 months of the year in one the cities that is blocked by the date subdial. But as giodoc mentioned, I love the layered effect it adds to the dial more than the annoyance.


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## IanCognito

One more wristshot


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## tonyfabro

KAW said:


> Well the JLC and Zenith also include a chronograph. I personally like the world timer and chronograph combination but given the complexity of chronographs this will always cause a bump in price. I think the most significant difference with the FC world timer and other world timers is changing the city ring does not change the local time. Many 24 timezone world timers will automatically adjust the local time in 1 hour increments as you rotate the city ring, which means you can change timezones without having to stop the watch. With the FC world timer you need to change the city ring then stop the watch to set the local time for the new timezone. I think this is because they based their first manufacture world timer movement on the ETA 2893 GMT movement. This would have kept the development cost down and therefore enable a lower RRP although that's purely speculation on my part.


This.

All in all though it's quite a good looking watch and for the price point and style it offers I'd say it's worth the money.

Good choice.


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## metalaphid

giodoc said:


> Hey Metalaphid,
> 
> One of the things I actually liked about the watch was that part of the bottom time zones were covered. I think it looks cool that way, but obviously some feel it's too cramped (to each his own). I guess it all depends on taste, but can tell you if you're interested in this watch I have not one bad thing to say about it and absolutely love it!


Haha, honestly, I would really care less if the covered timezones don't affect my utility of the world time, I do agree it adds to the layer/dimension of the dial. But I work in Singapore (Hong Kong) time and have to communicate with my colleagues in London and New York, especially NY, and that takes away so much use of the world time.



Laparoscopic Yoda said:


> I would seriously doubt that. The date wheel at 6 has become a design feature of FC, both as an integral part of the in-house movement and as a feature of their Horological Smartwatch. I can't see them shrinking the wheel, which would impair legibility, expanding the city ring, which would make the watch much larger, or doing away with the date altogether.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I know right? I can't see how they will work around this issue, and think they would have done it already if they could. Man...



IanCognito said:


> It certainly is a bit of a nuisance to me since my parents spend 5 months of the year in one the cities that is blocked by the date subdial. But as giodoc mentioned, I love the layered effect it adds to the dial more than the annoyance.


Exactly, that trade-off between functionality and beauty... Life is not fair for a UTC+8 FC-worldtime-admirer. :/


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## giodoc

To me it's not that big a deal because you know which cities are covered once you get used to the watch but I can understand some being annoyed by this feature.


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## dptoennies

I just recently purchased the FC world timer after reviewing several choices of world timers. In commenting on your list of world timers, any JLC watch is great and beats out any brand out there. But in terms of complications, the FC does work with their in house calibre. Although it is a modified off their original 700 calibre, it is still nice to see some of the touches they have done such as a single crown operation. 

If you are worried about brand and complication, the JLC is great and in the price range you are looking at, there are a couple of other options that are world timers of JLC that isn't from the AMVOX family. However, if you are like me and you need a world timer complication that is in house, the FC will do just fine.


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## gtuck

I am unclear whether you can adjust the hour hand without stopping the watch. When the Alpina first came out with their worldtimer I played with one at an AD. I don't know if the most recent FC model allows the hour hand to be adjusted independently of the 24 hour disk and without stopping the watch.


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## KAW

You can use the crown to move the city disc or set the date without stopping the watch but there's no independent adjustment of the hour hand.


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## gtuck

KAW said:


> You can use the crown to move the city disc or set the date without stopping the watch but there's no independent adjustment of the hour hand.


Thank you KAW. That's the way I remember the Alpina worldtimer worked. Moreover, the 12 hour hand and 24 hour disk were linked and could not be independently adjusted. My Ball World Time is more flexible but more painstaking to set up. Neither make as good a travel watch as the Rolex or Omega (and I believe the IWC) but are great for world time awareness when at home.


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## TK-421

I like it, my wife hates it.


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## Dave83

Looks great, I'd buy it!


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## lkorso

I am seriously considering the worldtimer, it looks like with the launch of the new model with the blue dial, the price has dropped.

I am slightly worried for the reliability of the movement though. The worldtime complication is not the most usual one and with the in house movement, if it needs repair, I guess it will be quite pricey.


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## shendizadeh

I am high upon the list that wants one of these babies, it looks just as good as the Patek one, and i think FC makes it in gold as well


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## Leonine

I can't speak to the world timer, but FC is a great brand. I have the Runabout le and think the quality is fantastic.


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## col

This Fc is a nice piece, leaving the fact that all their manufacture pieces have striking similarities to other houses in design (but still lovely enough to get one at the FC prices), I would get one if I had the spare readies. It would have been a real hit IMO if the movement could accommodate an independent hour hand adjustment also.


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## lkorso

I placed an order in the end. The offer for the worldtimer was too good, even though I said to myself that I was done with buying watches for 2015

I ordered the bracelet version since for some reason it was 200$ cheaper than the croco one.

For around this price I can buy the original croco strap and then I can have them both and change accordingly.

Will post wrist shots when I have it!


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## milnec

I do think it's a great looking watch, and superb value for money too.

I'm afraid I'm with some of the previous posters where the date disc obscuring the bottom cities puts me off a bit. I really wish I could live with this design, but living in Sydney, and having friends and colleagues in the UK makes it a bit tricky!


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## giodoc

For what its worth, the obscuring piece really isn't that bad as you'll memorize the cities that are hidden in about 10 minutes.


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## BJJ_Faixapreta

I can't wait until they do the blue in their Breguet style dial. That would be stunning.


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## maxixix

Mine arrived today , looks absolultly stunning!


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## IanCognito

Just stopping by!
Trying on some saddle leather for a more casual look


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## Br4m80

My wrist shot


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## watchnatic

Can the countries on the dial be rotated? I fiddled with it once but only the hands and the day/night plate moved, and i asked the sales rep whom replied that the countries plate cannot be moved. I'm puzzled.


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## maxixix

Yes, here is a tutorial.


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## watchnatic

oh thanks for the link! 

Its a beautiful piece and i'm really digging it at this price.


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## Oriman

The FC Worldtimer Manufacture gotta be the best bang for the buck in my collection in term of price and quality, and the fact that it has in-house movement.
I haven't seen sub $5K watch with in-house movement let alone something with complication like a Worldtimer
The other runner up would be the Alpina Worltimer Manufacture which essentially has the same movement with with different decoration and rotor design.

My FC Worldtimer say hi b-)


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## IanCognito

Mine says "hello" again!


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## lkorso

Its really a great watch!

Sent from my D5503 using Tapatalk


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## lgs2

It really is a great watch! I, unfortunately, sold mine. I would love to get another one sometime.


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## imperio

giodoc said:


> Hello All,
> 
> I was hoping to get a few opinions on the new blue FC Worldtimer. I recently purchased this beauty and am absolutely perplexed at how a watch of this quality can be had for around $3000? The FC 718 movement (which is very similar to their FC-700 Slim line) is an incredibly well built in-house movement and has received quite a bit of praise. Before buying I did quite a bit of research and absolutely nothing came even close when you take into account price, quality and looks. As an example, the watches that I looked at were the following:
> 
> Zenith Pilot Doublematic - Cost around $11k
> Jaeger-LeCoultre AMVOX5 - Cost around $11k
> IWC Pilot's Watch Worldtimer - Cost around $5500
> 
> In my humble opinion, this FC Worldtimer can easily stand with any of the above mentioned (I literally had all three in my hand and inspected each one very carefully). Am I missing something?
> 
> Your feedback would be greatly appreciated!


Nice watch


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## Pcurtin8

Wow Great watch!


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## Pcurtin8

What's the case size?


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## lkorso

42mm and wears as such.

Sent from my D5503 using Tapatalk


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## Reinhard Immanuel

I really dig the date subdials - adding certain elegance to the overall watch looks


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## lkorso

The new Patek Worldtimer has many similarities with the FC Worldtimer.

It is impressive how affordable is the watch comparing to its competitors.

Sent from my D5503 using Tapatalk


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## bowxser

nice! PP world timer is a good model to compare with


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## lkorso

Did anybody that has the braceley version change it to a leather strap?

I am thinking to do,buy it looks so well attached to the watch case that I am afraid it will be scratched.

Sent from my D5503 using Tapatalk


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## diablogt

One of the best bang for the buck world timer out there. So beautiful


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## turbojoly

Very classy and beautiful timepiece. Congrats!

What is the case size?


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## Oriman

turbojoly said:


> Very classy and beautiful timepiece. Congrats!
> 
> What is the case size?


Case size is 42mm

Regardz,


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## kcouncil

I bought my first FC Worldtimer this week and love it! I have an issue where some of the timezones are off by an hour. I have New York as my current timezone and cities in North America are correct but cities on the other side of the world (Tokyo, Sydney Dubai etc.) are all off by an hour. Is this due to Daylight savings?


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## up1911fan

Does anyone know the lug to lug on these?


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## KAW

kcouncil said:


> I bought my first FC Worldtimer this week and love it! I have an issue where some of the timezones are off by an hour. I have New York as my current timezone and cities in North America are correct but cities on the other side of the world (Tokyo, Sydney Dubai etc.) are all off by an hour. Is this due to Daylight savings?


Yes, this is because of DST. Dubai and Tokyo do not observe DST so their local times will be UTC+4 and UTC+9 for the entire year. New York is UTC-5 but observes DST, which moves its local time forward to UTC-4, which is why you're an hour off for those cities. Sydney does observe DST but the seasons are different in the southern hemisphere so they are currently UTC+10 but their local time will switch to UTC+11 in October.

Complicated, isn't it?


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## kcouncil

Thanks for the info!


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## mitchjrj

giodoc said:


> Hello All,
> 
> I was hoping to get a few opinions on the new blue FC Worldtimer. I recently purchased this beauty and am absolutely perplexed at how a watch of this quality can be had for around $3000? The FC 718 movement (which is very similar to their FC-700 Slim line) is an incredibly well built in-house movement and has received quite a bit of praise. Before buying I did quite a bit of research and absolutely nothing came even close when you take into account price, quality and looks. As an example, the watches that I looked at were the following:
> 
> Zenith Pilot Doublematic - Cost around $11k
> Jaeger-LeCoultre AMVOX5 - Cost around $11k
> IWC Pilot's Watch Worldtimer - Cost around $5500
> 
> In my humble opinion, this FC Worldtimer can easily stand with any of the above mentioned (I literally had all three in my hand and inspected each one very carefully). Am I missing something?
> 
> Your feedback would be greatly appreciated!


 Beautiful timepiece particularly in blue. Often considered it.


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## kylerhasson

I own one and it's my favorite watch. I feel like it's pretty underrated, and you don't really see or hear about them very often. I think it's pretty comparable to the Nomos and Baume worldtimers, and if you generally like this one, then you might want to take a look at those as well - fairly similar watches at similar price points.

But if you like world timers and have the money I think the Lange 1 Timezone is just about the coolest watch out there.


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## Barge

This is my special version  custom hands.


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