# Frédérique Constant Manufacturer Movement Reliability?



## N8G

I apologize up-front if I cause any offense with this question as that is not my intent, but I'd like to hear longer term experiences from those that have owned the FC manufacturer series watches. All the initial reviews rave about the movement and the looks, but I haven't found much information on how the movement holds up 3,5, or 10 years from purchase. 

I understand all brands and movements will have issues now and again, and that is part of owning a mechanical watch. But there seems to be more than a few owners that are reporting failures within the first few months of ownership and repeated issues even after repairs were completed in reviews of the manufacture movements. Does that reflect the experiences of owners on these forums, or has it been a good, reliable movement for you?

I am considering purchasing a slimline moonphase FC-705, but I interested in estimating what my true cost of ownership will be over time factoring in service and repairs. I typically spend a long time researching before purchasing an item and like to keep it for a long time after purchase. I don't see myself only owing this watch for 2-3 years. I owned my last motorcycle for 20 years before buying my current bike. That is what I would like out of my watch too!


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## UofRSpider

I think a very ancient phrase can apply here: You get what you pay for.


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## the.hatter

I'm interested as well, but I've already bought mine lol. I tried to research this topic before purchase and didn't find too much. Seems like a few vague references to the automatic rotor getting stuck, and something about ball bearings. I purchased mine from a seller offering a two year warranty, so I'm counting on using that for protection against early issues. 

From what I understand, the first gen FC 700 movements came out in 2009, so while there won't be decades of information, hopefully at least a few longer term owners can comment.

This is one of the things about in-house movements vs. more established movements like ETA, etc. Service costs will probably be higher ($500?), fewer service location options, and in-house doesn't automatically mean more reliable and better. 

Does "you get what you pay for" mean that since FC is one of the more affordable Swiss in-house options, that reliability is poor? Or compared to Orient and some Seikos, a lot of ETA 2824 watches, etc. FC costs more, so more reliability can be expected? Not trying to be technical, just want to understand. 


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## mpalmer

Welcome to the forums! I would not fear reliability. If you plan to keep the watch for decades, spending a bit more and moving up market a bit more might better warrant the service costs you will invest. Consider JLC or Glashutte Original as another option.


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## sefrcoko

FC is a great brand and I do not have any concerns about the durability or longevity of their watches. Service intervals should be similar to other automatic movements which are usually recommended for maintenance every 5 years or so. Some service closer to 6-7 years, while others never service until something isn't working right. To each their own of course. I have owned an FC303 for a little over a year now. No issues at all and it consistently keeps great time.


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## Nokie

FC is built to last. No worries whether it is a standard ETA or in-house movement, they are very dependable.


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## N8G

Thanks for the replies all. If anyone else has comments one way or the other I'd still love to hear them, but it has been helpful that others have had good experiences and feel it is a solid brand here.


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## DutchMongolian

Nothing constructive, but I'm curious to know as well since I only got mine back in September so keep fingers crossed, in the meantime, I'll wear it proud and enjoy its beauty!


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## Barge

I have had my world timer for almost 2 years. I wear it often and have never had an issue.


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## mywatchmywatch

Nokie said:


> FC is built to last. No worries whether it is a standard ETA or in-house movement, they are very dependable.


Let me offer a different POV.

Watches are built to be production efficient and cost effective. Quartz watches are almost 100% machine made. Requires little human input and is very reliable because of circuit boards. Machine mass production is high QC because computer controlled machines do the exact same thing every time. So, products planned to high QC standards will have few duds.

Mechanical watches require more human input because of the wheels and springs inside the case. However, the range of human input varies. On $200 mechanical watches, there is a high degree of modular assembly, plus machine work. Parts are assembled on a plate (the bridge) before being put into the case. So modular assembly requires fewer operations in the case. Reducing cost and errors.

In fact, I have an Orient Ray ($150) that averaged +1 sec/day on a two week trip. Orient is owned by a watch company that sells cheap high quality quartz watches.

Therefore, any systemic deviation in inexpensive watches is 'planned'. They are the result of low production costs and processes. You have to live with it.

By comparison, $$$$ watches may have >300 parts. The huge cost comes when you have a Swiss technician assembling this large number of parts in the case. That's why good manufacturers have many hours of testing. To ensure that each phase of the assembly is correct. For premium brands, QC means that they will stop the production process and rebuild the assemblage if needed.

Why do some $$$$ brands have a bad QC reputation?

They may be small independents who don't have the interest or resources to meet the latest production standards. They may be more interested in the PM and gems in the watches, than the movement. Or, they may have little interest in their low end products. So, showing disrespect for starter customers.

Why do some brands claim to have '1,000 hours' of testing and yet produce duds?

They may have insufficient qualified staff. They may have such high production quotas that they can't stop and rebuilt the duds. Hoping that the customer will overlook the problem.

Why do some watches return repeatedly from warranty service, and still have the same problem? It may be because the problem can only be fixed by a complete rebuilt. Something that the company deems too expensive. So, the marketing team is in conflict with the bean counters.

So, contrary to the attitude in some parts of this forum. Accuracy and reliability do matter. They tell you volumes about the companies that made the watches. Rolex has a high QC reputation and high resale value, Why not the others?


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## Kristof129

Interesting this thread as I just bought a FC (lower price range) myself... Good read!


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## ShadOsman

That World Timer is calling my name! Looking to buy later this summer, will keep tabs on this post.


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## tommyjai92

How frequently would you think a perpetual calendar should be serviced?


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## Watchbreath

About every 5 years.


tommyjai92 said:


> How frequently would you think a perpetual calendar should be serviced?


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## usc1

All their "in house" movements are ETA based from what I read. Should be reliable as ETA has been proven as such. 

It is very expensive to research and develop a movement from scratch. 


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## reuven

usc1 said:


> All their "in house" movements are ETA based from what I read. Should be reliable as ETA has been proven as such.
> 
> It is very expensive to research and develop a movement from scratch.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I´d doubt that. Never read this, and the 7xxx movements look completely different than the eta. No way they are based on them. Truth is, that they have basically build only one in house movement and sell it with all kinds of complications.


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## metalgear

UofRSpider said:


> I think a very ancient phrase can apply here: You get what you pay for.


i find the phrase less reliable when fashion is involved.


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## NoTaWaTcHgUyOkAy

As someone that has had their 2010 FC in-house movement serviced including case polish at an independent so I can say a few things.

Before he took my watch in for service, he was just checking it out to see what was wrong with it, sort of a quick diagnosis, he said that the cannon pinion was loose and I was losing minutes or even hours a day, but I told him I wasn't and it was keeping time perfectly it lost about 20s/d and the hacking feature wasn't working properly (my fault, long story) and my power reverse took a hit as a result, it was impossible to get the power reverse back to 0 because the broken hacking feature was messing with the balance wheel. He took my watch, I waited 2 weeks, got my watch back and the watchmaker said 'You have a funny watch.', probably because the cannon pinion wasn't loose and that is how it was designed to work. Service at an independent including polishing was $250 AUD, which is about $190 usd or something. The day I got the watch back from service it was running at around 0s/d. The mainspring does slip when over-wound. I tested it.

A side note, I did shop around for a watch service, I was quoted $650 so I asked the sub-reddit of my local area of a great independent watchmaker, I was given reference to the one I used and was happy with the quote he gave me so I took it up straight away. Watch works perfectly fine after the service.

TLDR: Watch had no issues after 6-7 years. I only had to take it in for service because of the damage I dealt to the watch, if I didn't do that, I probably wouldn't have taken it in for service for another year. Service and polish cost $190 USD.


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## the.hatter

NoTaWaTcHgUyOkAy great story and welcome!

Is it unfair to assume that service at FC would cost many x $190? I'm undecided on which path (FC service vs. independent) I'll take when my Slimline Moonphase needs service.


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## NoTaWaTcHgUyOkAy

the.hatter said:


> NoTaWaTcHgUyOkAy great story and welcome!
> 
> Is it unfair to assume that service at FC would cost many x $190? I'm undecided on which path (FC service vs. independent) I'll take when my Slimline Moonphase needs service.


i would go with an independent with a lot of praise. i did my research before going to the one i went with. he has no website and is only known through word of mouth and it only took 2 weeks. other watchmakers or even fc probably take longer and cost more.


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## Fraga

FC is a good brand. Ive had mine for 9 months now and I have no issues. The only thing I wasn't pleased was the "leather" quality of the strap. kind of stiff. It took me a week of so of regular use to break it in.


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## bank222

Glad to hear good things about FC here. I'm thinking of picking up a used moonphase slim line. Little worried about the deprecation though. Prices vary like crazy!


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## NoTaWaTcHgUyOkAy

bank222 said:


> Glad to hear good things about FC here. I'm thinking of picking up a used moonphase slim line. Little worried about the deprecation though. Prices vary like crazy!


The only thing I didn't like was the strap. You'll be really happy with an FC watch. I got a custom strap now to accompany my FC in-house movement watch.


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## NoTaWaTcHgUyOkAy

Mkart31 said:


> The Oem strap is very bad. I had to replace mine on the Worldtimer.


I agree, I got a custom one made.


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## Watchstein

Their Inhouse Movement on my Fc-710 Is amazing, I'm measuring 1+ deviation a day if any and i have it for 4 years already.


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## AsAnAtheist

Watchstein said:


> Their Inhouse Movement on my Fc-710 Is amazing, I'm measuring 1+ deviation a day if any and i have it for 4 years already.


Wow thanks for this, helps when people with years with them speak up.


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## Watchman Dan

I have owned 2 maximes with fc-700 and 1 slimline with fc-710 movements. All three watches required service within a year! All were hard to wind by crown from the start. First watch just became unwindable, and the other 2 stopped running entirely. Jomashop tried but couldn’t repair them. (probably why they are so deeply discounted) One with broken part had to be returned to factory which was a nightmare. After keeping it for five mos. and spotty communication, they lost the watch then finally fixed it, blaming a service director problem. Charged only $150 due to this. Other two were completely overhauled at local watchmaker (to avoid the bad factory service) for $400 and $300. He he found excessive drag and lots of wear on gears, with metal dust inside. Probably what caused a part to break on one, and the mainspring to lose 30% of power on other. He felt a misaligned pinion hole may have been a problem on one. I think the old adage that u get what u pay for applies here! In addition the movement is so big 30mm x 6.3mm, which makes the “slimline” case huge!


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## Watchman Dan

Just to add, I’ve never had problems like this before on any other watch. Most of my watches are ETA that run happily for years! I do have one other manufacture watch which has been excellent, a Jean Richard with JR 1000 mvmt. Picked it up new at huge discount for $1350 from $5000 msrp.


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## NoTaWaTcHgUyOkAy

Dan Finch said:


> I have owned 2 maximes with fc-700 and 1 slimline with fc-710 movements. All three watches required service within a year! All were hard to wind by crown from the start. First watch just became unwindable, and the other 2 stopped running entirely. Jomashop tried but couldn't repair them. (probably why they are so deeply discounted) One with broken part had to be returned to factory which was a nightmare. After keeping it for five mos. and spotty communication, they lost the watch then finally fixed it, blaming a service director problem. Charged only $150 due to this. Other two were completely overhauled at local watchmaker (to avoid the bad factory service) for $400 and $300. He he found excessive drag and lots of wear on gears, with metal dust inside. Probably what caused a part to break on one, and the mainspring to lose 30% of power on other. He felt a misaligned pinion hole may have been a problem on one. I think the old adage that u get what u pay for applies here! In addition the movement is so big 30mm x 6.3mm, which makes the "slimline" case huge!


That's a problem with Jomashop. I've purchased a watch from jomashop and it didn't even work.


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## liyoo86

For whatever it is worth, my FC303-MC4P6 still runs fine after 6 years of use.


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## AsAnAtheist

Dan Finch said:


> I have owned 2 maximes with fc-700 and 1 slimline with fc-710 movements. All three watches required service within a year! All were hard to wind by crown from the start. First watch just became unwindable, and the other 2 stopped running entirely. Jomashop tried but couldn't repair them. (probably why they are so deeply discounted) One with broken part had to be returned to factory which was a nightmare. After keeping it for five mos. and spotty communication, they lost the watch then finally fixed it, blaming a service director problem. Charged only $150 due to this. Other two were completely overhauled at local watchmaker (to avoid the bad factory service) for $400 and $300. He he found excessive drag and lots of wear on gears, with metal dust inside. Probably what caused a part to break on one, and the mainspring to lose 30% of power on other. He felt a misaligned pinion hole may have been a problem on one. I think the old adage that u get what u pay for applies here! In addition the movement is so big 30mm x 6.3mm, which makes the "slimline" case huge!


Weird, 3 different FC's with similar issues. I noticed you were in the USA, why was it sent back to Geneve? They have a service center in the USA which is where any FC's go if they need repair.
How was the accuracy with the watches when you had them?


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## NickSW

liyoo86 said:


> For whatever it is worth, my FC303-MC4P6 still runs fine after 6 years of use.


It's pretty much worth nothing.. I'm pretty sure that's a quartz watch. People are talking about in-house movement here.


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## NoTaWaTcHgUyOkAy

FC3XX is automatic but ETA or sellita. Quartz is FC2XX


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## NickSW

NoTaWaTcHgUyOkAy said:


> FC3XX is automatic but ETA or sellita. Quartz is FC2XX


You are right, my bad - I just quickly googled the reference and came on an ebay listing that had it listed as quartz... these sellers are just true WIS'


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## Watchman Dan

The one with a seconds hand I kept, and it is running about 9 sec/day slow. I would adjust it, but the screw down back is on super tight! The other watches hand no seconds hand so I don't know how accurate they were. The US service center is actually a contracted lab that works on lots of different brands. They recommended me to ship the manufacture back to the factory because they would end up doing that anyway if it needed parts.


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## Watchman Dan

It's a pity about FC's Manufacture movement quality issues. I think FC does a great job with styling, and have some beautiful classically styled watches at accessible prices. They are good at putting creative touches on traditional styles, but alas seem to not be able to break out of their reputation as a department store watch. It was very disappointing when they had to sell out to the Japanese (Citizen).


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## AsAnAtheist

Dan Finch said:


> It's a pity about FC's Manufacture movement quality issues. I think FC does a great job with styling, and have some beautiful classically styled watches at accessible prices. They are good at putting creative touches on traditional styles, but alas seem to not be able to break out of their reputation as a department store watch. It was very disappointing when they had to sell out to the Japanese (Citizen).


There are few reports of these issues so not really sure if it's a wide spread issue or not. They say they produce approximately 8,000 inhouse movement watches a year (and way less for Tourbillons). So 3 bad watches.


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## rwbenjey

AsAnAtheist said:


> There are few reports of these issues so not really sure if it's a wide spread issue or not. They say they produce approximately 8,000 inhouse movement watches a year (and way less for Tourbillons). So 3 bad watches.


Agreed. Even the best companies have a few pieces that fail. I've had to turn in a JLC Reverso GT before it's warranty period ended when it stopped running (time-only movement). QC is never 100% from the factory.


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## Watagump

Only thing I would worry about is their gold plated models, which I would never buy.


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## Watchman Dan

AsAnAtheist said:


> There are few reports of these issues so not really sure if it's a wide spread issue or not. They say they produce approximately 8,000 inhouse movement watches a year (and way less for Tourbillons). So 3 bad watches.


All I can tell you is that the CEO himself, Peter Stas shared with me that he did a reorganization in response to some QC issues. This was about 3 or 4 years ago, so hopefully whatever the problem was has been addressed!


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## NoTaWaTcHgUyOkAy

2% failure rate is normal for any company. Can't always be 100%. So many variables and factors, shipping treatment included.


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## Filandro

FC 700 ... I am several years in. No problems. Accuracy: Never did a scientific check, but I wear the watch 3 days consecutively at most and haven't noticed anything. First week of ownership, I wore it all week for a week-on-the-wrist check and it was on the money vs. a quartz I set it to.

FC in-house movements are just that: 100% FC in house.

Generally, they have a solid rep for build quality of case, dial, etc and the movement is respected. What's not respected is that they don't have a Swiss legacy and were born from a business model and business plan (god forbid).

They overproduced for a couple of years at exactly the wrong time, and it tanked some prices. These things don't go away over night. 

.


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## Unsubscriber

Reviving an aging thread, I recently purchased a Flyback Chronograph that developed a fault in the tachymeter mechanism within the first 24 hours of use (would reset to two seconds before the 12 o'clock marker each time). Disappointing because I very much enjoy the styling and overall feel of the watch.


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## Unsubscriber

Following up, the replacement Flyback Chronograph I purchased also had a malfunction in the reset mechanism and has been in service with FC since April (first in the US, now in Geneva).


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## colorblind

Unsubscriber said:


> Following up, the replacement Flyback Chronograph I purchased also had a malfunction in the reset mechanism and has been in service with FC since April (first in the US, now in Geneva).


Well, at least its moving places, if not telling time. Reminds me of my dads first ever canon, traveled 4 different countries for a repair. 3 months later they just gave up and gave him new one.


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## NowIsNoTimeAtAll

FC-303 (ETA-based) here - keeps great time, not a single problem yet


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## revmiguel

I’ve had the Classics Moonphase for almost 2 years now. It has the 715 movement and officers caseback. It has been super-accurate, usually within +/- 1 second per day. I have had 2-3 times when I pulled out the crown all the way and the movement didn’t hack. But when I pushed it in and pulled it out again, it did hack. I also notice that when I reset the time, I have to put the minute hand slightly ahead of the minute marker index and then when I punch it in, after it goes around the clock for a minute, then the minute hand is perfectly aligned with the next minute marker when the second hand returns to 12. I still enjoy looking at the movement. I would highly recommend this brand’s in-house movement watches.


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## Juclaq

My wife gave me a FC three years ago. It is pretty reliable. It is a stand ETA movement. I dont see any problem and if it needs a service, it wont be too bad and any decent watchmaker can service it


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## drcab

I bought one- its crap. Does not keep accurate time. Enough said


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## Stargazer735

Details, please.

Very interested in the FC/Alpina worldtimers. Would like to hear your experience.


drcab said:


> I bought one- its crap. Does not keep accurate time. Enough said


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## johnmichael

"I bought one- its crap. Does not keep accurate time. Enough said" Not enough said, I need to know more, for instance is it automatic or quartz? I have a FC ultra thin w/a Sellita SW-300 movement (ETA 2892 for those who do not know) and I love this watch. It punches above its weight in all respects and has been extremely accurate for over a year now, not to mention the fact it is beautiful. Mine is wonderful! To those concerned about the quality of Frederique Constant, I would say "don't"!!!


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## backpackerx

I’ve had my Maxime Manufacture with the in-house FC–700 movement for six years now and it has run fine and I wear it nearly every day. It’s a good quality watch, nicely finished, and I recommend it. 


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## drcab

Never will i buy fc again


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## semechka.y

I have quite a few Freddies of 1990's - 2000's, no major problems neither with a manufacture (yacht timer) nor with ETA-based watches. Just buy a wacth at AD or have it overhauled by a watchmaker (like I had to do with a Moonphase Chrono). The quality is great and I like very much that FC manages not to inflate their prices.


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## Stargazer735

drcab said:


> Never will i buy fc again


Why? Give us some details please. It helps those of us who are considering a purchase.

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## backpackerx

One potential negative I found out last week is that FC requires their in house movements be sent back to Geneva for servicing. The US authorized service centers don’t do those from what I was told.


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## TechGuyJ

I have had my Worldtimer for ~3.5 years now. About 6 months after getting it, it became very difficult to wind manually; however, it would wind via the rotor just fine. Long story short, it ended up back in Geneve for service. They had it for around 4 months. Once I received it back, it has been running fine, at about +3s/day. I haven’t done a recent timing run on it with the WatchTracker app, but I just may.

I really enjoy the watch, even tho it doesn’t get a whole lot of wrist time right now. But it’s a very unique piece and almost always invokes a conversation from even non-WIS folks. 

For a while after the service, my confidence in the in-house movement’s durability took a hit. It has since recovered and I trust the piece again. Take that for what it’s worth, but I think they present a great value for what they offer. 


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## powerband

Great thread.


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## capisce1987

backpackerx said:


> I've had my Maxime Manufacture with the in-house FC-700 movement for six years now and it has run fine and I wear it nearly every day. It's a good quality watch, nicely finished, and I recommend it.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


The in-house movements are really a great value! The level of finishing, beauty, and quality are really something overlooked, in my humble opinion.....
Love my FC-700, FC-705, and Miss my FC-715....

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## 7Pines

Just bought this Persuasion for $280 from a fellow WUSer. Indistinguishable from new with boxes and all paperwork. I think it is a beautiful piece and I am delighted with it!
Utilizes the 303. Keeping great time.

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## Angler

I've had a beautiful rose gold moonphase/date inhouse movement Fred C. for about two years. I keep it on a winder when on stand-by. It has had zero issues. It looks fantastic and for the price paid it seems to be a great value. I have heard that it is a great company and my local jeweler thnks highly of the brand.


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## backpackerx

Report after 8 years of wear and 1st service.

I bought my Maxime Manufacture referenced above in March 2012. It has the FC-700 movement. I just completed the first service locally by a CW21 certified watchmaker for $375. The watch was worn most weekdays for 6 years and still quite a bit for the last two. It had started running a little slow (-20 sec) and the power reserve wasn't what it used to be. I chose local service because FC requires their Manufacture movements to be sent to Geneva per the US service center and I didn't want to deal with that cost or delay.

The movement has been superb and running great again. The watchmaker said it was a completely unique layout and design but shares some internal components with the ETA 2824. No components were worn or damaged. He said it had great timing results after service and I've attached those here.










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## Philandwatches

Ive had my fc705n4s6 for a while now. I dont see it having problems. Only timed it a ciuple of times but it is within the +-3 seconds range. Pretty good to me.


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## Kvam

Philandwatches said:


> Ive had my fc705n4s6 for a while now. I dont see it having problems. Only timed it a ciuple of times but it is within the +-3 seconds range. Pretty good to me.


I agree. Mine has performed very well.


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## Kvam

Philandwatches said:


> Ive had my fc705n4s6 for a while now. I dont see it having problems. Only timed it a ciuple of times but it is within the +-3 seconds range. Pretty good to me.


I agree. Mine has performed very well.


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## FishTime

backpackerx said:


> Report after 8 years of wear and 1st service.
> 
> I bought my Maxime Manufacture referenced above in March 2012. It has the FC-700 movement. I just completed the first service locally by a CW21 certified watchmaker for $375. The watch was worn most weekdays for 6 years and still quite a bit for the last two. It had started running a little slow (-20 sec) and the power reserve wasn't what it used to be. I chose local service because FC requires their Manufacture movements to be sent to Geneva per the US service center and I didn't want to deal with that cost or delay.
> 
> The movement has been superb and running great again. The watchmaker said it was a completely unique layout and design but shares some internal components with the ETA 2824. No components were worn or damaged. He said it had great timing results after service and I've attached those here.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Hey backpacker, mind sharing you you had do your service?


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## FishTime

backpackerx said:


> Report after 8 years of wear and 1st service.
> 
> I bought my Maxime Manufacture referenced above in March 2012. It has the FC-700 movement. I just completed the first service locally by a CW21 certified watchmaker for $375. The watch was worn most weekdays for 6 years and still quite a bit for the last two. It had started running a little slow (-20 sec) and the power reserve wasn't what it used to be. I chose local service because FC requires their Manufacture movements to be sent to Geneva per the US service center and I didn't want to deal with that cost or delay.
> 
> The movement has been superb and running great again. The watchmaker said it was a completely unique layout and design but shares some internal components with the ETA 2824. No components were worn or damaged. He said it had great timing results after service and I've attached those here.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Great result...mind sharing who did your service?


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## backpackerx

FishTime said:


> Great result...mind sharing who did your service?


Bailey's Fine Jewelry at the Cameron Village location in Raleigh, NC. The CW21 watchmaker is Kyle who did my service and Jean is the one who printed the timegrapher results above and was a Rolex tech and I believe a former Rolex service center manager.


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## Dryfly

sefrcoko said:


> FC is a great brand and I do not have any concerns about the durability or longevity of their watches. Service intervals should be similar to other automatic movements which are usually recommended for maintenance every 5 years or so. Some service closer to 6-7 years, while others never service until something isn't working right. To each their own of course. I have owned an FC303 for a little over a year now. No issues at all and it consistently keeps great time.


I have 2 with the FC-303 movements, which is just a Selitta SW200-1. Both are fantastic and very accurate watches. Both are better than COSC specs after minor regulation by me using a timegrapher. Love that you can fine tune these by turning a screw, as opposed to bumping the regulating mechanism back and forth repeatedly.


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## Watchman Dan

Filandro said:


> FC in-house movements are just that: 100% FC in house.
> 
> Generally, they have a solid rep for build quality of case, dial, etc and the movement is respected. What's not respected is that they don't have a Swiss legacy and were born from a business model and business plan (god forbid).


Just to share a little of what I know about their In-House operations...

FC makes bout 25K in-house watches per year, about 20% of their total volume. Most watches are cased up at their Geneva workshop. For the in house movements, the plates and major parts are actually CNC'd in house, then sent to a local finisher, Rhodior, for finishing and plating. Then they are then assembled with some supplier parts at FC. Hands are from Estima in Grenchen. Case and dial production is unknown, but I would guess that the cases are done in HK. The factory is small for the volume, but they have recently added a second wing. The Manufacture movement was originally designed with help from the University of Geneva. They are the only affordable brand to my knowledge doing any actual production in Geneva. Full movement production and assembly in Geneva is rarer still and usually reserved for hi-end brands like Patek. Rolex although based in Geneva, makes their movements in Biel.


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## Ben.10

Dryfly said:


> I have 2 with the FC-303 movements, which is just a Selitta SW200-1. Both are fantastic and very accurate watches. Both are better than COSC specs after minor regulation by me using a timegrapher. Love that you can fine tune these by turning a screw, as opposed to bumping the regulating mechanism back and forth repeatedly.


I think this is also my case as well. When my watch first come, it run + 10s/day. Then after 3 years, i bring to a watch maker for service and ask them to perform the regulation. Now it runs +-2s/day (4 years after service). That's great as any COSC watch that i have and a beautiful movement in case back exhibition. In house movement will have it's value in a right hand. I believe so.


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## Watchman Dan

backpackerx said:


> Bailey's Fine Jewelry at the Cameron Village location in Raleigh, NC. The CW21 watchmaker is Kyle who did my service and Jean is the one who printed the timegrapher results above and was a Rolex tech and I believe a former Rolex service center manager.


*What is a CW21 watchmaker?*


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## Watchman Dan

The only other "in house" movement in this price range I can think of is the newer "Baume & Mercier" Baumatic. It even looks a lot like the FC! It is based on the low-end Cartier movement, but has anti-magnetic properties, a 5-Day power reserve, and 10 year service intervals!


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## w8tch88

I’ve had my worldtimer for 5+ years without any issues. I have it often on my wrist. Its a great affordable piece!


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## mg512

mpalmer said:


> Welcome to the forums! I would not fear reliability. If you plan to keep the watch for decades, spending a bit more and moving up market a bit more might better warrant the service costs you will invest. Consider JLC or Glashutte Original as another option.


perchance how much is a service for a JLC reverso? This has been something that crossed my mind when thinking of getting one


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