Frederique Constant Sets Sail For A Prestigious Celebration Of Italy And Its Legendary Runabout Yachts

Frederique Constant’s Runabout collection was first launched in 2009, in an ode to the legendary wooden boats built in Italy on the shores of Lake Iseo. This year, two new limited editions have been added to the collection for an elegant, sporty take on the design inspired by the runabout yachts, available in 888 rose gold-plated and stainless steel units. Partners since 2013, Frederique Constant and the RHS (Riva Historical Society) run the Riva Days 2022 from July 7^th to 11^th, an international event that will see owners of these iconic boats flock to the Société Nautique de Genève, in Geneva, Switzerland.

In 1988, up-and-coming independent family-run brand Frederique Constant was established in Geneva, the heart of the Swiss watchmaking industry. At the same time, the RHS (Riva Historical Society) was set up in Italy in a bid to celebrate the dolce vita by safeguarding one of its most famous boats. This legendary yacht, initially hand-crafted entirely from wood, embodied the inimitable, easy-going elegance of 1960s Italy.

A company devoted to measuring time, and an association dedicated to the art of drifting through the waves, both united in their vision of upholding workmanship, beauty, and attention to detail, destined to be carried on the tides of time for centuries on end as custodians of the same timeless elegance and burning passion. A transalpine bond was forged between Lake Geneva in Switzerland and Italy’s Lake Iseo, uniting the two entities since 2013 in a relationship that has buoyed Frederique Constant’s Runabout collection ever since: a line first launched in 2009 in tribute to the famous runabout boats.

Heritage in motion

This year, Frederique Constant is releasing two new limited editions of its Runabout Automatic timepiece in 888 units. This resolutely contemporary design features a 42 mm-diameter dial, and is suitable for both men and women seeking masterful precision in time-keeping.

The watch face epitomises the finest of Geneva watchmaking tradition, spliced through with an assertively modern feel. The Runabout Automatic offers a fresh take on a dial embellished with a delicate Clous de Paris guilloché pattern. Guilloché designs were originally intended to be both decorative and practical, lending texture to overly smooth surfaces as well as boosting readability, with each micro groove serving to temper glare and reflections from direct light. The Runabout Automatic’s central guilloché pattern set over a silver or black background allows it to capture each ray of light, imbuing the watch face with a shifting sense of texture.

Of its time

Its lines and contours, meanwhile, reflect Frederique Constant’s modern aesthetic. The Runabout collection stands out with its large even-number Arabic numeral indices complete with five-minute markers on the inner-bezel. Each hour index is applied, lending the dial depth while improving readability.

To the same end, the sword-style hour and minute hands are shot through with luminous matter to enable the wearer to continue sailing long after the summer sun has dipped below the horizon. The hands match the chosen casing, either rose gold-plated or stainless steel, with the latter featuring a turquoise blue seconds hand in a nod to the Runabout collection’s sea-inspired feel — a shade reiterated in the topstitching on the stainless steel version’s blue-grey leather strap. The rose gold-plated version, meanwhile, is fitted with a navy blue strap embellished with off-white topstitching.

Both feature FC-303 calibre, giving these two new twists on the Runabout Automatic 38 hours of power reserve. Its movement is visible for all to admire thanks to a sapphire background that offers up a glimpse of the watch’s intimate workings, engraved with the RHS (Riva Historical Society) logo. Each piece will be presented in a special case containing a miniature replica of one of these iconic wooden yachts moored alongside the watch.
Riva Days 2022

This July 7^th to 11^th, Frederique Constant and the RHS (Riva Historical Society) paid tribute to these legendary boats during the Riva Days 2022, an international event due to take place at Switzerland’s Société Nautique de Genève (Geneva). All owners of runabout boats from around the world are cordially invited to attend this hotly anticipated celebration, in an opportunity to come together around a shared passion and moor their boats in the SNG harbour.

The prestigious Société Nautique de Genève club was set up in 1872 and turns 150 this year. It is world-renowned for its sailboat and motorboat activities. In 2003 and 2007, the Alinghi and SNG teams scooped the America’s Cup, among other accolades. Home to over 4,000 members and a harbour equipped with 1,000 berths, this is Switzerland’s biggest club.

On July 7th, attendees were invited to step through the doors of the Manufacture Frederique Constant and its museum to open the festivities. A number of activities and outings on Lake Geneva run from Friday to Sunday, including Frederique Constant’s breath-taking Elegance Contest on Saturday July 9th from 4:00pm to 4:30pm (CET), during which all the boats paraded past the Société Nautique de Genève under the trained eye of expert judges as well as admirative enthusiasts. The event was followed by a gala dinner at the Société Nautique de Genève.

Finally, 2022 also happens to mark one hundred years since the birth of a man who forever changed the face of the recreational boating industry. Carlo Riva, who was born on February 24^th 1922 in Sarnico, on the shores of Lake Iseo, and passed away on April 10^th 2017. This ingenious motorboat designer revolutionised the sector with his now-legendary luxurious yachts. The Riva Days 2022 event therefore served as an opportunity for Frederique Constant and the RHS (Riva Historical Society) to pay tribute to this visionary and his unwavering passion.

Technical specifications

• Runabout Automatic (Reference FC-303RMS5B4)
  

- RRP 1’850€

Functions:

- Hours, minutes, seconds, date

Movement:

- FC-303 caliber, automatic
- Diamond collimaçon decoration
- 38-hour power reserve, 26 jewels, 28'800 alt/h

Case:

- Polished rose gold-plated stainless steel 2-part case
- Diameter of 42 mm
- Height of 11,50 mm
- Scratch-resistant convex sapphire crystal
- See-through case back with Riva Historical Society printed logo
- Water-resistant up to 5 ATM/50m/164ft

Dial:

- Silver color dial with sunray finishing and clous de Paris guilloché in the center
- 60 seconds and minutes graduation on outer ring
- Applied rose gold-plated Arabic indexes filled with white luminous treatment
- Rose gold-plated hour and minute hands filled with white luminous treatment
- Rose gold plated second hand
- Date window at 6 o’clock

Strap:

- Navy blue calf leather strap with beige stitching

Limited edition:

- Limited to 888 pieces

• Runabout Automatic (Reference FC-303RMB5B6)
  

- RRP 1’550€

Functions:

- Hours, minutes, seconds, date

Movement:

- FC-303 caliber, automatic
- Diamond collimaçon decoration
- 38-hour power reserve, 26 jewels, 28'800 alt/h

Case:

- Polished stainless steel 2-part case
- Diameter of 42 mm
- Height of 11,50 mm
- Scratch-resistant convex sapphire crystal
- See-through case back with Riva Historical Society printed logo
- Water-resistant up to 5 ATM/50m/164ft

Dial:

- Black dial with sunray finishing and clous de Paris guilloché in the center
- 60 seconds and minutes graduation on outer ring
- Applied silver color Arabic indexes filled with white luminous treatment
- Silver color hour and minute hands filled with white luminous treatment
- Light blue second hand
- Date window at 6 o’clock

Strap:

Dark grey blue calf leather strap with light blue stitching

Limited edition:

- Limited to 888 pieces

About Frederique Constant

Frederique Constant is a Swiss watchmaking manufacture located in Geneva, Switzerland. The Maison was founded in 1988 by a couple of independent entrepreneurs, Aletta and Peter Stas, to offer quality Swiss watches at an affordable price, with the aim of democratising luxury Swiss Made watches.

Frederique Constant creates, develops, assembles and controls a wide variety of mechanical, quartz and connected timepieces at the same time within its 6,200 m2 Manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates (GE). To this day, Frederique Constant has designed 30 Manufacture calibres, including high complications, such as the Tourbillon, the Perpetual Calendar, the Flyback Chronograph, as well as a new and unprecedented type of escapement in watchmaking – the Monolithic. Made from a single piece of silicone, replacing the 26 components of a standard assortment, it oscillates at a frequency of 40 Hz, which is 10 times that of most mechanical movements.

In 2015, Frederique Constant launched the Horological Smartwatch, the first Swiss Made connected timepiece featuring a traditional appearance. In 2018, the Classic Hybrid Manufacture succeeded it, combining a mechanical Manufacture movement with connected features. It was followed by the Smartwatch Vitality line in 2020, equipped with a new generation built-in heart rate sensor.
The same year, Frederique Constant reinvigorated the Highlife collection (1999) with a redesigned case and an interchangeable integrated strap. This was followed in 2021 by the Slimline Monolithic Manufacture with its very high-frequency one-piece escapement, then by the Highlife collection for women.

Frederique Constant is currently present in nearly 3,000 points of sale in 120 countries across the world. In 2016, the Frederique Constant group (Frederique Constant, Alpina Watches, Ateliers deMonaco) joined the Japanese group Citizen, so as to pursue its international development and nurture new synergies.