When Frederique Constant decides to create a watch, they don’t hold back, they go all the way. They envision the initial design, see the design through the in-house development process, complete the final assembly, and lead the quality control checks. The brand currently has 29 in-house calibers to lay claim to, and that number will keep growing. The brand has expanded since 1988 when the founders Peter and Aletta Stas started it. They had a dream to create high-quality mechanical Swiss watches with more accessible pricing. All this takes place in their brand new manufacture center, all 3,000 square meters of it.

Speaking of square, Frederique Constant recently presented two square-shaped watches for the ladies with the Classics Carrée Ladies collection. “Carrée” means square in French. Square-shaped timepieces are classic and timeless, and when Frederique Constant does them, they are elegant and affordable. There are two versions to lay our eyes one, so let’s get started.

The first Classics Carrée Ladies watch is a bi-colour stainless steel watch with a silver dial. The silver dial has some delicate guilloche detailing. Guilloché work is an engraved decorative pattern, usually used to add delicate detail without overpowering the main design aesthetic. For this watch, the guilloche detail is very understated but if it weren’t there, you’d be missing it. The Roman numerals to mark the hours add to the elegance. The bracelet for this watch is also bi-colour and it really completes the look.

The second Classics Carrée Ladies watch has a stainless case, also square, of course. But this one has a little more dazzle to it, thanks to the 34 diamonds along the vertical sides of the case. The dial is white mother-of-pearl and the luster is delightful. Mother-of-pearl, or nacre, is a natural composite material produced by some mollusks. The hours are also marked by printed Roman numerals. The navy blue crocodile leather strap is the perfect complement to this two-tone beauty.

Both of these Frederique Constant Classics Carrée Ladies watches are powered by the FC-200 quartz caliber. The elegant square cases are enduring and beautiful. And thanks to Frederique Constant, they are within reach.