Frederique Constant celebrates the year of the goat
Integrating Chinese and western time, Frederique Constant unveils the Manufacture Zodiac 24H masterpiece in celebration of the Chinese New Year – The year of the goat
Long before the dawn of watch-making, measurements of time were all based on regular periodic star movement across the globe. The ancient Chinese civilization had a Chinese era calendar system, where a day is evenly divided into 12 periods that are represented by the twelve Chinese zodiac signs (rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig), which are called the twelve terrestrial branches. Each period is equivalent to the present-day two hours and each period is evenly divided into eight quarters (original quarter, original first quarter, original second quarter, original third quarter, positive quarter, positive first quarter, positive second quarter and positive third quarter). Hence, each quarter is 15 minutes which equates to the same in present-day. The Chinese Zodiac is also based on a twelve-year cycle, where each year in that cycle is related to an animal sign that is mentioned above; this year, 2015, is the year of the goat which is marked at the 6 o’clock position on the dial.
Different animals represent each period, which is also a kind of implication reminding people of the work and rest lifecycle. For example, the period of the day from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. is represented by the rabbit; implying people should get up to work. The period of the day from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. is represented by the goat, implying the ancient Chinese had lunch at about this period. The period of the day from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. is represented by the pig, which means it’s time to go to bed. The 12 two-hours of time totals 24 hours in a day. To honour the long-standing Chinese traditional calendar system, independent Swiss watch brand Frederique Constant launched the Manufacture Zodiac 24H limited edition in time to welcome the year of the goat.
Different from traditional watches that illustrate 12 hours on the dial, this watch features 24-hours where the hour hand journeys a circle of 24 hours and the minute hand turns a circle of 120 minutes. The dial features a scale of the twelve terrestrial branches which replace the Arabic or Roman numerals and the outer ring is divided into eight scales illustrating the quarters. In aid of people who are used to traditional dials, the innermost circle is marked with Arabic numerals to help read the time. The Manufacture Zodiac is energised by the brand’s in-house movement FC-724, which is the 16th manufacture movement developed by Frederique Constant. The 24-hour full-automatic movement is decorated with the Perlage & Circular Côtes de Genève and is inset with 26 gems and has a 42-hour power reserve. Limited to 888 pieces, the timepiece is available in a polished rose gold plated steel 3-parts case, with a diameter of 40.5mm that is water resistant to 30 metres.
