Frederique Constant’s Austin Healey Series Gets a Vintage Inspired Three Hander with a Green Dial

Frederique Constant’s relationship with british automaker Austin-Healey goes back to 2004, and has produced a number of limited edition watches over the years, and has also included partnerships on rallies, races, and other events. The latest collaboration between the two brands is a simple time and date sports watch with a retro feel that effectively conjures the romance of the golden age of the British sports car. Let’s take a closer look.

Frederique Constant Vintage Rally Healey Automatic 

• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Dial: Silver, green
• Dimensions: 40mm
• Crystal: Sapphire        
• Water Resistance: 5 ATM  
• Crown: Push/pull                        
• Movement: FC-303 
• Strap/bracelet: Leather
• Price: $1,895
• Reference Number: FC-303HVBR5B4, FC-303HGRS5B6
• Expected Release: Available now 

The new Vintage Rally Healey Automatic is available in two variants. First, we have a rose gold plated version with a silver dial. The aesthetic here is simple and elegant – it resembles a very old fashioned kind of everyday gentleman’s watch, with the large numerals at 12:00, 6:00, and 9:00 providing just the right sporty touch. The brown outer seconds and minutes register is a great complement to the rose gold tone of the case, hand set, and hour indices, as is the brown rally strap that the watch is mounted on. While the “Healey” branding on the dial won’t be to everyone’s taste, it’s done in the brand’s original font and, I think, works in the context of this particular watch, but of course some will always prefer a dial that leans toward the sterile side. 

The other watch in this small collection is likely to have a much wider appeal, and capitalizes on a trend that we’re seeing become more and more prominent in 2020: green dials. British racing green is a bit of an on-the-nose choice for a watch with the name of a classic British sports car on the dial, but like the color combination of the rose gold version, it just works. The deep green of the dial with a white outer sector produces a high contrast look that’s easily legible, and while a color matched date wheel would have been preferable, it at least offers a semblance of symmetry against the large white hour markers on the opposite side of the dial. 

The Vintage Rally Healey Automatic is limited to 2,888 pieces, and it should come as no surprise that the collector’s set is suitably tricked out with the car enthusiast in mind. Each set comes with a replica of the Healey 100S NOJ393, the vehicle that inspired this watch. Each watch is also individually numbered, and features an image of the NOJ393 in relief on the caseback. 

Both versions of the Vintage Rally Healey Automatic are available now from Frederique Constant with a retail price of $1,895. Frederique Constant