Frederique Constant combines the electronic magic of smartwatches with traditional Swiss watchmaking in a revolutionary hybrid. We find out why it’s a perfect match
Frederique Constant’s extraordinary Hybrid Manufacture just received some seriously high praise. When Mark Ruffalo—who plays The Incredible Hulk in hit film adaptations of the comic book series—was asked if he thought his character would wear this watch, he replied, “Are you kidding me? [The Hulk's alter ego] Bruce Banner would love this. This is the Banner watch. It’s technology; it’s also just pure force.”
And he's right. The Hybrid Manufacture is an entirely new kind of smartwatch, in that it combines the true mechanical movement Swiss timepieces are famous for with modern attributes such as fitness trackers in one perfectly made package.
The 42mm case has a dial like that of a typical high-end Swiss watch, with an analogue display, standard timekeeping functions and a luxurious leather strap. It also has a an integrated digital, battery-powered module.
Smart functions have brought this timepiece hurtling into the 21st century, like The Hulk himself. The Hybrid Manufacture has all the usual digital watch attributes—activity tracking, sleep tracking, fitness coaching and more—plus some watch-specific features like analytics for the mechanical movement.
See also: 10 Watches That Changed The World Of Watchmaking
Think rate, amplitude, beat error and a world timer for those of us who work in multiple time zones. These can all be controlled and changed via a user-friendly iPhone app—hence The Hulk’s keen interest in this revolutionary watch.
“I think it’s a really remarkable piece of technology,” says Ruffalo. “It’s the hybridisation, it’s the marriage of modern tech with classic watchmaking tradition. Frederique Constant is really the first one to do this. It gives and captures an enormous amount of information, but you don’t have a smartphone on your body.”