WatchReviewBlog

Wrist Watch Reviews, Guides & Advice

  • HOME
  • WATCH REVIEWS
  • BY BRAND
  • By Type
    • Automatic Watches
    • Quartz Watches
    • Dive Watches
    • Pilot Watches
    • Chronographs
    • Dress
    • Luxury
    • Sports
    • Women’s
    • Fashion
  • Sections
    • Introducing
    • Startups
    • Watch Q&A
  • Watch Buying Guides
ShopShow Search
Hide Search
Home » Watch Reviews » Frederique Constant FC303S5B6 Automatic Watch Review

Frederique Constant FC303S5B6 Automatic Watch Review

April 14, 2018 by Matthew Catellier Leave a Comment — Updated on January 22, 2024

Frederique Constant FC303S5B6 Automatic Watch Review

The Frederique Constant FC303S5B6 Automatic is a dress watch with a classic design. It also has powerhouse of a movement, making it both functional and stylish. For a simple watch, there’s a lot to discuss about this timepiece.

FC303S5B6 Design

The FC303S5B6 pays homage to the classic Patek Philippe Calatrava dress watch and that’s very apparent in its elegant design. At 39mm in diameter, this watch is on the smaller side of modern styles, so it’s perfect for an understated dress watch on just about any sized wrist. The sapphire crystal has a slight convex dome to it, but at only 10mm thick you’d have no problems wearing it with a dress shirt. The stationary bezel and case are stainless steel, which is engraved on the back with the Frederique Constant brand name and logo in addition to “Geneve” marking its Swiss origin.

FC303S5B6 case and crown design

On the dial, the stainless steel look of the case and bezel is carried through with the silvered stick hour markers applied to the face. Twelve o’clock is indicated by double stick markers. Like the pitched dauphine hour and minute hands, the hour markers also have a pitched texture to them, catching the light from any angle. The cone shaped sweep second hand reaches to the outer rectangular edge of the hour markers and adds some simple, interesting detail to the design.

The face itself is a silver-tone white that goes nicely with the other silver elements of the watch and gives it a warm look. At three o’clock is a date display with a silver frame. Around the outer edge small black stick markers denote the minutes and seconds. Every five minutes, the markers are slightly bolder in order to make it easier to read. Also in black, in a classy all caps font, the words “Automatic” and “Swiss Made” are written in addition to the same text that’s engraved on the back. In all, the text isn’t overbearing and doesn’t distract from the simple design, but it is somewhat redundant to have both “Geneve” and “Swiss Made” printed on the dial.

Movement and Features

The movement on this watch is a FC-303, which is an automatic movement based on the SW200-1, which is in turn a clone of the ETA 2824-2. The ETA 2824-2 has stood the test of time and is somewhat the standard that many automatic movements are based on. In order to reduce wear on the rotor, it’s mounted on five ball-bearings which helps the watch to run smoothly for a very long time. Frederique Constant took ETA’s movement and made it their own by adding an extra jewel for a total of 26 jewels, but whether or not the extra jewel is really necessary or just a marketing ploy is up for debate. Regardless, this Swiss made movement keeps excellent time, running -5 to +15 seconds per day. It also has a 38 hour power reserve, which is nice because in all likelihood, you’re not going to be needing a dress watch every day.

dial with date

For when it does need to be wound, the crown is push/pull. It’s also scalloped shaped, which looks great but can make it more difficult to get a good grip on it in order to wind the watch. Some owners of this watch have also noted that winding it is hard and sounds like something is grinding, raising some concerns about letting the watch wind down all the way. Part of this could be due to the double gaskets on the crown, which help make it water resistant to 165 feet.

A great feature about the FC303S5B6 is the luminescence. A lot of dressy events are dimly lit and you’d be able to easily read this watch in the dark. There are lum dots above the hour markers, with double lum dots at twelve o’clock. The hour and minute hands also have a rectangular luminosity inlaid that blends well with the white tone of the face when it’s not dark.

Logo and box

By far the biggest complaint about this watch is the stock strap that comes with it. It’s a black alligator leather strap with an Ardillon Buckle and apparently it’s very stiff and uncomfortable. It can be shaped to your wrist after a while, or easily replaced since it’s a fairly common size at 20mm wide. The lug width is the same, although they aren’t very long and are slightly curved, which make the watch seem smaller than its actual size.

Conclusion

There are a couple of weak points to this Frederique Constant FC303S5B6, but they’re more like minor annoyances than major problems. It’s a relatively inexpensive dress watch, especially considering the quality movement within, so having to spend a little extra on a different strap wouldn’t be a huge deal. If you’re looking for an elegant, timeless looking dress watch, this one is definitely worth considering.

Filed Under: Dress, Men's, Watch Reviews Tagged With: Automatic Watches

About Matthew Catellier

Matthew Catellier has been a professional watch journalist for over a decade. He is the founder of The Watch Review Blog and actively contributes to Forbes and other online publications. Matt is an expert on mechanical watches, and is widely considered a specialist in vintage and modern Rolex. Follow him on Instagram @watchreviewblog.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get fresh watch reviews, HD photos and more direct to your inbox.

RECENT POSTS

  • The Nomadic Fior 555: A Stunning GMT Watch Made in Ireland
  • The Rolex Land-Dweller: Two Birds One Stone
  • Casio Deep Dive: An Ode to the Classics
  • What’s the Most Useless Watch Complication?
  • Christopher Ward Expands The Twelve with a 38mm Variant

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Get fresh watch reviews, HD photos and more direct to your inbox.

INFORMATION

  • About
  • Masthead
  • Editorial Policy
CONTACT

  • General
  • Advertise
CONNECT
  • facebook
  • x
  • instagram
  • pinterest
  • youtube
Copyright © 2025 · WatchReviewBlog.com · All Rights Are Reserved! · Powered by Custom Dev · Privacy Policy