Official Timekeeper of The Peking to Paris Motor Challenge

Frédérique Constant is proud and honored to have been selected as the Official Timekeeper of The Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, taking place from September 10th till October 16th, 2010.

Frédérique Constant will be the exclusive sponsor of this legendary and prestigious classic car event, of which the first edition took place as far back as 1907.

The idea for the race came from a challenge published in the Paris newspaper Le Matin on January 31st 1907, that stated:

“What needs to be proved today is that as long as a man has a car, he can do anything and go anywhere. Is there anyone who will undertake the challenge to travel from Peking to Paris by automobile?”

The route for the 2010 edition of ‘The Ultimate Driving Adventure’ runs from the Great Wall in China, through Mongolia, then briefly into Russia before turning south west into Kazakstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and via Turkey, Greece and Italy into France to finish on the famous Place Vendôme in Paris. The trail follows the historic Silk Route and the participating drivers will have days off in fabled cities such as Almaty and Samarkand.

During this extremely demanding road rally, no less than 230 drivers and navigators – and their 165 classic and vintage cars dating from the 1920s to the 1960s – will cover over 16’000 km (9’000 miles) in approximately five weeks time.

For Frédérique Constant, sponsoring the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge forms an exciting and logical new chapter in its history of being part of classic car events around the world. If there is one element that is required to take part in the Peking to Paris Rally, it is true Passion. It is this same Passion that guides Frédérique Constant on its highly successful journey through the world of luxury watchmaking.

Under the premise of its slogan ‘Live your Passion’ the brand encourages people around the world to follow their passion. Being part of The Great Peking to Paris Expedition perfectly reflects this devotion.  All participating cars will bear the Frédérique Constant logo, and both the driver and the navigator of the winning equippe will be awarded with an exclusive Frédérique Constant timepiece, upon their glorious arrival in Paris.

We wish all teams wisdom and the best of luck on their extraordinary journey!

Please stay informed about The Greatest Motoring Adventure on the Globe via the Frederique Constant weblog (http://blog.frederique-constant.com) and via the official Facebook Fan page (http://www.facebook.com/Watches.Frederique.Constant).

Not just another Frederique Constant…

From a Malaysian blog:

Monday, February 15, 2010

NOT JUST ANOTHER FREDERIQUE CONSTANT…

Sometimes, a casual visit to a watch gallery could end up being an expensive trip.

I was at a watch gallery recently identifying possible gifts for a friend to choose as a present. We were practically spoilt for choice by the many models available. The swelled crowd due to the festive season did not deter us spending time browsing and perusing the various available brands and models one after the other.

After identifying two choices for the possible present from the many Frederique Constant models displayed, the attention was then focussed on one particular Frederique Constant model that the eyes were somewhat attracted to.

Model FC-303V6B4 with its 43 cm diameter and a rose gold finished case, a cream coloured dial and see-through caseback was just mesmerising. Though the dial looked rather large, I just could not resist the temptation of having the watch on the wrist. The moment it was placed on the wrist, it kind of grooved and felt fittingly at ease.

This automatic model with an FC303 movement carries a clear dial with a date display at 3 o’clock and is fitted with a genuine brown crococalf leather strap and a matching FC buckle.

The simple solution then was just to let it stay on the wrist and bring it home as a Chinese New Year’s self-present, albeit a very much lighter wallet in the pocket and an out of budget expenditure…again!