Fierce Fusion

Frederique Constant has combined the electronic magic of smartwatches with traditional Swiss watchmaking in a revolutionary hybrid. Charlene Co finds out why the Incredible Hulk thinks it’s a perfect match.

- Charlene Co

Frederique Constant’s extraordinary Hybrid Manufacture just received the highest praise such a watch can get. 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 with a laugh, “Are you kidding me? Bruce Banner would love this. This is the Banner watch. It’s technology; it’s also just pure force.”

He’s right about that one. The Hybrid Manufacture is an entirely new kind of smart watch in that it combines the true mechanical movement Swiss timepieces are famous for with modern attributes such as featured fitness trackers in one perfectly made package.

The 42mm case has a dial that looks like that of a typical high-end Swiss watch, with an analogue display and standard timekeeping functions, and a luxurious leather strap. It also has a an integrated digital, battery-powered module.

But this is no standard analogue timepiece. Smart functions have brought it 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. Think rate, amplitude, beat error and a world timer for those of us who work in multiple time zones. Helpfully, these can all be controlled and changed via an easily navigated iPhone app.