Frederique Constant - A Brand History!

Frederique Constant was established as a luxury brand in 1988, when Aletta Bax and Peter Stas (fourth generation descendants of the original founders) put together a collection of six models, manufactured with Swiss movements by a Geneva watchmaker.

In 1994, Frederique Constant released the first iteration of its most famous collection, the Heart Beat. Designed to show the complex mechanical nature within, the key feature is an aperture window in the dial (and in some cases the rear of the case) which displays the internal complication. Before long, copies of this novel aesthetic feature appeared across the watchmaking industry – an influential trend that might not have occurred if the company had patented the design.

Although not all Frederique Constant watches are produced in-house, the company is closely involved in all stages of the production – from initial design right up to final assembly. The triumph of the Heart Beat, however, propelled Frederique Constant to aim to become more like a manufacture d’horlogerie – a watchmaker that conceives and makes most parts (including movements) in their own facilities. It took three years to develop and design, but in 2004 it released the Heart Beat Manufacture, a version of its most popular design with an in-house movement. The much celebrated manual winding piece was followed in 2005 by Moonphase and Date editions, and in 2006 an automatic version was released with great success.

In the last decade, Frederique Constant has become one of Switzerland’s leading luxury watch brands, thanks to consistently well designed and finely-crafted pieces. In 2008, this reputation was bolstered with the creation of a tourbillon movement with a groundbreaking Silicium escape wheel. It benefits from an unusually high level of precision and can be found in the exquisite Heart Beat Tourbillon Manufacture.

Although it is considered a luxury brand, you need not pay luxury prices for Frederique Constant pieces. It prides itself on a quality/price ratio that makes many of its pieces superb value for money. You’ll certainly pay more for watches of such extraordinary quality elsewhere.

Currently, the Frederique Constant range includes the aforementioned Heart Beat collection, Art Deco and Maxime. There is also a Pairs collection, offering matching pieces for yourself and your partner.

Frederique Constant watches are now available at TIME2.co.uk.