Frederique Constant Watches

Redefining luxury, Swiss watch brand Frédérique Constant has become extremely successful over a comparatively short space of time, making an enviable name for itself in the highly competitive luxury watch market. This family owned company was launched in 1988, when founders Aletta Bax and Peter Constant Stas decided to manufacture high quality watches at a more affordable price. The brand name weaves together the first names of Bax and Constant's grandparents, Frédérique Schreiner and Constant Stas, who were making dials for clocks as far back as 1904.

Frédérique Constant launched its first collection at a watch fair in 1992 and was instantly popular. Since then, it has grown rapidly, drawing inspiration from working with innovative partner companies that share its fresh outlook. Its current headquarters are in the Geneva suburb of Plan-les-Ouates, right in the heart of the Swiss watch industry.

The team at Frédérique Constant attach great importance to being involved in all phases of watch production, from the initial sketches right up to the finishing touches. All the timepieces from this watchmaker are either designed in-house or by independent designers who come up with stylish concepts in accordance with the company's ideas and values. Simplicity and restraint are at the heart of each Frédérique Constant watch, which belong in the fine tradition of Swiss watchmaking.

Learning from the past but looking to the future, Frédérique Constant isn't afraid to innovate. In 2015, the company proudly unveiled the Frédérique Constant Horological Smartwatch – one of the first smartwatches in the country. Developed jointly by Frédérique Constant and the Silicon Valley company Fullpower Technologies, the watches in this series combine a classic dial with a state of the art app able to detect physical activity and sleep cycles. The Smartwatches from Frédérique Constant are connected to and controlled via your smartphone. This small family company is therefore fully future-proofed and ready to embrace the Internet of Things.

One of the most recognisable features associated with Frédérique Constant watch design is the opening in the dial that reveals the beating heart of the movement. The motherboard is milled out around the balance and escapement, while a hole is punched into the dial over the same point. This allows you to see the balance mechanism at work – a sight which conjures up images of a heart pounding in rapid time. Hence the name of the company's best-selling line: Heart Beat.

Since 2004, Frédérique Constant has produced the elegant FC 910 movement, which was specially designed for models with an open “heartbeat” of this kind. Given that the escapement and the balance are even more fascinating when seen from the back, the decision was made with the FC 910 to flip the placement of certain parts of the movement. In Heartbeat models featuring the FC 910 or its successors, parts of the gear train and work bridges can be viewed through the dial opening as well as the customary gear regulator. With this concept, the Frédérique Constant watch brand established a signature look that appeals both to lovers of fine timepieces and intricate mechanics.

Despite the company's relatively short history, Frédérique Constant has created a remarkable variety of watch collections suitable for adorning the wrists of both men and women. And while the collections tend to focus on timeless concepts, as with the Frédérique Constant Classics, more unusual creations are also a key part of the range.

One of the biggest celebrity fans of the Frédérique Constant brand is the actress Eva Longoria, who regularly sports a Frédérique Constant Ladies Automatic Chocolate Double Heart Beat when she's out in public. And the Spanish photo model Inès Sastre has also been seen wearing a Frédérique Constant Ladies Automatic World Heart Federation wristwatch in gold-plated stainless steel.

The Slimline Quartz women's collection, for example, is a series of glamorous, ultra flat watch models designed for particularly slender wrists. The fine quartz clockwork measures only 1.90mm in height, allowing for a chic, compact design. Even if you prefer a vintage look, Frédérique Constant has you covered. The product range also includes numerous timepieces such as the Vintage Rally collection which brilliantly capture a mood of nostalgia.