The Frederique Constant WorldTimer has been around since 2012, and it is now available in several dial variants, all with the same in-house movement. This latter characteristic makes this world time watch an attractive proposition, especially when considering the price. The version presented in March 2017 has a sort of hygge look with its rose-gold-plated…
In-house movements are becoming an increasingly important marketing necessity. While there are still many watches at the lower end of the market with movements purchased from third-party suppliers such as ETA, Sellita, Seiko and so forth, more and more brands are investing in the capability to build their own calibres. According to Frederique Constant, the…
The Classics Index Automatic is a dress watch by Frederique Constant, at an entry-level price starting at 950 Swiss francs, €850. “Let more people enjoy luxury,” say the brand, and they also make the daring claim that this watch helps turn a man into a true gentleman. The watch is made in two versions, steel,…
What Frederique Constant has succeeded in achieving over a relatively short period of time is astounding. Sufficient vertical integration to equip some of their watches with in-house movements, and pricing that they justifiably refer to as accessible luxury. At Baselworld 2017, Frederique Constant presented their “Flyback Chronograph Manufacture.” They say that the process of design…
Frederique Constant Analytics is a device that allows any owner of a mechanical watch to do what a watch repairer does with a time measurement microphone: measure the rate of the watch, and thus assess its accuracy. In a normal chronoscope by a brand such as Witschi, the microphone is on a stand that holds…
Company profile: Frederique Constant was founded in 1988, by Aletta Bax and Peter Stas They launched their first collection in 1992, comprising six models fitted with Swiss movements. The company developed its manufacturing capacity and it has been designing and making its own movements since 2004. The Frederique Constant mission is that of accessible luxury,…
The name of the watch, Classic Manufacture, indicates that the movement is made in-house by Frederique Constant, which has had this capability since 2004. The FC-710 calibre, introduced in 2012 as the entry-level movement for the Manufacture Collection, is used in these two new watches with classic dial design. The narrow Roman numerals and the…
Every year, Frédérique Constant presents a nautical-inspired watch inspired by Riva runabout boats, the small craft in wood and chrome that have been cruising luxury playgrounds like Portofino and Montecarlo since the 1920s. The watch brand has a partnership with the Riva Historical Society whose mission is the preservation of Riva boats. The Runabout watch…
Watches with white dials and painted black markings have a supremely classic, dress watch appearance, but enamel dials are subject to a slow process of ageing which over time creates that slightly off-white, yellowish appearance that gives them the patina of old age. This is not really a problem, as we’re talking about decades. In…
This piece by Frédérique Constant could be a nice chronograph at a relatively accessible price, €2,850, attractive for its uncluttered dial. It is a tribute to vintage motor sports with its perforated leather strap and the Healey logo below the central pivot, celebrating the NOJ 393 Healey racing car. The racing green on the two…
Apple’s ambitions to enter the luxury sector with its Apple watch, one of the versions of which has a gold case like a traditional high-end watch, seems to have got the classic watch brands thinking. The quartz crisis is still a painful memory, and its destruction of about two-thirds of Switzerland’s watchmaking companies was due…
This watch by Frédérique Constant is a courageous piece. It is called the Manufacture Zodiac 24H Limited Edition and it runs in accordance with ancient Chinese philosophy. The “hour” hand rotates once around the dial in 24 hours, and the “minutes” hand takes two hours to make one circuit of the dial. The hands move…
This is what Peter Stas, founder and CEO of Frederique Constant, said in his definition of the brand concept during the presentation of his company’s record first half-year results for 2014. “It clearly proves that our product proposition – accessible luxury – continues to have great potential. The initial concept behind the brand was to…