Frederique Constant
- Founded
- 1988
- Based in
- Geneva, Switzerland
- In our catalog
- 7 watches from $650 to $24,500
Frederique Constant was built on one idea: luxury watchmaking at accessible prices. It's best known for in-house movements and complications that cost a fraction of what the big Geneva houses charge, and it's done that so consistently that its watches are a common first step into Swiss mechanical watchmaking.
History
Dutch couple Peter and Aletta Stas founded the brand in Geneva in 1988, naming it after their great-grandparents Frédérique Schreiner and Constant Stas. Their early "Heart Beat" models of 1994 showed the beating balance wheel through an opening in the dial, and became a signature.
In 2004 the company released its first in-house movement, and built a manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates near Geneva. It added a worldtimer, a moon phase and in 2016 a perpetual calendar at a price that shook up the industry. Frederique Constant also revived the Alpina brand. In 2016 both were bought by the Citizen group.
Signature models
- Classics Index Automatic: A simple, elegant Swiss automatic at an entry price.
- Highlife Automatic COSC: An integrated-bracelet sports watch with a globe-patterned dial.
- Slimline Moonphase Manufacture: A dress watch with an in-house moon phase movement.
- Classic Worldtimer Manufacture: Shows the time in every time zone, with an in-house movement.
- Classic Perpetual Calendar Manufacture: A perpetual calendar for under $10,000, a complication usually priced several times higher.
- Highlife Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar: Combines two big complications in one watch.
What it's known for
Frederique Constant is the place to find a moon phase, worldtimer or perpetual calendar on a budget. The designs are classic and conservative, and the in-house movements are well regarded.
Price and positioning
Frederique Constant watches start under $1,000 and rise to around $9,000 for the perpetual calendar, with the tourbillon models higher. That positions it against Raymond Weil and Tissot at the low end and Longines and Baume & Mercier above that.
Frederique Constant watches in our library
- Frederique Constant Ladies Classics Hearts ($650 to $900)
- Frederique Constant Classics Index Automatic ($995 to $1,150)
- Frederique Constant Highlife Automatic COSC ($2,200 to $2,400)
- Frederique Constant Slimline Moonphase Manufacture ($2,900 to $3,100)
- Frederique Constant Classic Worldtimer Manufacture ($4,500 to $4,900)
- Frederique Constant Classic Perpetual Calendar Manufacture ($8,995 to $9,500)
- Frederique Constant Highlife Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar ($23,000 to $24,500)