Frédérique Constant SA is édéa Swiss manufacture of luxury wristwatches based in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva. Originally established in 1988 by Dutch married couple Peter Stas and Aletta Stas-Bax, it was acquired in 2016 by Citizen Holdings of Tokyo, Japan.
Before the sale to Citizen, Frédérique Constant SA was owned by Union Horlogère Holding B.V., which also owned Alpina Watches and Ateliers deMonaco.
History
The company was founded in 1988 by Aletta Francoise Frédérique Stas-Bax and Peter Constant Stas (a Dutch married couple). Its name is derived from the names of great-grandparents of each founder – specifically Frédérique Schreiner (1881–1969) and Constant Stas (1880–1967), the latter of whom founded a company producing watch dials in 1904.
To diversify the Frédérique Constant group, Aletta and her husband acquired Alpina Watches in 2002, a manufacturer of Swiss sports watches founded in 1883.
Frederique Constant has grown into one of the larger Swiss watch manufacturers. In 2011, production reached over 120,000 watches. The watches are sold in over 2,700 points of sale in more than 100 countries. Frederique Constant positions itself in the accessible luxury segment, with most of its watches selling in the price range of CHF 1,000–5,000 retail. In 2011, the company said that it expected to continue growing at an annual rate of 25%, doubling in size every three years.
In 2013, Aletta and Peter Stas (with two other contributors) wrote a book Live your passion – Building a watch manufacture, about their passion for watchmaking and the history of Frederique Constant.
In May 2016, Citizen Holdings (which also owns Bulova) announced its intention to acquire Frederique Constant Holding SA, which included Union Horlogère Holding B.V., which in turn included Frederique Constant SA, Alpina Watches International SA, and Ateliers deMonaco SA. The same year, the Frederique Constant Group acquires its main distributors, including its largest market, Macher SA in Switzerland, founded in 2002 by Alexis Gouten.
Manufacture facilities
Frederique Constant operates a manufacture in Geneva in a 3200 square metres, divided over four floors, consisting of sectors for movement component production, movement assembly, watch assembly, and quality control. Numerically controlled machinery is located at alarge workshop in the basement, where all component manufacturing is concentrated. Movement and watch assembly, as well as quality control, are primarily organized on the first floor.
Frederique Constant extends Geneva manufacturing facility with an additional 3000 m2 space, bringing the Frederique Constant Group’s headquarters up to 6200 m2.
Ownership structure and sister brands
Prior to the sale to Citizen, Frederique Constant Holding SA owned Union Horlogère Holding B.V., which also owned Alpina Watches International SA, a watch manufacture founded in 1883 by Gottlieb Hauser, a watchmaker in Winterthur who founded the Swiss Watchmakers Corporation ("Union Horlogère Suisse").
Additionally, Union Horlogère Holding B.V. also owned Ateliers deMonaco SA, a watch manufacture founded in 2008 (the same year as Frédérique Constant SA) by Peter Stas with two other partners.
All three companies (Frédérique Constant SA, Alpina Watches International SA, and Ateliers deMonaco SA) are based in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva, Switzerland.
These companies have together been referred to as the Frederique Constant Group.
Products and product features
Heart Beat movement
In 2001, Frederique Constant began the development of its first watch movement in cooperation with the École d'Horlogerie de Genève, École d'Ingenieurs de Genève and the Horloge Vakschool Zadkine. The Heart Beat Manufacture has a characteristic bridge for the balance wheel on the front side of the movement. Having the bridge for the balance wheel on the front side made it possible to have the spiral and fine regulation on the front side as well, creating the company's "Heart Beat" design. The company patented this construction as an innovation in watch design technology.
The company's "Heart Beat Manufacture" won the "Watch of the Year" Award of Horloges Magazine in the category of up to €3000 in 2005.
As of 2014, the company has brought 15 distinct movements to the market, starting with the introduction of its original Heart Beat in 2004.