The world over, established Swiss watch manufacturers are recognised as the best of the best with their intricate timepieces considered by many to be the absolute pinnacle of the luxury goods industry. It comes as no surprise therefore, that in addition to quality, the prestigious brands have long been associated with a supremely expensive product, but it would be wrong to think that this was true of them all. Founded in 1988 by Dutch husband and wife duo Peter Stas and Aletta Stas-Bax, Frédérique Constant was born out of the pair’s desire to produce a range of ‘accessible luxury’ watches. Gradually the brand has grown and prospered and today is one of Switzerland’s leading watch brands – producing top quality pieces with a much more affordable price point than most of its competitors (most watches retail between €1000-2000).

Both from business backgrounds, neither Stas nor Stas-Bax have any formal training in watchmaking. Stas however had always been a horological enthusiast and his great-grandfather Constant Stas (after whom, in addition to Stas-Bax’s great-grandmother Frédérique Schreiner, the brand was named) had worked in the industry producing printed dials. However, it wasn’t until 1988 in Switzerland on a skiing holiday that the idea for the brand was born. Stas noticed a shop window where mechanical timepieces with exposed mechanisms were either very high in quality and price or accessible but with poor quality and design as standard. It was this trip that inspired him to go on to produce a unique range of Swiss made watches high in quality but retailing in a more sensible price bracket.

In 1991 Stas was sent by his employer, consumer electronics company Philips, to work in Hong Kong. It was there that he assembled by hand the first quartz movement Frédérique Constant pieces. Steps were taken to further establish the business and Stas-Bax left her full-time job to set up an office for the brand. After exhibiting at a local trade fair, the fledgling brand secured a few Brazilian sales followed by a much larger order from a Japanese distributor. With success a little closer in sight, assembly for the orders took place in Geneva, before being dispatched back to Hong Kong and distributed from there. During these early years, Stas continued to work for Philips and it wasn’t until 1997 that the pair left Hong Kong to set up office in Geneva and Stas took up a permanent and full-time role at Frédérique Constant.

Although the first automatic mechanical watch movement was introduced in 1992, 1994 was more of key year for the brand as it saw the introduction of the signature Heart Beat collection that operate with mechanical movements. Stas comments that ‘mechanical watches are more high-end than their quartz counter parts. The Frédérique Constant Heart Beat for the first time was a mechanical watch from which part of its inner works could be seen while the owner wears the watch.’ Watches with exposed mechanisms on the reverse of timepieces had been around for a while but never before had someone punctured a hole on the front of the dial to show off a mechanical movement.  Until then, the difference between a quartz and mechanical movement was evident from front view solely through the movement of the second hand – quartz movements tick, whereas mechanical movements have a more sweeping and continuous movement.

Unfortunately the brand did not patent this design and it began to be copied by other companies. Later Heart Beat complications, such as date and moonphase features, were introduced making the designs much harder to copy due to enormous investment required in mechanical movements. In 2004 the company began producing all their movements in-house and joined a very small and exclusive group of Swiss watch makers who create their own calibres. In 2008, Frédérique Constant created quite a stir at BaselWorld by presenting its first Manufacture Tourbillon calibre. A tourbillion, although often considered merely a novelty, is one of the most valued components of collector’s watchesbeing one of the most difficult pieces of a watch mechanism to manufacture.

The company’s slogan is ‘Live your Passion’ and according to Stas ‘probably the single most important success factor is our passion for watches and the development of the company.  This drives our ability to create exciting Frédérique Constant watches that are beautiful and meet customer requirements.’ It has also led to numerous interesting partnerships – highlights include collaborations with world renowned cigar maker Cohiba and Austin Healey Cars. Charitable support has also been an important part of the brand and in 2007, the Frédérique Constant Passion Awards were set up to recognise and donate to entrepreneurial charities.

So how is Frédérique Constant able to produce pieces with such competitive pricing and why is the company still flourishing in a time of economic instability? Stas credits ongoing success to consistency and coherence. “Our strategy to offer classical timepieces at accessible prices has not changed in the past 15 years. When the crisis hit in 2008, people started to have less money for luxury watches but we did not have to change our strategy, Frédérique Constant was already offering genuine value. Since the crisis, we have seen that more than ever people require genuine long last value, and are no longer willing to ‘over pay’.” Affordability is simply down to utilisation of a modern, logical and productive factory, which maximises efficiency and minimises costs working with a team of young, but highly-skilled watchmakers.

Although sold in over 100 countries, Stas still sees plenty of opportunity for expansion.

The UK, US, Germany and China being current targets. With a strong and consistent growth rate over the last few years, the brand has established a solid position in the Swiss watch industry and undeniably has a bright and exciting future ahead in both its already established territories and those beyond.