Frederique Constant might have a deliberately historic sounding French name, but was, in fact, founded only in 1988 by affable Dutch entrepreneur Peter Stas. Its playing field is the accessible luxury sector, but Stas and his team are watch makers through and through, meaning there is a certain purity to their positioning.
Unlike many of its peers, Frederique Constant now makes many of its own in house watch movements too. Should you care that the latest Heartbeat models come equipped with an in-house movement? In our opinion, yes — it’s a central component of any watch.
Furthermore, a Frederique Constant offers plenty of bang for your buck, with intricate decoration on the movement visible through the sapphire-glass case back. There’s also that iconic opening on the dial, exposing the watch’s inner
mechanics beneath.
This is a model with 12 years of history, so it has been through multiple iterations. The onion-shaped crown and rounded bezel are regulars, as are the Roman numerals. However, the navy blue model shown here features a date
by hand at 12 o’clock, in a fresh new colour, and with the latest manufacture in-house FC-941 movement, so it wins our pick of the collection.
The Frederique Constant Heartbeat Manufacture is the epitome of accessible luxury
As generations of internet-savvy young consumers take their place among the
aspiring middle-classes, we appear to have entered an era of relative transparency in which brands willingly show “behind the scenes” videos of their creatives and craftsmen on social media. Even just a decade ago, luxury brands did everything they could to retain an air of exclusivity and mystique. But now, curious luxury consumers have no excuse for not being fully clued up on the products they buy and the brands behind them.
Frederique Constant might have a deliberately historic sounding French name, but was, in fact, founded only in 1988 by affable Dutch entrepreneur Peter Stas. Its playing field is the accessible luxury sector, but Stas and his team are watch makers through and through, meaning there is a certain purity to their positioning.
Unlike many of its peers, Frederique Constant now makes many of its own in house watch movements too. Should you care that the latest Heartbeat models come equipped with an in-house movement? In our opinion, yes — it’s a central component of any watch.
Furthermore, a Frederique Constant offers plenty of bang for your buck, with intricate decoration on the movement visible through the sapphire-glass case back. There’s also that iconic opening on the dial, exposing the watch’s inner
mechanics beneath.
This is a model with 12 years of history, so it has been through multiple iterations. The onion-shaped crown and rounded bezel are regulars, as are the Roman numerals. However, the navy blue model shown here features a date
by hand at 12 o’clock, in a fresh new colour, and with the latest manufacture in-house FC-941 movement, so it wins our pick of the collection.
MOVEMENT: FC-941 calibre automatic movement
FEATURES: 42-hour power reserve
CASE: 42mm stainless steel
STRAP: navy-blue alligator leather
SOUTH AFRICAN DISTRIBUTOR: Picot & Moss 011 669 0500
PRICE: on request