Frédérique Constant

Frédérique Constant was founded in 1988 by Dutch entrepreneurs Peter Stas and Aletta Stas-Bax in Geneva, Switzerland. The brand name honors their great-grandparents: Frédérique Schreiner (1881–1969) and Constant Stas (1880–1967), the latter having founded a watch dial company in 1904. After four years of development, the first collection of six models was released in 1992. The brand gained recognition for its signature Heart Beat design, featuring an aperture on the dial revealing the balance wheel. In 2002, Frederique Constant acquired Alpina Watches, and in 2006 opened a dedicated manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates. The company introduced silicon escapement technology in 2007 and created innovative tourbillon movements in 2008. In 2016, the Stas family secured the brand's long-term future by accepting an acquisition offer from Citizen Holdings of Japan, while maintaining operational independence in Geneva.