Frederique constant passion journal 2014

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MAY | 2014 | Frederique Constant . PASSION Journal . Heart Beat Manufacture 10 years Edition

EDITO ALETTA & PETER STAS

DEAR READERS, We are happy to present you our Passion Journal in conjunction with our 10 Years Heart Beat Manufacture event. Frederique Constant started its first development of a manufacture calibre in 2001. We developed a CAD/ CAM calibre and prototypes in colaboration with the Watchmaker Schools in The Netherlands and Geneve, as well as the Micro Engineering Department of the University of Geneve.

Three years later in 2004, we introduced the first Heart Beat Manufacture Limited Edition watch with a patended Balance Bridge feature. Since then, every year

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H

­1NUMBER 88 OF

COMPONENTS IN THE FC-980 TOURBILLON MANUFACTURE SILICIUM

we have introduced a new version of our manufacture calibres, from a Moonphase-Date complication, to a patented Tourbillon with silicium escapement wheel and anker. In total, we have now 15 different manufacture calibres.

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we have had a mission To let more people enjoy luxury“ Developing, manufacturing and assembling manufacture calibres is a delicate team effort. Producing over 2000 calibres per month is the result of very hard work of many people at Frederique Constant. A result the entire Fre-

IN TER

PIM KOESLAG

VIEW

FC-980 THE NEW MODEL PAGE 3 | TIMEPIECES

derique Constant Team can be proud of ! We thank all for their motivation and enthusiasm in this realization.

Frederique Constant is the only Swiss Watch Manufacturer offering watches with manufacture calibres at Accessible Luxury prices. Since the start of our comapny in 1988, we have had a mission To let more people enjoy luxury. Our Frederique Constant Manufacture watches starting at 2000€ are an important implementation of this mission and now represent over 25% of our turnover.

We invite you to read this journal and discover more about Frederique Constant Manufacture development, production and assembly. Thank you for your interest !

Aletta & Peter Stas

It must have been extremely interesting for a young person to be intimately involved in developing a new watch movement.

Pim: It was a tremendous opportunity. I was 21 and hadn’t yet graduated from the school of watchmaking in Holland.

PAGE 4

FREDERIQUE

INTRODUCING

HEART BEAT HISTORY

MANUFACTURE

CONSTANT

In 1994, Frédérique Constant developed its first Heart Beat watch. The purpose of the Heart Beat development was to show that these Frédérique Constant watches were mechanical.

Heart Beat watches have an aperture at the position of the balance wheel to show that the movement of the watch is mechanical.

The forgotten registration

At that time, Frédérique Constant as a company was growing fast but still relatively small.

PAGE 5

THE NEW HEART BEAT

CALIBRE SILICIUM In 2014, Frederique Constant Geneve celebrates its 10th anniversary of its in-house handcrafted movements.

Since 2004, Frederique Constant is delivering timepieces with manufacture movements that are in-house developed, in-house manufactured and in-house assembled. Following the success of the launch of the first Heart Beat Manufacture calibre in 2004, Frederique Constant has presented every year an additional version to its Heart Beat Manufacture range.

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INTRODUCING

THE NEW HEART BEAT

MANUFACTURE

CALIBRE SILICIUM In 2014, FREDERIQUE CONSTANT GENEVE celebrates its 10th anniversary of its in-house handcrafted movements. Since 2004, Frederique Constant is delivering timepieces with manufacture movements that are in-house developed, in-house manufactured and in-house assembled.

FC-945MC4H9 Following the success of the launch of the first Heart Beat Manufacture calibre in 2004, Frederique Constant has presented every year an additional version to its Heart Beat Manufacture range. Some features remained constant, such as the signature aperture, perfectly centred at the 6 o’clock position. Each year, however, new design features have been added; the Heart Beat is constantly being revised, updated and technically advanced.

Heart Beat Manufacture timepieces feature the iconic Heart Beat dial aperture at 6 O’Clock.

The fine regulation is placed at the dial side of the movement, a patented feature. Via the seethrough case-back owners of Frederique Constant Heart Beat Manufacture watches can see the finely decorated movement.

Our independent spirit is of major importance for our prestige watchmaking vision. Since the first delivery of our iconic “Manufacture Heart Beat” movement, in 2004, we have developed 15 in-house handcrafted calibres, including our latest 2014 creation.

The new 2014 introductions In-house calibre FC-945

First, the new Automatic FC-945 Silicium Heart Beat calibre, improved in terms of reliability, durability and pure technical excellence. For the past two years, the R&D Department at Frederique Constant has been designing, developing and improving the all-new Heart Beat Manufacture.

Now, our company is delighted to introduce its implementation of the newest, most technologically superior materials available in the world today.

The new FC-945, manufactured in stainless steel and 18K rose gold cases (888 pieces limited edition for the 18K rose gold version), feature the following functions: hours, minutes, date, 24H

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In-house calibre FC-942 “ indicator & moonphase.

Then, to celebrate its anniversary, Frederique Constant Genève is proud to reveal two new Jubilee models within the Manufacture collection: the new Heart Beat Manufacture Silicium FC942 edited at 188 pieces in 18K Rose gold and at 18 pieces in Platinum, and the new Slimline Tourbillon Manufacture FC-980 edited for the occasion with a dark green finishing at 10 pieces in 18K rose gold and 10 pieces in stainless steel. While the FC942 owns the exact same technical features except the 24H display as its big brother the FC945, FC-980 remains the same as manufactured by our highlyskilled watchmakers since 2008.

INNOVATION Solving old problems

The accuracy of any mechanical timepiece is utterly dependent on the accuracy of the actual timing device, the balance wheel, balance spring and the escapement. The balance wheel’s job is to spin back and forth at a frequency of 4Hz. It is the frequency of the swing of the balance wheel, which determines the watch’s accuracy.

The escapement’s most critical

function is to keep the balance spring winding and unwinding.

Since watches were first invented, the requirements assigned to the escapement have involved high levels of friction.

T­ he teeth of the escapement wheel are driven by the mainspring’s power source. They slide against the teeth of the ratchet a nano-second before they lock together. This is the friction, which kicks the anchor. It is also the friction that means lubrication will be necessary.

The ticking sound of a Frederique Constant watch is created when the balance spring gear and the escapement teeth lock together. In virtually all-modern escapements, the ratchet’s teeth are extremely hard and highly polished stone. Despite these levels of strength and polished smoothness, lubrication is still required.

FC-945MC4H6 cessors due to the higher quality oils used to lubricate the escapement. To maintain mechanical watches in optimum working condition, they normally require cleaning and lubricating every four years.

Introducing Silicium

Until now, lubrication has been required to protect escapements from the damaging effects of friction. As the lubrication used in the escapement ages, thins or dries out, the level of friction increases, and less power is transferred to the all-important balance wheel.

Unless an escapement is properly lubricated, it can become damaged to the point where metal parts will have to be replaced.

Modern watches are typically more reliable than their prede-

Silicium is the chemical element represented in the periodic table by the symbol Si; its atomic number is 14. A tetravalent metalloid, Silicium is less reactive than its chemical analogue, carbon.

Silicium does not freely occur in nature but mainly occurs in minerals consisting of virtually pure Silicium dioxide in different crystalline forms, including quartz, chalcedony and opal. It is also found in silicates (various minerals containing Silicium, oxygen and one other metal), such as feldspar. Silicium is the principal component of most semi-conductor devices and takes the form of silica and silicates in glass, cement and ceramics. Silicium is widely used in semi-conductors, because it remains a semi-conductor at hi-

MAY | 2014 | Frederique Constant . PASSION Journal . Heart Beat Manufacture 10 years Edition

gher temperatures than does the semi-conductor Germanium. In addition, Silicium’s native oxide is easily grown in a furnace and forms a better semi-conductor/ dielectric interface than virtually all other material combinations.

In its crystalline form, Silicium is dark gray in colour and has a metallic lustre. It is similar to glass in that it is quite strong.

Pure Silicium has a negative temperature coefficient of resistance, because the number of free charge carriers increases with temperature.

Manufacturing a Silicium escapement

The crafting of a Silicium escapement wheel requires the use of a new technology called Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE). A multiple image of the escapement is produced and projected onto a round Silicium wafer measuring 100 mm in diameter by just 0.5 mm in thickness. Typically, wafers are made in various sizes ranging from 1 inch (25.4 mm) to 11.8 inches (300 mm), and generally to a thickness of

Benefits of the Silicium Escapement

0.5 mm. The wafers are cut from a boule of semi-conductor using a diamond saw or diamond wire; they are then polished on one or both faces.

Using a single 100 mm wafer, it is possible to produce up to 250 escapement wheels.

The wafer itself is composed of three different substrates, or layers of Silicium. The central substrate functions as the separation layer. After the image of the escapement wheel has been projected on the wafer, the exposed lacquered substrate is cleaned away, leaving the non-exposed parts of the wafer. Then, the non-exposed lacquered substrate is etched with plasma, down to the separation layer. The Silicium escapement is then released via isotropic etching. The pieces produced by this operation only have to be cleaned on the surface. Each wheel is completely identical and requires absolutely no balancing, centring or polishing. Such wafers are the keys to the fabrication of the Frédérique Constant Silicium escapement.

IMPROVEMENT

BENEFITS

Lubricant-free running

1. 1.Age-related thinning and drying of lubrication will no longer occur.

2. An escapement wheel that doesn’t require oiling avoids the risk of excess oil spreading to other parts of the movement.

Very light (low inertia)

The escapement wheel is accelerated and stopped at each tick and tock of the watch.

The low-weight Silicium escapement wheel has lower inertia, thereby increasing energy efficiency.

Good friction properties

Lower friction reduces energy loss.

Hence, the energy requirements for this calibre are lower.

The Heart Beat Manufacture features a Silicium escapement that uses less power and maintains amplitude more efficiently than a standard lever escapement, because it functions without lubrication.

Building technical perfection into a beautiful body The Heart Beat Manufacture watches with the new Silicium escapement are part of the Frederique Constant Manufacture Collection. The Heart

Heart Beat Manufacture Silicium Jubilee edition “10 Years HBM“

Slimline Tourbillon Manufacture Jubilee edition “10 Years HBM“

FC-942ABSHPT

FC-980DG4S6

Platinum Limited edition 18 pieces

Stainless steel Limited edition 10 pieces

FC-942ABS4H9

FC-980DG4S9

18K rose gold Limited edition 188 pieces

18K rose gold Limited edition 10 pieces

Beat Manufacture Silicium features the recognizable popular patented balance wheel bridge on the front side of the calibre.The Silicium escapement wheel can clearly be seen through the Heart Beat aperture in the dial, working tirelessly and at the same time creating an eye-catching effect. The new Heart Beat Manufacture Silicium calibre is housed with a case measuring 42 mm in diameter. The popular sapphire crystal seethrough case back is another feature certain to please.

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INTER VIEW PIM KOESLAG Curriculum

Name: Pim Koeslag Job position: Technical Director Age: 30 Nationality: Dutch

It must have been extremely interesting for a young person to be intimately involved in developing a new watch movement.

Pim: It was a tremendous opportunity. I was 21 and hadn’t yet graduated from the school of watchmaking in Holland.

Did you always want to be a watchmaker?

Pim: No. When I enrolled at the school, my original intention was to become a goldsmith. In our first year there, goldsmiths, silversmiths and engravers all attend the same class together.

Did you repair a few clocks or did you do something else there?

Pim: Our school was in Amsterdam. My parents’ home was on the eastern side of Holland, towards the German border. I would go home to my parents every weekend, partly because my girlfriend lived nearby. I also needed to earn some money now and then, because Amsterdam is a relatively expensive city. Whenever I had the chance, I would repair clocks at the weekends. Those were my first experiences with the subject.

Had you already acquired the necessary skills?

Pim: Clocks are much larger than watches, and that makes the work easier. But it takes practice and experience before you can work with them completely. I wanted to properly service or repair the clocks that were entrusted to me. After all, you don’t get paid in the end unless you’ve done your work right!

How did you acquire the essential skills?

Pim: When my fellow students went to lunch, I would go to our school’s library and learn what I needed to know. My weekend job strongly motivated me to learn.

How did you meet Peter Stas?

Pim: My teacher introduced us.

During our third year at watch-

making school, we took a trip to Geneva. We were ten students altogether, if I remember correctly. We visited Patek Philippe, Rolex, Vacheron Constantin and Frédérique Constant.

calibres; not simply an opened movement, but a genuinely open construction that would clearly express the Heart Beat philosophy. I found his idea very stimulating.

Why was Frédérique Constant among them? It was in a totally different league at the time.

Pim: Yes, that’s what we thought.

But our teacher called our attention to the fact that Frédérique Constant had been founded by a Dutch family and had quickly enjoyed success. He said it would be interesting for us to hear their story, so all the students in my class visited the company in Chêne-Bourg. I had always been interested in watch design, so I prepared a few things of my own to show to Peter, whom I hadn’t previously met.

How long did it take before you had something to show him?

Pim: First, I must repeat that after graduation from watchmaking school, I was a qualified watchmaker, but not a design engineer for watches. My preliminary sketches were for a balance that was repositioned on the front of the movement at “6 o’clock.” I envisioned a fine regulating system from KIF. Along with the balance, the hairspring was also very clearly visible. But this was merely my first idea.

“

I was 21 and hadn’t yet graduated from the school of watchmaking in Holland.“

Did you need to change many details?

Pim: We progressed rapidly because Peter was quite clear about what he wanted. The first suggestions I made were very close to what he had envisioned. Serge and I progressed collaboratively with the design on the computer. Of course, we had to be sure that what we saw there would actually function in three-dimensional reality.

Did you bring sketches that related specifically to Frédérique Constant?

Pim: Of course. For example, I brought along a few drawings for Heart Beat models. I had never heard any details about this brand before, but I brought a few designs in my sketchbook.

So you arrived in Chêne-Bourg.

Pim: Yes, we met Peter there and he asked our teacher and us students if anyone among us would be able to help his brand create and develop a movement of its own.

Could you tell us about the several prototype stages?

Pim: One learns a great deal from the first prototypes, but what’s going on in the new movement doesn’t become clear until you check the second set of prototypes. You gradually become familiar with the movement’s details, its advantages and its quirks. After making improvements based on your experience with the first two prototypes, the third prototype should run almost perfectly. Only then was the road clear for the zero series.

Could you tell us some of the details from that briefing?

Pim: Sure. For example, Peter wanted the balance to be readily visible at “6 o’clock.” He wanted something beautiful and clearly different from familiar ETA

The time leading up a launch is always very exciting.

Pim: It certainly was for us. Everything had to be ready for Baselworld 2004. Things became really hectic. I drove my car from Geneva to Basel on Wednes-

day evening and I had the first watches with me.

The FC-910 was followed by modifications and further development into an automatic movement.

Pim: Anyone who knows Peter also knows that he never lets things come to a standstill. The FC-910 was followed by the FC915 with moon-phase display, the FC-930 and the FC-935 with lunar indicator. We present at least one new item every year: it isn’t always a new movement, but it’s always an interesting further development. Production continually grows on this basis.

We also do everything we can to continually improve our products. All this must keep pace with the overall development of the family business.

In your view, what is Frédérique Constant’s secret? Why is this brand able to offer genuine

manufacture craftsmanship at such accessible prices, when the same amount of money paid to another brand would buy only a watch encasing a standardized ETA movement?

Pim: We always want to offer our customers something special, but Peter also always keeps the price positioning in the back of his mind. He knows exactly how much money he can ask for something and how much he would like to ask for it. As a businessman, Peter can calculate perfectly. If there’s no other option, he’ll sometimes even forego

MAY | 2014 | Frederique Constant . PASSION Journal . Heart Beat Manufacture 10 years Edition

a profit margin. We don’t give our products away for free, but if you keep a sharp eye on expenses, then “accessible” and “manufacture” needn’t be mutually exclusive. Our products prove that they can go together. Astronomical prices don’t harmonize with our philosophy.

That surely doesn’t explain everything. If it did, many other manufacturers would be charlatans and usurers.

Pim: We save, but in the right places. Take the decoration of the movements, for example.

Beauty is a must for us, but only where a viewer’s eye can see it, so we don’t think it’s necessary to put elaborate circular graining on the undersides of bridges and cocks. There’s no technical need for embellishment there and no one will notice its absence, but putting it there consumes plenty of cash. One detail is added to

another and the final result is a comparatively accessible price.

But you use a relatively costly regulating system from KIF in the FC-910.

Pim: That’s what makes this calibre family more costly than the Maxime Automatic, where we use a less costly alternative from Incabloc. Sometimes one asks oneself if KIF is really so much better than Incabloc. Does the difference in quality justify the greater expense? Of course, the client gets a more exclusive product.

FREDERIQUE

IN-HOUSE CALIBRES

CONSTANT

HEART BEAT HISTORY

Designation | FC-945

In 1994, Frederique Constant developed its first Heart Beat watch. The purpose of the Heart Beat development was to show that these Frederique Constant watches were mechanical.

Heart Beat watches have an aperture at the position of the balance wheel to show that the movement of the watch is mechanical.

The forgotten registration

At that time, Frédérique Constant as a company was growing fast but still relatively small. Without an internal legal department and insufficient management attention, a big mistake was made. The Heart Beat feature should have been deposited as a design registration. Possibly a patent could have been secured. Instead, without any registration, first Frédérique Constant Heart Beat watches were introduced in the market.

It only took one year before the first Heart Beat copies started to appear. Some competitors plainly copied the Heart Beat opening in their watches.

Some other competitors changed the shape of the Heart Beat opening but inherently still copied the Heart Beat feature.

Heart Beat Complications

With copy Heart Beat watches in the market, it was too late to still register the Heart Beat feature. To reinforce Frédérique Constant as the creator of the original Heart Beat, a strategy was developed to introduce every few years new Heart Beat calibres with Complications.

In 1998, we introduced the Heart Beat Day-Date, a calibre development in co-operation with Dubois-Depraz.

In 1999, we followed with the Heart Beat Perpetual, also a development in co-operation with Dubois Depraz. Finally in 2001, we introduced the Heart Beat Retrograde, a calibre co-operation with Agenhor of Geneve.

Start development Heart Beat Manufacture Internal discussions on the development of new Heart

beat Complications focused often on design issues with the original Heart Beat watches. As these Heart Beat watches were all made based on existing calibre ebauches, we were bound by the basic design of these calibres.

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took over three years. It was a major development in cooperation with the the École d’Horlogerie de Genève, École d’Ingenieurs de Genève and the Horloge Vakschool Zadkine. In 2004, the manual version of the Heart Beat Manufacture was introduced with major success. The first Frederique Constant in-house calibre was born.

In 2004, the manual version of the Heart Beat Manufacture was introduced TIMELINE with major success. 1994 original The first Frederique The Heart Beat introduction Constant in-house FC-310M36 calibre was born.

THE

IN-HOUSE CALIBRES 2004

FC-910 First Caliber

2005 FC-915 Moonphase

2006 FC-930 Automatic Designation | FC-942

One of the issues was that the balance wheel was very deep inside the Heart Beat opening.

It would be a major improvement if we could bring the Balance Wheel more to the front side of the calibre, making it more visible. Another issue was that the Spiral, the most important component of a mechanical watch, was on the backside of the calibre. After many discussions, we finally concluded to develop our own calibre and solve these issues once and for all. In 2001, we started the development of the Heart Beat Manufacture with characteristic bridge for the Balance Wheel on the front side of the calibre. Having the bridge for the Balance Wheel on front side of the calibre enabled to have the Spiral and Fine Regulation on the front side as well, creating a much more appealing Heart Beat design. This construction was completely new and enabled Frédérique Constant to apply for a patent. This time, also all designs were properly registered before market introduction.

1994

2007

Close-up Heart Beat aperture FC-310M36

FC-935 Automatic Moonphase & Date

2000

2014

Heart Beat Perpetual FC-710S39

FC-945 Silicium Moonphase

Continuing Heart Beat Developments

2001

2014

Heart Beat Retrograde FC-680AS3H9 (18K gold)

FC-942 Silicium Moonphase

Developing and producing the first Heart Beat Manufacture

Mechanical self-winding movement Silicium escapement wheel, anchor and plateau Heart Beat aperture, hour, minute, date,moonphase, 24H indicator 13 ¼ line (30.5 mm diameter) 4 Hz, 28.800 Bph 42-hour power reserve Efficiency gear train calculated at 94% KIF fine regulation KIF anti-shock (2x) Balance wheel glucydur Spiral Nivarox No. 1 Côte de Genève & perlage decoration Gold plated rotor decorated with Côtes de Genève Number of Components Platine and bridges 8 Gear train 15 Automatic wheels 4 Tirette systems 7 Reglage systems 8 Assortments, including the Silicium escapement wheel 10 Jewels 25 Screws 26 Rotor 1 Other parts 41 Total 145

1995

2008

Gents & Ladies Heart Beat FC-310HW3A5 & FC-310HW1A5

FC-980 FIRST Tourbillon with Silicium escapement

1998

2009

Heart Beat Day-Date FC-610M3A6

FC-985 Tourbillon Moonphase with Silicium

1999

2011

Heart Beat Perpetual FC-710S39

FC-938 FIRST GMT

Mechanical self-winding movement Silicium escapement wheel, anchor and plateau Heart Beat aperture, hours, minutes, date and moonphase 13 ¼ line (30.5 mm diameter) 4 Hz, 28.800 Bph 42-Hour power reserve Incabloc regulation Incabloc anti-shock (x2) Côtes de Genève & perlage decoration Anglage and rhodiage on all bridges Gold plated rotor decorated with Côtes de Genève Number of Components Platine and bridges 8 Gear train 15 Automatic wheels 4 Tirette systems 7 Reglage systems 8 Assortments, including the Silicium escapement wheel 10 Jewels 25 Screws 26 Rotor 1 Other parts 39 Total 143

Designation | FC-980 Tourbillon Manufacture Silicium Mechanical self-winding movement One Minute Tourbillon, hours, minutes, day-night indicator 13 ¼ line (30.5 mm diameter) 4 Hz, 28.800 Bph 42-hours power reserve Incabloc regulation Incabloc anti-shock Glucydur balance wheel Nivarox No. 1 balance spring (spiral) Côtes de Genève & perlage decorations Anglage and rhodiage on all bridges Gold plated rotor decorated with Côtes de Genève Number of Components Tourbillon Cage 80 Mainplate and Bridges 7 Gear train 10 Automatic wheels 5 Tirette systems 14 Jewels 33 Screws 24 Rotor 1 Other parts 14 Total 188

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Manufacture

TOWARDS OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

SÉBASTIEN TORNASSAT Operations & Quality Director

In 2013, significant changes have been implemented in our Manufacture, notably in our inhouse movement assembly lines.

Influenced by the continuous improvement approach and tools (Lean Manufacturing) used in other high-tech industries such as MedTechs and Aerospace, our teams focused on 3 majors axis.

PRODUCTION FLOW OPTIMISATION Objective was to completely rethink the production flows within our ateliers to reduce at maximum the losses due to people move and material

handling, while ensuring the quality of the work environment of our watchmakers.

ASSEMBLY PROCESS OPTIMISATION

Objective was the ‘war on waste’ on all losses appearing during movement assembly process, while improving the quality of the execution of the sequence of operations.

DEPLOYMENT OF A QUALITY LAB

THE TRAVELING

10 TH ANNIVERSARY

EXHIBITION To make people enjoy and discover its Manufacture world and collections, Frederique Constant did develop a new concept of “Manufacture traveling exhibition”. Revealed in avant-première at Baselworld during the traditional and annual distributor dinner of the Brand. Fantastic concept, the Manufacture traveling exhibition will be displayed all around the world from June 2014.

A unique “mise en scène“, displaying a photo exhibition revealing the “Behind the sce-

“

all around the world from June 2014.“

ne“ of the Frederique Constant Manufacture, its people and its craftsmanship, associated to luxurious leather trunks presenting the different collections of the watchmaker.

Baselworld 2014 Annual distributor dinner

MAY | 2014 | Frederique Constant . PASSION Journal . Heart Beat Manufacture 10 years Edition

The deployment of the Quality Lab objective was to ensure the quality of the internally produced movement components but also the ones provided by our suppliers.

This new organisation and its associated teamwork resulted in more than doubling the inhouse calibres production capacity (passing from 700 to 2000 manufacture movements per month), while improving the level of quality of our products.

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STYLE ... by the Facebook fans of the Brand

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BUSINESS

passing from 700 to 2000 manufacture movements per month“

TRAVELER

CASUAL

CHIC

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05

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THE WALL

INSTAGRAM

A MAY | 2014 | Frederique Constant . PASSION Journal . Heart Beat Manufacture 10 years Edition

TO BE CONTINUED

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! ARIEL ADAMS

BANI MCSPEDDEN

ROBERTA NAAS

Do you remember when Frederique Constant was the best kept secret in the Geneva watch industry? You’ve come a long way from being the spirited underdog to today’s powerhouse company and major horological innovator. Personally, I feel like an honorary member of the Frederique Constant and Alpina family after experiencing the warmth and openness of the Stas’ and everyone else at the company. You’ve certainly accomplished more than most in the last 10 years and I feel confident knowing you have big plans for the next decade. Call me impressed and call me a fan. Here’s you all!

My warmest wishes and congratulations to Peter and Aletta on the 10th Anniversary of the ‘Heartbeat manufacture’ – a wonderful decade of creativity, courage and commitment, with many more to come I’m sure!

It is hard to believe it has been 10 years of the Frederique Constant Heart Beat Manufacture! This is a major milestone for you and I wish you a happy 10th anniversary. But I must say, while I remember sitting and talking with you about the opening over a decade ago, and while it seems like only yesterday, it also seems as though it has been so much more than 10 years – as the brand enjoys strong recognition as a quality institution. Bravo!

Cheers to 10 years of success and centuries more to come!

Founder & Editor-in-Chief of aBlogtoWatch

KEITH W. STRANDBERG

International Editor, Watch Journal (USA) International Editor, Europa Star (Worldwide), Watch Editorial Director, Fortune Character (China).

Watch Editor The Australian Financial Review

STEPHAN CIEJKA

Director of La Revue des Montres Paris .

Are the freshness, the charm, the passion and a rock-solid modesty the ingredients that made the success of the Frédérique Constant Brand? Undoubtedly.

I will have as much pleasure to share this 10th anniversary with Aletta and Peter as I had 10 years ago while discovering the first Heart Beat Manufacture calibre. Happy birthday!

literary tracker of timepieces, author founder, editor in chief www. atimelyperspective.com

EVGEIIA SOKOLOVA Executive Director of Status chain, St. Petersburg

«Very very happy birthday to the Frederique Constant Manufacture brand. Already ten years, BRAVO!!!!

For sure, we will hear about Frederique Constant for a long time and later, this today young Manufacture maintains over time and will become an old, prestigious and more and more successful brand»

literary tracker of timepieces, author founder, editor in chief www. atimelyperspective.com

Dear Aletta, Dear Peter, Happy HBM anniversary!

Congratulations for this decade of initiatives and success around the Manufacture and the brand that you founded. Congratulations for your entrepreneurial spirit for more than twenty years and to have known how to keep clear ideas and the feet on ground in our small and wonderful watchmaking universe. Make this continuing so for these next decades, my plume will so always have pleasure to follow you.

Vor dem, was Aletta und Peter Stas in den vergangenen drei Jahrzehnten in einem schwierigen, weil von hartem Wettbewerb gekennzeichneten unternehmerischen Umfeld auf die Beine gestellt haben, kann ich nur respektvoll meinen Hut ziehen. Mit großer Freude und Anerkennung erinnere ich mich an die Vorstellung des ersten eigenen „Herzschlag“-Kalibers FC 910-1 im Januar 2004. Für Frederique Constant markierte dieses Handaufzugswerk den Weg in eine neue Ära. Was die junge aber höchst engagierte Manufaktur danach an weiteren mechanischen Errungenschaften präsentierte, lässt sich nur mit dem Wort großartig umschreiben. Bemerkenswert ist für mich auch die Tatsache, dass Frederique Constant bei den hohen Investitionskosten die Publikumspreise nie aus den Augen verloren hat. Bezahlbare Manufakturarbeit ist in diesen Tagen nämlich etwas Besonderes geworden. In diesem Sinne wünsche ich Aletta und Peter für die nächsten Jahrzehnte nicht nur viel Glück und Erfolg, sondern auch die Courage, den erfolgreich eingeschlagenen Weg unbeirrt weiter zu beschreiten.

ALEXANDER LINZ Chronos Die Presse Red Bulletin Uhren-Juwelen

Happy Birthday Heart Beat Manufacture!

CHAPEAU Aletta and Peter, with your decision to start the project you were definitively ahead of time.

CHAPEAU to you all you are now mastering time.

But do not forget, your tenyear-old “baby” now is entering in its puberty. This means: New challenges are waiting for you, the truly wild years are now to come.

Good luck!

Alexander Linz

Founder & editorial director of Revolution Press

Grand Reporter - Paris Match/ Air France Madame/ Vogue Travel - Paris

“On behalf of Status retail chain I would like to congratulate Swiss Manufacure Frederique Constant with 10 Years Anniversary of legendary model HearBeat Manufacture. The launch of novelties is always a move forward and a step in development of the company. This is much more important if the new model becomes a world bestseller afterwards, gains the love of admirers and becomes a signature of the brand.

We wish Frederique Constant to continue introduction of such attractive pieces and stay beyond competition.

With best wishes, Status company”

GISBERT L. BRUNNER

Founder & Editor-in-Chief of GMT Magazine, Director of WorldTempus

WEI KOH

HERVÉ BORNE

My sincerest congratulations on the 10th Anniversary of Frederique Constant. It has been a true pleasure for me to have gotten to know you both and to watch your company grow, evolve and mature. I will ALWAYS remember the time we spent together in Venice on the Runabout Scavenger Hunt (though I still dispute that my team didn’t win!). Seriously, the brand that you have built is a monument to your vision and the success you have garnered is hard won and well deserved.

Bravo! Here’s to another decade of Frederique Constant success.

BRICE LECHEVALIER

For a full decade now Frederique Constant’s Heart Beat Manufacture has created arguably the best value in the Swiss watch industry, the fact that the watches are also beautifully designed with a wonderful expression of modern classicism makes the brand one of the key references in contemporary horology. Happy birthday Frederique Constant!

SERGEY MAKARENKOV

Owner of Time Avenue chain, Moscow

“I would like personally to congratulate Frederique Constant with 10 Years Anniversary of HeartBeat Manufacture. We are proud to sell Frederique Constant watches in Time Avenue boutiques as we can propose to our clients the best quality at best price. I wish Peter and Aletta at least another 10 years of continuous growth and success.”

R

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15 IN-HOUSE

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2010

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2007

CALIBRES

FC-700-S Automatic date with silicium

FC-935 Automatic Heart Beat Manufacture with date and moonphase

2008

2006

2009

FC-980 Automatic Tourbillon Manufacture with silicium

FC-930 Automatic Heart Beat Manufacture

FC-985

2005

Automatic Tourbillon Manufacture moonphase with silicium

2009

2004

FC-915 Hand-winding Heart Beat Manufacture with date and moonphase

FC-700 Automatic date

FC-910 Hand-winding Heart Beat Manufacture

BRAND’S CROSSWORD ACROSS

2. lnnovative material present into some of the in-house calibres of the Brand 5. Devoid of this quality, you cannot work for the Brand 6. Brand’s technical director 7. Slogan of the Brand 8. Bestselling ladies automatic timepieces 11. First name of the one of the co-founders 12. Brand’s Manufacture location 13. First name of the female Brand’s Charity Ambassador 14. Founders family name 15. Collection paying tribute to wooden boats

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3 4 6

DOWN

1. With its charity campaign, the Brand fights against 3. Brand’s singularity 4. Collection paying tribute to classic car 9. The brand celebrates its 10th anniversary this year 10. Global Man Ambassador of the Brand

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MAY | 2014 | Frederique Constant . PASSION Journal . Heart Beat Manufacture 10 years Edition

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2010

2013

2014 FC-720 Automatic date with power reserve

FC-705 Automatic date with moonphase

2011 2012

FC-942 Automatic Heart Beat Manufacture with date, moonphase, with silicium

FC-938 Automatic Heart Beat Manufacture GMT

FC-718 Automatic date with worldtimer

2012

2014 2014

FC-710 Automatic date

FC-945 Automatic Heart Beat Manufacture with date, moonphase & 24H, with silicium

THE NEW SHOP IN SHOP CONCEPT

FREDERIQUE CONSTANT S.A. Chemin du Champ des Filles 32 1228 Plan les Ouates, Genève Switzerland Tél. +41(0)22 860 04 40 Fax. +41(0)22 860 04 64 info@frederique-constant.com www.frederique-constant.com

Imagination : Les Alchimistes Print : Les Deux-Ponts

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LIVE YOUR

PASSION

HEART BEAT MANUFACTURE SILICIUM FROM CHF 5’595.-

Handcrafted in-house movement.

Manufacture Collection: in-house developed, in-house produced and in-house assembled movements.

More information on www.frederique-constant.com