In Conversation With: Niels Eggerding, CEO at Frederique Constant & The Avener On The New Highlife x Avener, Music Collaborations & More

We’ve seen several collaborations of pop culture and luxury watches. One such collaboration that stood out and was much spoken about at Dubai Watch Week 2023 was the Frederique Constant Highlife x Avener. We caught up with Neils Eggerding, CEO at Frederique Constant, and Tristan Casara, known as The Avener discuss this and more. 

THM: Why did the brand decide to collaborate with a music artist? 

Neils: Well, the Highlife was meant to be for a new audience that we never had. On top of that, I wanted to really pull down the average age. But then you need to also find a platform that helps you to bring that together. And that was music for me I love music. My meditation is music, honestly. In the car, I can cry, I can laugh with music. And I loved Avener’s music from the beginning. Then we met, in Saint Tropez, south of France. I was super proud that he wanted to work with us. 

THM: Before we get into the watch particularly, ever since you joined the company we've seen a new direction, a new light of Frederique Constant. Is that a decision that you've taken? 

Niels: We've introduced two versions actually. One is for a younger audience, and one is more in the higher price range of Frederique Constant.  But both of them have worked extremely well. So it was time to change the direction also because we were going on for too long on the classical angle. So I really wanted to create more dynamics in the brand. The storytelling remains Manufacture. And the bread and butter is still between 1000 and 3000 euros and that's where the Highlife came in. 

THM: Why was Avener the choice for this collection? 

Niels: First of all, he's a great person. So think about it, we don't choose a DJ that many others do. We choose someone who has the passion. But more importantly, he has an eye for detail in producing music. A DJ is easy, correct? Being a good DJ is already difficult. Now a DJ that is good and is producing his own music, that's a different level. So we were super honored that he wanted to work with us. So we chose him, but he chose us. So that was more important. 

THM: So Tristan, what made you choose Frederique Constant? 

Tristan: Frederique Constant for me is a brand that links with my feelings. And when I saw the Highlife collection, I saw something very classy, but not something like showing off. I don’t come from the watch world. So for me, it was very important to collaborate with something real, that you can wear every day in every situation. And the story of the brand is also amazing. I found it very interesting to collaborate with Frederique Constant and Niels because he told us he's passionate about music. For me, it's very important to collaborate with people who are passionate. When I do something, I like to do it with people who get the same feeling. That's it. 

THM: But before Niels and you had a conversation, were you interested in watches? 

Tristan: Yes, of course. I have been wearing a watch since I was five years old. So for me, it's very important. I feel naked when I don't have a watch. I improved my knowledge of watches. But I've always been a fan of wearing a good watch. It's like a jewelry for men. It's the only one we have. This is how I see it. Frederique Constant, for me, fits very well with myself and this is why I chose him. 

THM: Your music started with classic folk music. And then you moved on to electronic music. So I would have assumed that you would go for a more classic watch. But you picked the Highlife. What was the thought behind that? 

Tristan: I come from classical music and I moved to electronic music. There is a big contrast, to be honest. But you know when you have the chance to learn classical music when you're a child? It opens your mind to a lot of things. It gives you a good taste and it opens your ears to all the music. Not only pop music, but the electronic music, the classical, the jazz, and everything. And this brand represents, for me, all of this. When you see a Frederique Constant timepiece, there is something that happened in my heart, as a sensitive person, that this watch can be worn by passionate guys like you. 

THM: How involved were you in the making of this watch, from a design aspect? 

Tristan: It was very tricky at the beginning, because the Frederique Constant team, sent me a lot of proposals. But I had my own idea. He proposed the idea to me at this dinner, that maybe we can do a watch together. Because I already have ideas about it. So I found out that putting a musical note into the dial was very nice.

I have many ideas, but the sound waves of a note, of a bass drop, could be nice to put into the dial. This is what we did and I'm very proud of it. Yes, there is the grey one, which represents a note. And the black one is more like a bass drop, like an explosion of the vibration of the note. When we narrowed down all these details, we chose the name of a “Tempo”. A Tempo means that it's not a regular BPM, all during the concert. But you can change it. Watch it live. It's not just about changing the crowd and taking care of the crowd. The rhythm of the concert is very important.

A-Tempo, it's a musical notation that we use a lot in classical music, but also as a DJ. 

THM: We see a lot of brands today in the watch industry collaborating with artists. So of course, there's one thing that you have brand ambassadors from Hollywood and Bollywood, but a lot of brands are collaborating with street artists, with DJs. What is the reason behind these collaborations? 

Niels: I think the collaborations are coming to a point where we see so many things happening that it brings so many worlds together. It brings different audiences together in something that we want. Watches. So Tristan is for me an artist, that's for sure. But then you have so many other artists who are collaborating because you bring something unique to the watch. This we would never have done ourselves. It gives us the legitimacy to do it because of an artist and that's why brands are doing it. Music is a universal language to connect people. And the time connects people, you know. They both work together. It's magic.