Founded in 1988 by Peter Stas, a Dutch businessman, and Aletta Stas-Bax, a Swiss watchmaker, Frederique Constant is one of the youngest luxury watch brands in the world. The company’s goal was to make high-quality Swiss mechanical watches without pricing them beyond of the reach of the average consumer. In 1992, they released their first watches, a small assortment of six styles powered by Swiss-made movements that were contracted out to third parties. Later that same year, in 1992, the company introduced what would become one of its most recognizable models: the Heart Beat. Following its acquisition in 2016 together with Alpina and DeMonaco, Frederique Constant is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Citizen Watch Company.

The brand’s timepieces are known for their affordable luxury and unique features, which have helped them establish a global following. Frederique Constant is also now a well-established manufacture, with the capacity to produce its own in-house movements at its expanded Geneva-based manufacture. These movements power everything from the brand’s signature open-heart watches to the ultra-complex but approachable tourbillon perpetual calendar.