Showing posts with label watch making. Show all posts
Showing posts with label watch making. Show all posts

Friday, March 2, 2012

What is Accessible Luxury?

Frederique Constant Manufacture

Manufacture Calibers are a Luxury Differentiator

By definition accessible luxury refers to items of luxury which are available at an accessible price, however to some the idea of accessibility seems alien when the subject of luxury is discussed. Take for example the undiscerning buyer who might have the financial wherewithal to purchase an expensive product without understanding the finer details about its intrinsic qualities. This sort of person merely understands luxury products as expensive items which are largely unavailable to most. With this in mind, why should anyone want a luxury item which is available to a greater number of people at an accessible price?

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The answer to this question lies with the discerning buyer of luxury purchases, who understands that luxury products are not just about their prices alone but mostly about the quality of the item being purchased. Quality refers to the constituent materials used in making the product, the finesse and extent of the craftsmanship involved and the reputation of the brand behind the product.

With items such as luxury watches, it is widely known that the best items in this niche are largely made in Geneva, Switzerland, an area renowned for its watchmaking practices and innovations which have held the attention of those who understand the nature of timepieces for centuries. However, some brands have taken advantage of this reputation to develop expensive products on a purely commercial basis which limits the purchase of such items to a very few, including buyers who view the cost factor as the sole criterion for identifying items of luxury.

These practices are usually justified as being due to the rarity of the watches in question, the number of items made for a particular collection as well as cost of precious materials used in their manufacture.

Frederique Constant New Classics Manufacture


Still a watch buyer should always be able to relate the cost of a product with the value of the item being purchased. At Frederique Constant, our focus is creating luxury timepieces with an intrinsic value usually greater than the offer price of the products being sold. Intrinsic value involves the quality of product both in terms of design, materials used in manufacture and adherence to Swiss watchmaking standards as well as traditions.

Our timepieces are exclusively manufactured by hand while the processes involved are regulated with the latest precision equipment available in the industry backed by years of research & development. We recruit passionate watchmakers from time honored watch making schools whose reputations are an intricate part of Swiss watchmaking history.

Unlike a number of other brands worn for the name recognition and price tag alone, you will rarely find a Frederique Constant watch in the hands of an individual who is not a connoisseur of finer points of watches and life in general.

Frederique Constant offers watches as an accessible luxury while maintaining a perfect and delicate balance in terms of pricing, quality and availability. Making watches with a beautiful design and of quality is our passion. Lovers of the brand, and what it stands for, are partners in this shared passion

for fine timepieces.

Thank you for your attention. Please feel to contact me and share your thoughts. Thank you in advance.

Peter Stas

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Spotlight one our new home-page: Live your passion!


Genève June 24th, 2008: Frédérique Constant launched a redesigned home-page for frederique-constant.com. We explain the thinking behind the changes.[[MORE]]


Those of you who were familiar with (and even fond of) the previous version of the home-page will naturally wonder: why the change? We wanted to do three main things – make the pages simpler, deeper and more enjoyable for the reader. First, simplicity. The new page has a more consistent and clear layout. It is set-up as an online Newspaper page with headers and small introduction texts. The page is cleaner, with images that stand out more clearly to flag featured content. The main  navigation that runs down the left-hand side of the page, and throughout the site, is now completely visible right away, with no need to scroll down “below the fold”. By selection of a main category of content you can reveal more detailed sub-categories.

A second aim was to make the collection more readily accessible – strange as it may sound, to combine greater simplicity with greater depth. The collection can now be viewed in five main categories: “All Models”, “New Models”, “Men’s Models”, “Ladies Models” and “Pair Watches”. Via a special watch search function, customers can make a selection based on their individual preferences. Extensive details on the specification of each watch are available, as well as and an extra large picture. Selected models in the collection can be rotated 360°.

Our third aim was to make the page a more enjoyable experience. It shows not just extensive information on Frédérique Constant, but also more general information about watch making. Latest articles are randomly displayed on the home-page to make it come “alive”, so it will be worth returning to more often. Already ten short film features can viewed on the site. Last, but not least, the new site is available in 11 languages, enabling the majority of readers in the world to obtain information in their own language.