Interview with Aletta Stas - Cofounder and COO of Frederique Constant - about the Double Heart Beat Collection

Frederique Constant - Double Heart Beat Black Beauty - FC-310BDHB2PD6

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Aletta Stas - Cofounder and COO of Frederique Constant

How did you design the DHB Collection?

About 7 years ago, while having a coffee with Peter at home, we discussed the question how to make our Ladies Heart Beat watches more feminine. At that moment, our Ladies Heart Beat watches had MOP dials with diamonds and a round opening at 12 o clock. "What about using Hearts?", I proposed. We went together behind the computer and drew the first Double Heart Beat Dial with our design program. This was the start of the Double Heart Beat Collection. The Double Heart represents for me the hearts of 2 people who love each other.

What does the Charity Campaign mean for you?

For me, the Charity Campaign is a way to give something back to the Community. We are lucky to be born in a country where there is a good health system, where there is help from the government when you are in need. Unfortunately in some other parts of the world it is not the case. By donating the cost of a lifesaving

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heart scan (US$ 50) for each Double Heart Beat watch sold, we and our customers help children who are in need. I am very happy to be able to help and hope to further develop our charity activities.

How many DHB watches do you own and how do you wear them?

During the past year, I have been wearing our Chocolate Double Heart Beat and I am looking forward to wearing our latest version: the Black Double Heartbeat. It is elegant, contemporary and classy at the same time.

Frederique Constant first boutique in China

Frederique Constant is celebrating the opening of its very first boutique in China, 1400 square feet. It is located at Taiyuan, one of the most prestigious area in the Shanxi Province.

To celebrate the grand opening, Frederique Constant is having an Opening ceremony and Celebration Dinner next Wednesday, 20 April 2011.

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New Amour Heart Beat Ladies Automatic Collection... Designed by ShuQi

January 2011 – Geneva

Frédérique Constant Genève is proud to introduce its new Amour Ladies Automatic Collection designed by ShuQi, the famous Taiwanese-born movie star & glamorous personality, who has been the Frédérique Constant Brand Ambassador for Greater China since 2008. [[MORE]]Through the advertising campaign for Ladies, ShuQi has already actively supported Frédérique Constant charity campaigns in China with the Paint a Smile Foundation and Beijing Children’s Hospital.

As a truly passionate Ambassador, ShuQi chose to make an even greater contribution to our charity campaign, by creating in close collaboration with the designers of our Geneva Manufacture, her very own range of timepieces: the new Amour Heart Beat Automatic. ShuQi's recent visit to the Frederique Constant workshops in Geneva to settle the final details of this new collection, formed a great opportunity for a photoshoot, which will promote her new collection in Greater China and around the world. The magnificent mountainous Geneva region served as the perfect backdrop. Very soon, the new ShuQi campaign will be released.

Classic yet elegant, feminine and sophisticated, the new Frédérique Constant Amour Heart Beat timepieces designed by ShuQi were developed with passion, to reflect all the values and aspirations of today’s women. With a gently rounded and comfortable case of 34mm diameter, either in stainless steel or in rose gold plated, these new models have a fine decorated dial with a subtle heart-shaped guilloché decoration in the center and a mother of pearl outer ring finishing. Available in opaline white, sweet vanilla or gourmet chocolate, the dial features a charmingly written 'Amour' decoration with iconic diamond-set heart-shaped opening at 12 o’clock, which reveals the beating of the balance of the movement. This highly decorated automatic calibre will seduce women appreciating fine Swiss watchmaking art.

As with the entire Ladies Heart Beat Collection, for every Amour Heart Beat watch sold, Frédérique Constant donates the cost of a life-saving heart scan to the International Children's Heart Foundation.

Frédérique Constant is delighted with the commitment of ShuQi to this unique project and –for the well-being of as many children as possible- wishes 'Fu' (Chinese for 'good luck') to this new collection!

Live your Passion!

Moon River... Day 11 Khovd - Rest Day

SEPTEMBER 20TH, 2010

Peking to Paris Motor Challenge update. More about the race here

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Rudi Freidrichs carries out rest day repairs to his Alvis

A “rest-day” today, camping here on a grass plain by a wide crystal-clear river, mountains in the far distance, with pasta on the bubble for lunch. However, for some, it’s anything but rest.

As Betty Banham said, it’s better described as frenzied activity as it’s a chance to get cars fixed for the final two days of Mongolia. Broken engine mountings, snapped shock-absorber mountings, radiator mountings, the job list for the sweep-mechanics has gone on and on, with some cars going off into town to visit a welding shop for repairs to cracked chassis, and more.

Car 59, the Alvis of Rudi Freidrichs and Lennox McNeeley, was looked like a dragon-fly without its wings once its wheels were off and various bits stripped out on the grass. This car had set second best times on the Time Trials coming into here, and the story is now emerging of the car achieving this after a make-shift repair to a broken king-pin. The Wilkinson’s supplied a spare they were carrying, but it was a size too small, so a sardine car was cut up to make a shim, and the whole lot put back together again, good enough to set a second-best time.

Mending and making-do out of bits and pieces has been going on all day. The Volvo PV544 of Nicholas Pryor and Linda Stockwell has had major surgery to its rear end, with shockabsorber mountings re-made, an engine mounting made, and the eyelet mounting of Bilstein shocks strengthened with added welding. Robert Kitchen in one of the sweeper-trucks has attended to various electrical problems. There are river crossings ahead, and good water-proofing will be vital.
Driving the Impossible

Rest Day entertainment - Nigel Gambier and Hugo Upton join in the local display of Mongolian wrestling

The 1954 Sunbeam Talbot Alpine of David and Joanna Roberts is in town having a cracked chassis welded up. They are not short of company. Car 28, the Lagonda with Dutch crew Maarten Hoeben and Jan Bruintjes, have put their open two seater on the back of a truck for a long haul to the Russian border, having suffered a broken axle half-shaft.

For those not attending to repairs, the locals have put on an afternoon display of archery, wrestling, and horse-riding, culminating in archery on the back of horses at full gallop.

The sun dropped quickly over the far mountains, to be replaced by a full moon tonight… it’s been a bright blue sky all day which suggests tonight could be a cold one.

What a difference a day makes… Day 5 Ulaan Baatar - Rest Day

SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2010

Peking to Paris Motor Challenge update. More about the race here

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One of many UB repairs - new engine bearings are needed for #49 the Chrysler 75 of Bruce & Ben Washington

The Peking Paris has taken a breather after the battering of driving the roads to the capital… a chance for most to catch up on much-needed fettling. The garages around the city have been busy, the Mercedes dealer had 15 cars, and one motorcycle, dominating the workshop floor this morning.

Who will re-start tomorrow? Answer: We are not entirely sure, but most seem satisfied that they are up for more punishment. Two are going to be left behind to await spares, the black Chrysler of Bruce Washington with big-ends gone needs parts flown in, and the big Austin Sheerline of Norman Brice needs a crankshaft flown in, and he intends to wait a few days for this and play catch up somehow. We understand the Holden of car 101, Cecil Bird, is also waiting for engine parts.

The rest are lashing things together, re-packing, and will be at the Mayor’s parade in the centre of town tomorrow morning. Even the tiny blue Renault 750cc 4CV that limped into here yesterday on the back of a truck and looked like going no further is sorting its fuel-pump issues and will be back on the road tomorrow.

Tim Scott was beaming this morning, up early and sorting out his problems with the FN motorcycle, and reckoned “nothing was as bad as I had first feared.”

The initiative and ingenuity of the Mongolian workshop mechanics has helped solve most of the problems.

The weather was bright sunshine when we entered Mongolia, but today has been cloudy, and there was a shower of rain early this morning. The worry now is that this might be falling as snow on the higher passes as we head deeper into Mongolia on our Westward travels. It’s been a welcome day off, a chance to do some washing, sort the car, and go shopping for emergency-rations and in-car supplies…what a difference a day makes.

The organisation has not stopped, no rest for them - it’s been a manic day for the sweep-mechanics, with Betty Banham marshalling together steadily growing list of demands. Heidi Winterbourne spent most of the day running constant battles with a lethargic hotel staff to badger them into a minimum sense of service, after a few crews arrived to find that their rooms had at first been sold on to locals. Few see the cracks, however, and the spirit remains quite remarkable.

We are now off to a cocktail party with two hours of free drinks – that should ensure we start tomorrow morning with thick heads.

Frederique Constant hosts glamorous dinner in New York City, celebrating the Passion Awards for Charity 2010

Geneva, June 24, 2010. Many elements inspire success. Goal, energy and ambition play their part. But the fundamental element in building a successful charity is Passion. Passion for your mission, Passion to do good, Passion to give back.

Twenty years ago, Peter & Aletta Stas started a company that was unlikely to succeed. They founded a new fine Swiss watch brand. The market for hand-made, high-value mechanical watches was dying. They were very young. And not even Swiss, but Dutch. Two decades later, Frédérique Constant is one of the main success stories within the Swiss watch industry. The company grows 25-35% annually. In 2010, with a team of just 100 people, Frederique Constant expects to produce and sell over 100,000 watches in 90 countries.

The overriding factor for this success has been Passion. Passion that made Peter & Aletta evolve from lovers of fine watches into global producers. This is why the company slogan has always been ‘Live your Passion’. And why for the third time, Peter & Aletta are proud to announce the Frederique Constant Passion Awards. Through these awards, they personally aim to reward charitable organizations that are driven by Passion, and celebrate and support their entrepreneurial success. The Passion Awards have evolved in to an institution through which Frederique Constant gives back to society, and namely to people that are less fortunate.

Winners of the previous editions of the Frédérique Constant Passion Awards are Dr. William Novick of the International Children's Heart Foundation and Mrs. Laura Cotton of the Paint a Smile Foundation.

After two memorable editions in Geneva, this year the city of cities was chosen for this very special event: New York. The prize in 2010 will include a generous donation of USD 50’000,- towards the winning charity, as well as Frédérique Constant timepieces.

The check handover will be part of the exclusive, celebratory Passion Awards for Charity dinner, hosted by Peter & Aletta Stas, and taking place in New York City on June 29th at Cipriani Wall Street. There, celebrities and other Friends of the winning charity and of the brand, will witness a presentation as well as enjoy a culinary supper.

Live your Passion

Healey Challenge Canada 2009

Frederique Constant is excited to announce that the Healey Challenge Canada 2009 in Kingston, Ontario, also known as The Year of the Healey-Loyalist was a huge success for both Frederique Constant as well as for the more than 550 people that were in attendance. Over 230 Healey cars could be admired during numerous activities, and also a number of Healey watches was on display. The crowd at the display booth was evidence that the Healey watches are highly desired, specifically the models created for this year's event featuring the event logo on the back of the watch.

While it is obvious Healey owners are passionate about their cars, they also love their Frederique Constant Healey watches. One fan in particular purchased the first edition Healey watch back in 2004, and has purchased all since then, including this year's models!

As the Official Timing Partner & Premier Sponsor of the event, Frederique Constant was honored to offer Limited Edition Healey watches to "Best of Show"  and to the only finisher of an equippe of more than 20 cars, to complete the descerning "Time, Speed, Distance Rally".

It was again exciting to be part of such an event and to meet so many interesting & passionate people, that do not only love cars, but also watches!

We are looking forward to next year's Healey Event... See you all then!

Visit www.frederique-constant.com soon to view more pics from the event.

FREDERIQUE CONSTANT TRAINING IN UAE

Frederique Constant organized two Gold Ambassador Training sessions on May 6 2009 at the  Aviation Club in Dubai.Over 50 participants from Damas attended the training.[[MORE]]

Fredérique Constant invites its partners to talk watches

Beginning of September, Frédérique Constant organized its annual Distributor Meeting in Geneva for the sixth consecutive time. During this summit, the brand presented its overall-, its marketing- and its product strategies for the year to come.

With an exciting portfolio of new products for 2009, there was more than enough to discuss. During the various meetings, valuable comments and ideas were brought up by all parties.

Traditionally, the Frédérique Constant Distributor Meeting creates an opportunity for both the brand as well as its distribution partners. In order to satisfy market requirements, it has proven to be highly valuable to brainstorm on novelties in an early stage and to be able to make adjustments, without losing the unique and recognizable brand identity by carefully protecting its DNA.

The meetings normally result in the year-after-year presentation at BaselWorld of an internationally appreciated collection that accedes to a global taste.

It feels good to work closely together with a group of people that shares the passion for beautiful watches that we have here in Geneva at Frédérique Constant.

We are looking very much forward to launch the new products during the next BaselWorld, only six months from now... 

Frederique Constant Tourbillon

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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.

 

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Heart Beat watches by Frédérique Constant

Introducing Frederique Constant Clear VisionTM

Genève, August 2007: Frédérique Constant introduces new Collection with Clear VisionTM technology. Self-activated light sources enable clear visibility during the entire night that is 100 times brighter than any previously available.[[MORE]] The light-emitting devices, also known as light tubes, require no battery power or any other form of external power supply, do not require the push of a button, never need servicing or  maintenance, and have a useful life of more than 20 years.

Frédérique Constant Clear VisionTM timepieces are top quality, Swiss Made, and extremely robust and functional. Moreover, they are equipped with the very best illumination technology available today. The “working principle” of the light-emitting devices on the Frédérique Constant Clear VisionTM timepieces is comparable to that of a conventional television tube. A very thin layer of luminous matter is applied to a glass surface. The layer is bombarded with electrons emitted by the tritium gas (H3), which cause the layer to light up. Whilst in a television tube, the electrons are generated electronically through the use of a cathode, with the Clear VisionTM self-activated light sources, the necessary electrons are created through the radioactive disintegration of tritium. The tritium decays to helium and in the process emits a low energy electron. The disintegrating electrons of the tritium have a range of just 1-3 mm in air and an energy of only 18 keV that is not sufficient to penetrate or leave the sealed glass tube of a Clear VisionTM self-activated light source. The ability to manufacture Clear VisionTM self-activated light sources is the result of decades of research and development work in the field of radio luminescence.

Clear VisionTM is registered Trademark of Frédérique Constant.
The new Frédérique Constant Index collection with Clear VisionTMself-activated light sources is comprised of five models. All models are powered by the delicately decorated FC-303 automatic calibre, beating at 28’800 Bph and viewable via a see through case back. The design of these classical models is ultra clean and functional.  Watches are presented on hand-sewn leather straps as well as on sporty elegant stainless steel  bracelets. The straps are fine-tuned to the colour of the dial and are available in light brown, dark brown, and black. Frédérique Constant revisited its stainless steel bracelets and put emphasis on their improved comfort and smoothness.

 

Frederique Constant watches launched in UAE

Speaking at the press conference, Mr. Tamjid Abdullah, Deputy Managing Director of Damas said: 'Keeping in mind the mission statement of Frederique Constant: the passionate drive to succeed, we are optimistic that it would bring us more success as we continue to offer only the best brands of watches to cater to the demands of our customers who seek continuously for the latest mechanical and complicated watches of high caliber.'

'We are delighted to be a part of this joint launch with Damas, and we feel proud to represent a world-premier brand like Frederique Constant,' said Mr. Youssef Khoory, Deputy Managing Director of Mohammed Rasool Khoory.

From the brand side, Mr. Bruno Dard, International Director, said: 'It is indeed a privilege for us to be associated with Damas, a very well known name in the jewellery & watch sector in the Middle East and Mohammed Rasool Khoory company. With the same intensity of passion both the companies and us have, we are certain though that Frederique Constant is represented well and is being driven through to reach its targets by people who have great passion for products like ours.' He also added, 'The company will continue doing what it does best: creating new Frederique Constant watches with passion. A number of very interesting new developments are underway, and the brand will keep strengthening its close relationships with distributors and retailers.'

From Ameinfo