Frederique Constant Celebrates 30th Anniversary, Unveils Hybrid Watch

Inside the Frederique Constant Hybrid

Billing this year as 30 Years of Passion, Swiss watch brand Frederique Constant has a lot to celebrate on its three-decade anniversary. Founded in 1988 by husband and wife team Peter and Aletta Stas, whose dream was to offer high-quality watches at an affordable price point, Frederique Constant has become a fully integrated and highly successful manufacture.

Throughout its 30 years, Frederique Constant has continually innovated. Today, the brand boasts 27 different in-house calibers that power its collections and has become a benchmark standard for high quality watches with excellent precision and design at attainable prices. Among its most coveted collections are the in-house developed Heart Beat series with reversed escapement and open apertures on the dial to admire the movement, and the Classic Manufacture pieces with such complications as calendar and world time. Not only has the brand built a rich repertoire of top-notch mechanical movements over the years, but also, it has been a leader in the field of Horological Smartwatches.

Remaining true to its innovative spirit, Frederique Constant recognized the need to stay ahead of the times and, in 2015, unveiled the first Swiss-made Horological Smartwatch. That Horological Smart watch was fully connected (thanks to a quartz powered movement that includes a Smart module) but retained its “traditional” watch aesthetic.

L - Hybrid Watch R - Horological Smartwatch

The Revolutionary Frederique Constant Hybrid Manufacture

Now, in honor of the 30th anniversary of the brand, Frederique Constant unveils the Hybrid Manufacture 3.0 watch with Swiss-made mechanical watchmaking and Smartwatch abilities that can analyze the caliber to ensure it is working properly (hence the 3.0). The revolutionary patented Hybrid Manufacture FC-750 caliber was developed, produced and assembled in house. The mechanical portion of the movement is an automatic caliber with date function, hours, minutes and central seconds hand, and 42 hours of power reserve. The electronic portion that enables the Smart functions is integrated into the unique caliber, and features a gearbox with anti-magnetic shield to neutralize the magnetic effects between the mechanical and electronic portions of the watch.

Even with all of the innovation inside this watch, it is incredibly user friendly. A pusher on the left side of the stainless steel case enables, via Bluetooth® technology, the connection with the Hybrid App. The watch offers activity tracking, sleep monitoring, analytics, and so much more. Thanks to the Caliber Analytics program, the wearer can even analyze the watch’s rate, beat error and amplitude. No other watch offers that ability. The Hybrid Manufacture is sold in a wooden winding box with removable charger. It is offered in stainless steel and in rose gold plated stainless steel, with different dial colors and variations.

Article by Roberta Naas

Roberta Naas is a veteran watch and jewelry industry insider and influencer. A journalist with more than 30 years in the field, Naas pioneered as the first female watch writer in America. An award-winning writer, she travels the world to uncover stories, conduct interviews, and bring the newest watch and jewelry information to the forefront. She has authored six books on watches, writes for such esteemed publications as Forbes and Elite Traveler, and is the founder of www.ATimelyPerspective.com.