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Live your passion – Our History

Live_your_passion

It all started with our passion for watches. Then, the passion of our watchmakers was added and we have been on a journey to build a thriving watch manufacture. With our slogan LIVE YOUR PASSION, we encourage others to share in our passion for  fine watchmaking.

True passion has always been the result of fine sensitive processes that happen over time – not the exploits of some exciting moment. It represents our internal drive, not our daily habits or needs. While our habits change, our drive continues to be the result of our character and heritage. Time and moments pass. The accomplishments of our drive remain over time. This has been the true aspect of passion at all times.

The idea for this book started during a seminar on the “Rockerfeller Habits” in Amsterdam, where we attended with the Management Team of our company. In the past years, various people – journalists, customers, suppliers, industry colleagues – had suggested to write a book about our passion and the history of Frederique Constant. It was the suggestion of the members of our Management Team that made us think more seriously about the idea.

The primary purpose initially was to create a book as a publicity vehicle for potential customers and new employees. To explain how and why the company came into this world. There is certainly also an ambition to leave some kind of a legacy, to leave behind a “rule book” on what we envision as the long-term culture of the company. That it may serve as a motivation for those working with us to continue to grow Frederique Constant, Alpina and Atelier deMonaco. Last but not least, this book’s intention is also to show our children more in-depth what their parents have been spending so much time on in the past twenty years.

We learned from the YPO workshop “Write That Book”, that it takes over thousand hours to develop and finish a book manuscript. Considering the time we were spending already on work, this hardly sounded like an appealing proposition. The book idea was officially postponed to a later date when we would have more time. Still, the temptation to write something more comprehensive remained. Writing press articles and blog entries did relieve some pressure, but it was never enough. So, quietly we began to develop a book outline. With the help of Gisbert Brunner and Alexander Linz, we were able to structure scattered thoughts and information.

This book is a mix between a “Coffee Table Book” and “Business Book”. You will find ample text on the business aspects of the company, our Purpose ”Let more people enjoy luxury” and the company Core Values. You will also find plenty of photos and images that tell the story of the creation of watch calibers, models and their manufacturing. Most important however is the story of the people in the company, the customers and the suppliers. We are very grateful to have been able to work with many excellent people during the past twenty years. Without them, the company would never have been possible.

The next pages will start with an in-depth explanation of the “Accessible Luxury” concept that has been the basis of the creation of Frederique Constant over twenty years ago. We will explain many details and specific anecdotes in the following chapters in interview format. Each company Core Value is described later including an interview with colleagues for the respective value.

We have often been asked the reason for the success of our company: “Tell me, what is the single most important success factor?” Unfortunately, or fortunately, there is not one answer. It has been the combination of many factors that created success at the various development phases of the company. While it is very important to have a clear strategy, we are truly of the opinion that you have to do many things right to have success. That means hard work and long hours. You can read all about it in the rest of this book!

Frederique Constant watches are first and foremost very classical. Over the years, various Frederique Constant customers asked us to develop a sports collection. However, we always saw this as a conflict with the strategy to create, produce and market classical watches. For us it was essential to stay consistent with the classical strategy. Then in 2002, we had the opportunity to acquire Alpina, a watch company founded in 1883 with a long history in sports watches. This acquisition gave us a vehicle for sports and lifestyle watches.

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Later chapters describe the extensive history of the “Union Horlogere”, the company that created and registered Alpina in 1901. How this company was revolutionary with it’s “Alpinist” concept of collaboration. We have a mission to revive Alpina to its former glory as a world watch brand. It is work in progress.

Atelier deMonaco was incorporated in April 2009 and is the third watch company in our group. Atelier deMonaco creates and produces high-end watch complications – a Minute Repeater, Perpetual Calendar and various Tourbillons. It is in this company that our most talented watchmakers can express themselves and gain experience while marketing their unique watch creations. Atelier deMonaco is ultimately an implementation of our “Personal Development” Core Value.

Thank you for your interest in our watch manufacture and we wish you a joyful reading on our passion.

Aletta & Peter Stas

 

OUR CORE VALUE: COOPERATION

Relationships, Team Spirit, Partnering, Happy Together, Balance, Trust.

For any relationship in life to be truly successful, there must be a certain amount of give and take. A good relationship is a two-way street, whether the relationship is personal or professional. Any time the traffic is all one-way, or all give and no take, the relationship is bound to suffer and ultimately fail. With this in mind, Frédérique Constant has made cooperation one of the core values upon which the company commits to base all its relationships. Our employees are willing to cooperate with each other, even when that means they have to adjust and/or do more. All disciplines need to work in harmony and closely together to realize success together. Everybody understands that accountability is a cornerstone of successful cooperation. The company makes every effort to provide a happy, healthy environment. Our employees cooperate with each other in a spirit of teamwork, and by doing so they bring honor and success to Frédérique Constant as a company and to themselves as individuals.

Cooperation
The best team members have a positive influence on one another and everyone they encounter, they strive to eliminate any kind of cynicism and negative interactions; they focus, instead, on creating harmony with each other and whoever else they interact with. This attitude of team spirit and cheerful cooperation is a valuable step toward cultivating happiness and inspiring trust in each other and in our company’s mission. We firmly believe that if our employees are happy in their work, if our agents and the 2,800 outlets around the world who sell Frédérique Constant watches are happy with our products, our after sales service, and if our customers are pleased with the high-quality, handmade watches we produce, then the company will thrive and continue to grow. Our desire is to make a positive and lasting impact on the global community. Toward that end, we cooperate with charitable foundations. We have done so with pleasure and pride, and we will continue to cooperate with heart related charities that can help people around the world—particularly children—who are in need.

 

Keep it simple

The Wallstreet Journal just published an article on simple automatic watches by Patek Philippe, Frederique Constant, Montblanc, Vacheron Constantin, and Tag Heuer. In Saturday’s Newspaper and Online.

Frederique-Constant-Patek-Philippe-Vacheron-Constantin-Tag-Heuer-in-the-wallstreet-journal-medium

Patek Philippe, Frederique Constant, Montblanc, Vacheron Constantin, and Tag Heuer in Wallstreet Journal

Complications: Not on my watch

After a decade of muscular dominance, feature-packed sports watches and complication-laden wrist trophies are being put aside in favor of simpler models. Think sleek and elegant timepieces that are smaller than a sundial, and can be operated without a Ph.D.

Elegant dress watches are at the moment coming through a very strong revival. You had a time until 2007, 2008, where a watch couldn’t be bigger. The bigger, the louder, the better. And now we are back to a lot of classic, refined and slim timepieces.

Watch-enthusiasts have been waving the flag of time-only simplicity for the past several months, and a Hondikee post about the Trésor De Ville prompted raves from its readers. “People are still freaking out over it,” said Benjamin Clymer, the site’s founder and executive editor. “They think it’s the most beautiful thing.”

As for the shift from complicated to simple, Mr. Clymer said, “It sort of goes along with the whole vintage revival, which, in many ways, is about the search for pure design.” Indeed, the quest for simplicity and elegance is partly retro-skewed. Certain popular dress watches are slightly tweaked versions of timepieces that were launched decades ago, like Patek Philippe’s Calatrava, based on a design from 1912.

Patek-Philippe-Vacheron-Constantin-Frederique-Constant-Tag-Heuer

Clockwise from top left: Patek Philippe,http://www.patek.com,Ref. 5227J Calatrava, $35,400, Patek Philippe at Tiffany & Co., http://www.tiffany.com, 212-605-4036; Antea 365 A10 Watch, $943, stowa.com; Star Classique Date Watch, $2,475, Montblanc, http://www.montblanc.com, 212-223-8888; Frederique Constant Slimline Automatic Watch, $2,495, http://www.frederique-constant.com ; Carrera Calibre 5 Automatic Watch, $2,900, http://www.www.tagheuer.com; Patrimony Platinum Watch, $33,700, Vacheron Constantin, http://www.vacheron-constantin.com, 877-701-1755 F. Martin Ramin/The Wall Street Journal

The Frederique Constant Slimline Range consists of some of the evergreens in our collection and is exemplary to our Accessible Luxury positioning. These timepieces include latest technology, while maintaining their same successful, stylish and clean designs. The Frederique Constant Slimline is also a tribute to fine Geneva Watchmaking with its uniting style, elegance and high quality.

In past, I have written about Frederique Constant as a Smart Buy View. Modern luxury culture fueled by commercialism seems to advocate purchases of luxury items at very high prices. Some people seem to focus only on how expensive an item is instead of focusing on its value. This unfortunate practice has eroded the true traditions of luxury where price was ultimately the function of the intrinsic value and quality of the item being purchased.

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?

It is also what was picked-up by Tom Moris in his comment:

Tom Morris
April 28, 2012 at 6:20 PM

Peter: I admire so much what you all are doing at FC. With your rare and admirable attitude toward luxury and pricing, you are both returning to and reinventing the great tradition of true luxury. Your perspective captures the ancient and noble approach that luxury is about intrinsic quality and the owner’s experience of use. The contemporary redefinition of luxury in terms of exclusivity through inaccessibly high pricing is just a sad departure from the essence of what luxury is really all about. Your business philosophy is so refreshing. It’s also a return to purity, in my view. I own several watches from makers like Patek, Breguet, and JLC. I always make selections based on aesthetics and functionality and never on the exclusivity criterion. People who chase the highest price models just to set themselves apart are looking in the wrong places for their own self esteem. True self worth is manifested by the pursuit of quality that finds issues of inaccessibility to be utterly irrelevant. I look forward to my first opportunity to wear and enjoy a Frederique Constant. As an author and public philosopher, I appreciate immensely what you are doing, as I view it from afar. Good Wishes, Tom Morris

OUR CORE VALUE HONESTY

To be truly successful in business and in life, I believe that we must always be honest and open with our customers, our agents, our distributors and our employees. I believe that openness and honesty make for the best relationships because it leads to trust and faith. Strong and positive relationships that are open and honest are a big part of what differentiates Frédérique Constant companies from most other companies in the Swiss watch industry. Strong relationships allow us to accomplish much more than we would be able to otherwise. Without honesty and integrity, our company could not truly succeed. A key ingredient in strong relationships is to develop emotional connections. It’s important to always act with integrity in your relationships, to be compassionate, friendly, loyal; to make sure that you do the right thing and treat your relationships well. The hardest thing to do is to build trust, but if the trust exists, you can accomplish so much more.

honestyIn any relationship, it’s important to be a good listener as well as a good communicator. Open and honest communication is the best foundation for any relationship. But remember, at the end of the day, it’s not what you say or what you do, it’s how you make people feel that matters the most. In order for someone to feel good about a relationship, he/she must know that the other person truly cares about them, both personally and professionally. At Frédérique Constant, we embrace diversity in thoughts, opinions, and backgrounds. We must always listen with sincerity and give new ideas equal ground on which to stand and be tested. The more widespread and diverse your relationships are, the bigger the positive impact you can make on our company, and the more valuable you will be to our company. We want everyone to always try to go the extra mile in encouraging thorough, complete, and effective communication.

We resolve to communicate openly, to respect others, to be fair with everyone, to shun politics and to maintain a down-to-earth approach in our efforts to interact with each other. Furthermore, it is very important for us that all ‘walk the talk’, do what you say you are going to do. As the company grows, communication becomes more and more important. Everyone needs to understand how his/her team connects to the big picture of what we’re trying to accomplish. No matter how good the communication is, it’s one of the weakest spots in any organization.

Integrity, Open Communication, Transparent, Down to earth
Respect for others, No Politics, Fairness.

Supporting Heart Related Charities

We are in the process to plan strategy for 2015 and I would like to share with you our activities to support more heart related charities.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) kills 17.3 million people each year. Contrary to common belief, it is not just a man’s disease as half of all deaths occur in women, and children are vulnerable too. To protect the heart of women and children and help avoid these millions of needless premature deaths, Frederique Constant has been active in a number of heart related charities.

Frederique Constant focuses on heart related charities as it is in line with its signature, the Heart Beat. In 1994, Frederique Constant developed its first Heart Beat watch. The purpose of the Heart Beat development was to show the mechanical nature of these Frederique Constant watches. Heart Beat watches have an aperture at the position of the balance wheel to show that the movement of the watch is mechanical. Early in the 1990’s, automatic mechanical watches were slowly making their return to the market after the quartz crisis of the 1970-1980’s. Typically, the exterior of such mechanical watches looks similar to quartz watches except that the second hand moves continuously. On quartz watches, the second hand makes 60 steps per minute. At Frederique Constant, we considered it important to better show the difference between mechanical and quartz watches. In a mechanical watch, the balance wheel beats 28’800 times per hour. The balance wheel rotates clockwise and counter clockwise on its axes in a large ruby jewel. Its rotation is controlled by the hairspring, which constantly coils and uncoils, and can be seen through the open eye of the Heart Beat watches. The Heart Beat has become the signature of the Frederique Constant brand.

Since 2008, we are donating 50$ per Frederique Constant Double Heart Beat watch sold. Recipients have been the International Children’s Heart Foundation, Paint-a-Smile Foundation, American Heart Association, the World Heart Federation and many others.

While our partnership with the World Heart Federation will continue in 2015, we plan to step-up our charitable activities significantly in the coming years. Intention is to organize our charitable activities in connection to the Frederique Constant Charity Foundation that is currently being incorporated in Switzerland. We will group all our charitable donations (http://www.frederique-constant.com/charity/) into the new foundation and use funds to support more projects directly. We will also be able to support other foundations.

Our Hearts of Children (http://www.world-heart-federation.org/what-we-do/awareness/hearts-of-children/) initiative will continue. Thanks to this initiative, World Heart Federation members received support to strengthen their action against cardiovascular disease in women and children. All around the world, they are organizing events, campaigns and fundraisers to raise awareness of the adverse ways in which cardiovascular disease affects the health of women and children.

Any thoughts are welcome.

Ideal Way to Grow Your Business

Maximum growth and high ideals are not incompatible.
They’re inseparable.

jim_Stengel

Grow Your Business

In his book, Grow, Jim Stengel shows how 50 of the highest-performing companies in the world harnessed the power of brand ideals to tower over their competitors – and how your business can, too. Grow presents an actionable framework for developing the roots that are necessary to thrive in the new business climate. Start big or start small, but start by formulating your Core Purpose.

Jim Stengel’s ten-year growth study of more than 50,000 brands reveals the secret: those centering their business on improving people’s lives outperform their competitors.

At Frederique Constant, we do not want to restrict the interest in Frederique Constant watches to a limited and elitist circle of connoisseurs, but rather to open it to a broader selection of appreciative enthusiasts who want to enjoy Swiss high-quality classical watches at sensible prices. We want to Let more people enjoy luxury.

Let us look a little more at the individual elements that make up Let more people enjoy luxury:

More people: Democratize luxury; Make luxury accessible to a broader
group of people; Equality; Not elitist.
Enjoy: Pleasure to own and experience a beautiful and well finished product; Appreciate quality and refinement; Make people feel happy, good; Share passion; Show you have taste; Feel strong, reassured, recognized; Have a memory of a special moment.
Luxury: Beautiful products; Quality of design, materials, and manufacture; Attention to details; Refinement; Craftsmanship; Respectable brand.

Developing your Core Purpose is not an easy task. It took us years and various Off-Sites to determine our Core Purpose Let more people enjoy luxury. Particularly interesting was the outcome of exercises we did during an Off-Site:

1. Mission to Mars
2. Collage Culture
3. Select no more than six values
4. Core Values Exercise
5. Core Purpose Exercise
6. BHAG Exercise

Read more about these in this link.

Coming back to Jim’s book, please check this short video and his book.

 

Effective Weekly Meetings

The foundation of a successful Daily Huddle or Weekly Meeting is a great facilitator.  Below are some characteristics and best practices of some of our most successful executive teams:

Be dedicated.  A good facilitator is dedicated to the regular meeting rhythm.  Weekly Meetings and Daily Huddles should happen on their designated days/times without fail.  If a person is not able to attend, they should still prepare by doing their Weekly Meeting Prep and sending their Victories, Priorites and Stucks to the Daily Huddle facilitator.  A good facilitator holds the team accountable to being prepared.

Focus on the How, not the Why.  Efficient Weekly Meetings produce solutions-based discussions instead of status-based presentations.  The facilitator should not ask why Red and Yellow are struggling.  Instead, they should guide the discussion by asking the team how to move struggling priorities toward Green.

Steer Clear of Tangents.  The best facilitators do a great job of reeling discussion in and keeping the team focused.  If the discussion takes a left turn, bring everyone back to center.  If a discussion only involves 2 people, ask them to take it offline.  The goal is to keep everyone engaged.

Drive a Culture of Accountability.  Executive teams that list at least 2-3 Action Items for each Personal Priority are infinitely more successful with execution.  Every week, the facilitator should review the All Actions List with the team as part of the Weekly Meeting Agenda.  As Action Items come up during the Weekly Meeting or Daily Huddle, the facilitator should record those so they don’t slip through the cracks.

Share Facilitator Duties.  Some of the most advanced teams rotate facilitator duties throughout the executive team.  At the beginning of the quarter, the weeks are assigned.  If someone isn’t able to cover their week, they have to find someone to switch.  This takes the responsibility off of one person, and gives everyone the experience of facilitating.  It also improves Weekly Meeting Prep and participation because everyone gets a taste of how it feels when you are the facilitator and someone doesn’t contribute.

Repost by Tiffany Chepul, Gazelles Systems 

Execution Culture

You don’t have to be a management expert to diagnose whether an organization has a strong culture of execution. It’s usually obvious. Just sit through a couple of top management meetings, and you’ll quickly get the idea.

If the meeting consists of a long Power Point presentation, filled with slides purporting to show all the wonderful things the presenting group has done; if others in the meeting sit quietly throughout, unwilling to ask questions or poke holes, knowing their own presentations will soon follow; if everyone leaves the meeting with no clear sense of what happens next; and if the lead manager sits quietly throughout, then you have every reason to be concerned. This is not a culture of execution.

On the other hand, if the presentation is short and to the point; if the presenter clearly highlights both successes and failures; if others feel free to question and debate the presentation; if there is a common understanding among everyone in the room on goals and timelines, and if all leave the room with a clear sense of what needs to happen next and who needs to do it, then you are likely witnessing a strong culture of execution.

Interestingly, it’s not always the actions of the lead manager in the meeting room that will signal the nature of the culture. If a manager sits silently through a long and uncritical and unquestioned presentation, he or she is probably failing to do the job. Same for a manager that raises questions or suggests goals that seem a total surprise to others in the room.

But if a manager sits silently as the presenter does a hard-headed critique; as others freely weigh in; and as everyone leaves with a clear sense of goals, timelines and next steps, then the manager is doing the job. The company has a culture of execution that can govern itself. That’s our final aim.