Frederique Constant & Alpina Go Smart

Strategic watch coup

Watch cosmos 2015: Apple is doing it. Montblanc too. Tag Heuer and Swatch want it, Mondaine will follow suit. Then one of the small players among the big players seizes the initiative, presenting the enthusiastic watch world with the first Swiss smartwatch in a classic watch case and demonstrating strategic leadership. The clear focus is on the lifestyle segment among smartphone-savvy buyers of luxury watches. Frédérique Constant and Alpina are overtaking the competition with a smug smile on their dials. Small can be quite smart. Frédérique Constant, the independent and ambitious traditional manufacturer from Plan-les-Ouates near Geneva, which registered 50 patents in the last two years alone, won a tactical maneuver in 2015. The owner-managed, traditional watchmaking house combined Swiss watchmaking craftsmanship with the blessings of Silicon Valley expertise to create a classic timepiece with intelligence and chutzpah, putting it a digital edge over the market giants of haute horlogerie. Sister brand Alpina took care of the sporty counterpart. Only Montblanc was a touch faster than Frédérique Constant, while the Swatch Group and Tag Heuer were left behind. Peter Stas, CEO of Frédérique Constant and Alpina, was clearly delighted with the result.

Joint venture for the first smartwatch in a classic outfit

So it was up to company boss Peter Stas to bask in the aura of a watch pioneer with the presentation of his "Helvetica No. 1 Horological Smartwatch." This watch coup was worth founding a company for him. With "Fullpower Technologies," Frédérique Constant gained a reliable and powerful computer technology partner from Silicon Valley. The location near Geneva secured "Manufacture Modules Technologies (MMT)" the "Swiss Made" label, which is only granted if at least 60 percent of the watch and movement are produced in the country according to traditional Swiss standards. As the first MMT licensee, Mondaine launched its own model. The promising test run at Frédérique Constant aroused interest, as the technical possibilities of the first horological smartwatch were far from exhausted. Watch and smartphone lovers can therefore continue to be excited. Unlike Montblanc's creation, an automatic chronograph with an integrated micro-display on the wristband, which appeals to a hip, trendy target audience, Frédérique Constant's smartwatch doesn't see itself as a competitor, but rather as a complement to the mechanical watch. With its classically elegant design, the manufacturer targets sophisticated suit-wearers in executive suites who have little interest in bulky plastic parts, vibrations, or beeps on their wrists. Its smartwatch is and remains a watch—clearly round with a diameter of 42 millimeters and analog hands—which in no way detracts from its digital functionality. The current wearables from electronics labs don't even aspire to a watch-like attitude.

Luxury watches for fit and well-rested lovers

On September 9, 2014, the innovative Apple Smartwatch was unveiled to a flurry of journalists' flashbulbs. Its technological prowess was unmistakable. The Frédérique Constant Smartwatch, on the other hand, doesn't immediately suggest that it's closely aligned with smartphones and tablets. It enters the smartwatch era discreetly and classically. Outwardly unspectacular. The typical features—white dial, gold case, motor-driven hands—do not reveal any particular references. A beautiful watch, as one knows and appreciates from Frédérique Constant. At most, the mysterious button on the crown and a small dial positioned at 6 o'clock stand out. It features a date display with a moon symbol and an ominous scale from 0-100 on both hands, which raises questions.

Motion detector and step controller

The secret of its inner workings is quickly revealed: Intelligent sensor technology makes daily routines like exercise and sleep measurable. The "Horological Smartwatch" showcases its talents as a sensor device that can track and record certain activities and movements of its wearer, and report them to a smartphone or tablet. Configuration is done on the smartphone, and the watch records these movements based on the wearer's movements, especially their steps. What can a smartwatch do better than a pure pedometer? The app adds charm, monitoring and evaluating data or triggering an inactivity alarm. Fitness tracking is intended to contribute to the well-being of the manufacturer's customers—at least, that's the word from Geneva. The 24/7 MotionX activity and sleep tracking function is particularly useful and sensible if the wearer has set specific fitness goals, such as a daily minimum of X steps. The 100 scale then mercilessly reveals the percentage by which the wearer has or has not come close to their goal.

Start the day smarter and more relaxed

The smartwatch also keeps you awake at night, whether worn on your wrist (which takes some getting used to) or tucked under your pillow. Its sleep tracker function monitors the sleeper's movements and detects which sleep phase they are currently in. Its true intelligence is revealed in the morning when the "Sleep Cycle Alarm" program doesn't jolt you out of a deep sleep phase, but rather when your movements indicate a light sleep phase, making the wake-up call easier to bear. The astonishingly long battery life of more than two years is made possible by the lack of an electronic display, and energy-saving Bluetooth enables the bidirectional relationship between the smartwatch and smartphone. It goes without saying that the smartwatch is compatible with Apple and Android smartphones.

The arms race for the quartz watch market

The secret of its inner workings is quickly revealed: Intelligent sensor technology makes daily routines like exercise and sleep measurable. The "Horological Smartwatch" showcases its talents as a sensor device that can track and record certain activities and movements of its wearer, and report them to a smartphone or tablet. Configuration is done on the smartphone, and the watch records the wearer's movements, especially their steps. What can the smartwatch do better than simply being a pedometer? The app adds charm, monitoring and evaluating data or triggering an inactivity alarm. Fitness tracking is intended to contribute to the well-being of the manufacturer's customers – or so the word from Geneva. The 24/7 MotionX activity and sleep tracking function is particularly useful and practical if the wearer has set specific fitness goals, such as a daily minimum of X steps. The 100 scale then mercilessly reveals the percentage by which the wearer has or has not progressed toward their goal. What else can the Horological Smartwatch do beyond that? Oh yes, it also displays the time and date. While Frédérique Constant's smartwatch is dedicated to classically elegant men's watches, its sister brand Alpina also targets a feminine customer group with its sporty models.

This post is also available in: English