Speaking at Watches and Wonders Geneva this year, Frédérique Constant’s Chief Executive Officer, Niels Eggerding, pointed to two very different watches as evidence that the formula is working: the newly updated Manufacture Classic Worldtimer and last year’s unexpected star, the Classics Manchette.
The Manchette’s Unexpected Success
“I’ve been working for the company for 14 years, and I have not seen a ladies’ collection hit so quickly and so big,” he says of the Manchette. Women’s watches, he adds, are notoriously difficult to get right. “Sizing, finishing, detail – it’s very demanding.” This time, the elements aligned: “It was the right design at the right moment.”
With its slim case integrated into a broad, flexible bracelet, the Manchette tapped into a return to jewellery-style watches and vintage design. But Niels believes its price positioning (from R39 995) mattered just as much.
“They really fell in love with it.” A younger, more fashion-led campaign helped too, bringing a different energy to the brand. The challenge now is to build on that momentum without losing the value proposition that has defined Frédérique Constant. “In the coming years you’ll see more development, more value, lower pricing,” he says. “We need to continue to focus on it.”
Listening to Customers
That thinking extends to the Manufacture collection and this year’s Manufacture Classic Worldtimer (R104 995) in stainless steel. Updating one of the brand’s bestsellers presented a different problem: how do you change something customers already want? Frédérique Constant started with their feedback. Three points emerged: case size, power reserve, and the date display. Niels’ instruction to his team was straightforward: integrate all three into the new watch.
The result brings the case down to 40mm, while the new manufacture calibre FC-719 offers a 72-hour power reserve. The date indication has also been reworked. Visually, the dial is more assertive, with colour playing an important role. “It’s a real, live, vibrant colour. It pops out,” he says. The aim is bigger than a seasonal update: “Our Worldtimer becomes iconic in terms of design.”
Innovation with Purpose
Innovation, however, does not have to mean mechanical watchmaking alone. The Swiss watchmaker has also introduced solar-powered quartz technology, following the success of a similar approach at sister brand Alpina. For Niels, technology is useful when it supports the wider proposition rather than becoming an end in itself.
From Halo Pieces to Global Growth
At the other end of the complication spectrum, the manufacture perpetual calendar has exceeded expectations, albeit at smaller volumes.
A limited presentation created for Dubai Watch Week also proved how effectively Frédérique Constant can elevate its manufacture credentials: five important pieces, presented together with stone dials, sold as a collector-focused set.
Such projects have a halo effect. Showcase the Worldtimer, tourbillon and other manufacture calibres at their most ambitious, Niels argues, and customers also look differently at the core versions in stores. There is considerable room to find those customers. “We are still relatively small, so there’s no reason for us not to grow.”
The Case for Accessible Luxury
The US is booming: after a record 2024, the market grew 52% in 2025, he says, creating the enviable problem of demand outstripping supply. India remains exceptionally strong, Spain is surging after years of investment, and Africa is beginning to gather momentum. South Africa may not yet be a major market, but Niels considers it an important one.
Europe, meanwhile, remains more vintage-driven – one reason the Manchette has resonated particularly well in markets such as France and Italy. Different watches, different customers, but the strategy remains remarkably consistent: design something distinctive, improve what matters and keep it attainable. For Frédérique Constant, accessible luxury is not a compromise. Increasingly, it is the point.
