Frederique Constant & Alpina Go Smart

Strategic watch coup

Watch cosmos 2015: Apple does it. Montblanc too. Tag Heuer , Swatch want it, Mondaine will follow suit. Then one of the small among the big players takes the initiative, presents the enthusiastic watch world with the first Swiss smartwatch in a classic watch case and demonstrates strategic leadership. The clear focus is on the lifestyle segment for smartphone-savvy buyers of luxury watches. Frédérique Constant and Alpina overtake the competition with a smug smile on the dial. Small can be pretty 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 company combined Swiss watchmaking craftsmanship with the blessings of Silicon Valley knowledge to create a classic timepiece with intelligence and chutzpah, putting it a digital edge over the market giants of haute horlogerie. Sister Alpina took care of the sporty counterpart. Only Montblanc was a tick 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 it.

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 when he presented his "Helvetica No. 1 Horological Smartwatch". The 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 the "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. Mondaine was the first licensee of MMT to launch its own model. The promising test run at Frédérique Constant aroused desire, because the technical possibilities of the first Horological Smartwatch were far from exhausted. Watch and smartphone lovers can therefore continue to be excited. Unlike the creation from Montblanc, an automatic chronograph with an integrated micro-display on the wristband, which is well-suited to a hip, trendy target group, the smartwatch from Frédérique Constant is not seen as competition, but as a complement to the mechanical watch. With its classic, noble character, the manufacturer is targeting sophisticated suit-wearers in executive suites who are not particularly interested in bulky plastic parts, vibrations or beeps on the wrist. Their smartwatch is and remains a watch - clearly round with a diameter of 42 millimeters and with analogue hands - which does not detract from its digital functionality. The common wearables from electronics laboratories do not even strive for a watch attitude.

Luxury watches for fit and well-rested lovers

On September 9, 2014, the innovative Apple Smartwatch was presented to the journalists' flashlights. Its technological power was unmistakable. The Frédérique Constant Smartwatch, on the other hand, does not at first glance suggest that it has a close relationship with smartphones and tablets. It enters the smartwatch era in a discreet and classic way. Unspectacular on the outside. There are no special references to the typical features - white dial, gold case, motor-driven hands. A beautiful watch, as we know and appreciate from Frédérique Constant. At most, the mysterious button on the crown and a small dial positioned at 6 stand out. It has 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 the inner workings is quickly revealed: intelligent sensor technology makes daily routines such as movement and sleep measurable. The "Horological Smartwatch" shows off its talents as a sensor carrier that can track and register certain activities and movements of its wearer and report them to a smartphone or tablet. Configuration is done on the smartphone, and the watch registers them based on the wearer's movements, especially his steps. What can the smartwatch do better than just being a pedometer? The app, which monitors and evaluates or triggers an inactivity alarm, adds charm. Fitness tracking is intended to contribute to the well-being of the manufacturer's customers - or at least that's what it sounds like from Geneva. The 24/7 MotionX activity and sleep tracking control function is useful and sensible, especially if the wearer has set themselves specific fitness goals, such as a daily minimum of X steps. The 100 scale then mercilessly reveals how much the wearer has come close to their goal or not.

Start your day smarter and more relaxed

The smartwatch also doesn't sleep a wink at night if it is worn on the wrist - which takes a little getting used to - or tucked under the pillow. Its sleep tracker function monitors the movements of the sleeper and detects which phase of sleep he is currently in. Its true intelligence is revealed in the morning when the "Sleep Cycle Alarm" program does not rip the dreamer out of a deep sleep phase but when his movements indicate a light sleep phase and the wake-up call is easier to cope with. The astonishingly long battery life of more than two years is made possible by the lack of an electronic display, and energy-saving Bluetooth switches 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 the inner workings is quickly revealed: intelligent sensor technology makes daily routines such as movement and sleep measurable. The "Horological Smartwatch" shows off its talents as a sensor carrier that can track and register certain activities and movements of its wearer and report them to a smartphone or tablet. Configuration is done on the smartphone, and the watch registers them based on the wearer's movements, especially his steps. What can the smartwatch do better than just a pedometer? The app, which monitors and evaluates or triggers an inactivity alarm, adds charm. Fitness tracking is intended to contribute to the well-being of the manufacturer's customers - or at least that's what it sounds like from Geneva. The 24/7 MotionX activity and sleep tracking control function is useful and sensible, especially if the wearer has set themselves specific fitness goals, such as a daily minimum of X steps. The 100 scale then mercilessly reveals to what percentage the wearer has come close to their goal or not. What else can the Horological Smartwatch do? Oh yes, it also shows the time and date. While Frédérique Constant's smartwatch is dedicated to classic, elegant men's watches, its sister brand Alpina also targets a feminine group of buyers with its sporty models.

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