Say hello to Bólido

Entrepreneur Pierre Nobs and Simon Husslein, Creative Director at Studio Hannes Wettstein until 2014, want to develop watches in the best Swiss tradition under their new brand name of “Bólido” – Spanish for “meteor”: Precise and with a pared back design, boasting a technically perfect automatic mechanical movement and of course “Made in Switzerland”. The only thing the two founders don’t want to include are the high Swiss price tags: The wristwatches will only cost around 650 Swiss Francs. The comparatively low sales price is achieved by producing the case as a monocoque, meaning without a separate casing base, and by employing computer-controlled milling machines. In order to make production as time-saving as possible, Simon Husslein developed a shape for the casing that can be milled swiftly while still maintaining the company’s high design standards. The prototype has a clear face and is available in a range of colors and featuring a design reminiscent of the typical Swiss train station clocks Hans Hilfiker created in 1944.

Simon Husslein and Pierre Nobs are no strangers to watch design: Husslein has in the past designed ones for Braun and Nomos Glashütte. He runs the “Ventura” brand together with Pierre Nobs. After the venture’s insolvency in 2008 the duo wants to avoid making the same mistakes as those last time round. This is why they are now banking on an independent source of capital, rather than fickle financiers: In fact, they have already managed to raise the seed capital of 58,000 Swiss Francs for the production of their watches via the crowdfunding platform “Kickstarter”. And they have even gone one better: The action has so far brought them double the sum needed. Those who wish to support the project can do so until July 15, 2017.