New brands are emerging almost daily in the watch industry.
Nevertheless, most of these newcomers or microbrands start with rather simple and affordable watches equipped with third-party movements. There's nothing wrong with that, but sometimes we crave more. And ALTO, a new brand created in Paris, truly offers much more. Radical design, unconventional thinking, artistic inspiration, a fresh look at luxury watchmaking, and exquisite mechanics - this is what ALTO promises in its first model, the ART 01 watch. While we plan to get our hands on this intriguing model soon, here is what we know so far.
ALTO Watches is the brainchild of Thibaud Guittard, a former AP employee and a person passionate about design, art, architecture, and automobiles - particularly the bold creations of the 1970s (wedge-shaped cars) such as the Ferrari Modulo, Aston Bulldog, or Lancia Stratos HF Zero. The idea for ALTO was to bring together creative minds, including Mathieu Cesar (author and photographer), Bart Nussbaumer (watch designer), Yorgo Tloupas (artist), and Le Cercle des Horlogers (movement constructor). The result of this creative hub is a UFO-like watch called the ART 01.
The case, as you can see, is not classic. Faceted, shaped, and radically angular, it is made of titanium and topped with a complex sapphire crystal combining curved and faceted outer surfaces and a semi-spherical inner surface. The hand-polished case can be seen as a continuation of this crystal, and despite the bold lines, it appears surprisingly refined and elegant, with a strong sense of grace. The sapphire case back, also with side bevels, gives the watch another perspective.
The dial of the ALTO ART 01 model is again non-traditional. “It pays tribute to light as a source of artistic inspiration (...) and is inspired by basic Greek arts - sculpture and architecture,” explains the founder of the watch. The intricate texture with hexagonal geometric lines is made of brass with bead and black coating and creates a focal point in the center of the dial. This play of light and shadow is not the only unique feature: the hour and minute hands rotate classically, while the second hand moves counterclockwise...
Under the sapphire case back lies a modern, sharp micro-rotor movement created by the renowned manufacturer Le Cercle des Horlogers under the creative guidance of Nussbaumer. The combination of skeletonized and simple elements, a matte dark background, and thin bright geometrically shaped bridges give the movement a modern technical look. The caliber operates at a frequency of 4 Hz and has a power reserve of 48 hours (its basic architecture is also used in Trilobe and Speake Marin watches).
The ALTO ART 01 watches, released in a limited edition of 25 numbered pieces, have piqued our curiosity. Their price is 18,450 Swiss francs (excluding VAT) or 19,100 euros (excluding VAT). More information can be found on the altowatches.com website.