With the launch of the Swatch in the mid-1980s, not only did the number of wristwatches and brands skyrocket, but also the complexity of the watches themselves.
Back then, when I was still a design student, I decided to counteract this inflationary variety and arbitrariness with a consistently simplified concept: a precise, analog timepiece with just one hand. A wristwatch that should, above all, radiate sovereign composure and calm.
What surprised me at the time was the unexpectedly high level of interest in this completely unusual concept. The UNO single-hand watch was a success right from the start and also a conceptual model for others. Its refreshing difference and compelling logic made it an attractive alternative to the prevailing mainstream in the watch sector. To this day, the UNO is an iconic original.
Megatrend: Individuality and Personality
Now – almost 40 years later – the colorful variety of watches on offer has calmed down somewhat, but the shop windows and their exhibits are almost frighteningly similar.
A striking contradiction to the ongoing trend of increasing individualization. Recently, we have noticed a significant increase in the number of people in our professional and private environments who deliberately do not want to buy a watch from the usual status brands. Instead, it is important to them to express their personality through their choice of watch.
Wristwatches speak about their wearers
Watches are always status symbols. However, the messages communicated change over time. While high-quality watches used to be used almost exclusively as a symbol of success, power and material wealth, the already mentioned trend towards individuality and the expression of one's own personality is now unmistakable.
In addition to this “outward communication”, the symbolism, there is also “inward communication”, i.e. the effect of the watch on the wearer. A watch with seven different scales and nervously ticking hands may convey precision and control, but certainly not calm.
Many of our customers tell us that they consciously chose one of our watches because they support a different way of dealing with time. Our single-hand watches in particular, with their almost static time display, convey a confident generosity and a pleasant sense of serenity.
In addition, they symbolize values such as “unconventional thinking,” “conscious living,” or “interesting personality.”
"Extraordinary watches for special people"
Our philosophy is certainly not the next megatrend for the masses, but it is a convincing alternative for those buyers who want more than “me-too” or mainstream products.
For almost 40 years now, the BOTTA brand has been the specialist for long-lasting design classics – Designed in Germany, Made in Germany. Wristwatches with concept and character.
