a.b.art
a.b.art is authentic and basic art
Brand philosophy
a.b.art Swiss Made is a watch brand for women and men who prefer a simple, basic design. a.b.art is different. a.b.art is authentic. a.b.art does not seek glitter and glamour, but rather aims to impress with simple beauty, understated shapes and materials, and high Swiss quality. a.b.art is an expression of the genuine passion and care with which watches are crafted daily in the Swiss company. a.b.art deliberately foregoes big designer names and instead relies entirely on its in-house creative team, which designs all collections with expertise and meticulousness. a.b.art is authentic and basic art.
Design
True to a.b.art's brand philosophy, which emphasizes restraint, authenticity, and modesty as important factors in the creation process of its watches, Francois Zahnd is responsible as the designer. Under his leadership and with the involvement of graphic designers and artists, all inputs are discussed together in periodic creative workshops, thus ensuring that each design is developed step-by-step with meticulousness and great care.
History
The a.b.art watch brand was founded in Germany in 1991 and quickly expanded beyond its borders. By the end of the 1990s, over 10,000 watches were already being sold annually in the two main markets of Germany and Switzerland, as well as in Belgium, Norway, and the USA. Due to this rapid development, a.b.art was integrated into the Swiss watch company Fashiontime AG in 2003, setting the course for further international growth. With the takeover by the Swiss manufacturer, the originally German watch brand a.b.art was immediately expanded into a Swiss-Made label, further strengthening its position in the design watch market. In addition to the production of a.b.art watches, marketing, communication, and sales are also managed from the headquarters in the watch city of Biel.
Awards
The high design standards of the a.b.art collection become clear when one knows that three models of this watch brand already received the FORM 99 award from the German National Association for Crafts, Art and Design in 1999. Even back then, one of the awarded models was the A series with the 31-hole date display, which today, although no longer in production, is still exhibited and sold in many museum shops, particularly in MoMA in New York. In 2008, two a.b.art series were again selected by the German National Association for Crafts and honored with the FORM 2008 certificate. These were the models EL 106 and I 101. In 2009, the O 101 series with the 31-hole date display received the coveted reddot design award 2009, and the same model was nominated for the Designpreis Deutschland in 2010. The delicate ZS 101 with the pull-through strap was also honored with the Good Design Award 2010 by the jury of "The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design" in 2010.