THIBAUD GUITTARD
«Art is the best tool for talking about time»
Thibaud Guittard honed his watchmaking skills in the marketing and communication departments of Audemars Piguet in Paris. He then joined the family-owned industrial group in distribution and developed a strong penchant for entrepreneurship. He is passionate about cars, design, architecture, music, cinema, art, and creativity in all its forms.
His fascination with 1970s concept cars, Christopher Nolan’s films, and contemporary art has led him to question the relationship between time and the design of an object.
Art and time are two abstract, indefinable, and boundless concepts. Thibaud does not identify with the current watchmaking offerings. The idea of blending art and time came to him naturally. With an empirical and entrepreneurial approach, he launched his own brand to create a watch that truly reflects him. Thus, the ALTO project was born from his desire to bring watchmaking closer to the creative world and art in all its dimensions.
To bring ALTO to life, Thibaud surrounded himself with creative personalities. They guided him in defining the brand’s universe and creating the ART 01. This first piece marked the start of a boundless artistic adventure.
Raphaël Abeillon
«Every creation must tell a story»
From a young age, Raphaël Abeillon has stood out for his instinctive and meticulous creativity. The son of a motorsport historian who passed on his passion, he fused this passion with his need to create and pursued studies in automotive design.
After graduating, he shifted his focus to luxury watchmaking, which, like classic automobiles, combines cutting-edge mechanics with forms that are both refined and spectacular. He began his career at Cartier, where he honed his expertise and vision at the highest level of watch design for nearly 12 years.
He joined ALTO shortly after the brand was founded by his longtime friend, Thibaud Guittard, with whom he shares a common vision of both technical excellence and aesthetics.
As Creative Director, Raphael Abeillon projects ALTO as a laboratory of aesthetics, evoking timeless elegance and meticulous craftsmanship. Inspired by a clean aesthetic and absolute attention to detail, he creates singular pieces that celebrate personality and understated beauty.
With each collection, Raphael Abeillon continues his mission to give substance to ALTO's vision: to constantly reinvent the balance between audacity and sophistication.
MATHIEU CÉSAR
«Timelessness is at the heart of my work»
Mathieu César is a French writer, director and photographer. The greatest names in the worlds of art, fashion, cinema, sport, and music have passed in front of his lens. In an age saturated by colour, Mathieu has placed black and white at the heart of his work to better capture the emotions of the faces he portrays. It is through his photographs that he tells stories and captures a moment that will become timeless.
Mathieu was immediately attracted to Thibaud’s idea of combining art with the watchmaking industry. Cars, design, music, art - they both share the same inspirations and passions. It was only natural that Mathieu should take on the artistic direction of ALTO in order to give it a deep and unique creative sense. With films, photography and musical compositions, he offers a cross-disciplinary, holistic vision that goes far beyond the product itself. A creative and artistic adventure designed to show that ALTO is in tune with the times.
YORGO TLOUPAS
«Participating in the creation of ALTO has been an exciting adventure»
Yorgo Tloupas is the founder of the multidisciplinary design studio Yorgo&Co in Paris. A renowned artistic director, he is considered one of the world's top logo designers. Driven by the ambition to enhance the visual landscape around us, he lends his expertise to brands across a wide range of industries—including luxury, art, fashion, sports, media, and automotive—helping them define their visual identity. He also teaches the history and design of logotypes at Penninghen and Sciences Po.
As a shareholder and artistic director of the ski brand Black Crows, Yorgo has shaped its entire visual identity, becoming the creative pillar behind the brand’s success since its inception.
Yorgo is at the heart of ALTO’s creative vision. Inspired by the distinctive shape of the ART 01, he built the brand’s entire visual identity around it. In his view, this shape needed to be counterbalanced by a raw, ultra-structured graphic system—devoid of any embellishment—to ensure that the watch itself remains the focal point.
THE CERCLE DES HORLOGERS
«Nous avons franchi tous les obstacles entre le concept et la production tout en gardant l'âme initiale du projet»
The ART 01 is equipped with the A01, a unique self-winding mechanical movement entirely designed, developed, and produced exclusively for ALTO.
ALTO entrusted the production of its micro-rotor automatic calibre to the Cercle des Horlogers. A partner of some of the world’s leading watchmakers, the Cercle des Horlogers in La Chaux-de-Fonds perpetuates its know-how of excellence to produce watches that meet the highest standards of technicality and quality. It brings together watchmakers whose passion and expertise are expressed in every detail of the timepieces they create, making each piece a unique expression of their art.
The Cercle des Horlogers considered ALTO a true artistic challenge. Its task was to combine technical expertise with an aesthetic approach to movement design.
It was with this vision that the craftspeople of the Cercle des Horlogers designed the A01, a calibre with a spectacular and unique architecture. Two years of work were required to meet the constraints of form and finesse imposed by the ART 01.
