THIBAUD GUITTARD
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 concepts with no boundaries. Thibaud felt that he did not align well with the current offerings in watchmaking. The idea to combine art and time came to him quite naturally. Taking an empirical and entrepreneurial approach, he launched his own brand to create a watch that really suited him. The ALTO project was born of his desire to bring watchmaking closer to the creative world, to 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.
“Art is the best tool for talking about time”
MATHIEU CÉSAR
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.
“Timelessness is at the heart of my work”
BARTH NUSSBAUMER
Barth Nussbaumer is an independent watch designer. A native of Neuchâtel, he quickly realized during his studies that he would make design his profession. He has been designing for the most prestigious watch and jewellery brands for over twenty years, and has also worked with independent brands, some of which he has been involved with from the very beginning.
Barth was the only one to have understood Thibaud’s disruptive vision, his desire to think differently both technically and in terms of design. The whole approach was new.
While the object was obvious to Thibaud from the outset, the project was a risk-taking exercise, from its three-dimensional modelling to its manufacture. A real technical and design challenge for Barth. The curved, bevelled and hemispherical crystal, with its sharp and angular edges; the emerald cut of the case, its finesse; the cut-aways in the dial, the aperture of the movement... the constraints are ubiquitous. Bringing the ART 01 to life required close collaboration between the Cercle des Horlogers and the designer. This piece is just a starting point, laying the foundations for ALTO.
"Technically, we pushed the limits as far as possible"
LE CERCLE DES HORLOGERS
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 AA01, 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.
« Nous avons franchi tous les obstacles entre le concept
et la production tout en gardant l'âme initiale du projet. »
YORGO TLOUPAS
Yorgo Tloupas is the founder of the multidisciplinary design studio Yorgo&Co in Paris. A renowned art director, he is considered one of the best logo designers in the world. With the ambition of improving the visual landscape around us, he offers his expertise to brands from a wide variety of sectors (luxury, art, fashion, sport, media, automotive, etc.) in their search for a visual identity. He also teaches the history and design of logos at Penninghen and Sciences Po.
Involved in the Black Crows ski brand as a shareholder and artistic director, Yorgo has shaped the brand’s entire visual identity, becoming the creative pillar essential to the brand’s success since its inception.
Yorgo is at the heart of ALTO’s creative process. He chose to use the ART 01’s distinctive shape as the starting point for defining the brand’s entire visual identity. A shape which, in his view, had to be countered by a very raw and ultra-standardised graphic system, with no trace of fantasy, in order to give the watch all, the space it deserved.
"Participating in the creation of ALTO has been an exciting adventure"