Established 30 years ago, Botta-Design may still be a relatively young watch brand – yet it has already gone down in history, as company founder and owner Klaus Botta developed the world“s very first one-hand wristwatch back in 1986. The UNO.
Global success thanks to the one-hand principle
In the mid-1980s, Klaus Botta was struck by the increasingly cluttered appearance of most watch dials – rather than improving readability, this had precisely the opposite effect. He vowed to counter this trend with a fundamentally simplified approach to displaying the time.
He soon realized that just one hand is really needed to show the time, so long as the scale is adapted accordingly. This is the same principle used in measuring instruments.
Klaus Botta then designed the UNO“s typical one-hand scale, which nowadays can be found on virtually all Botta one-hand watches – as well as on the one-hand watches of other manufacturers.
Impressively, the layout of the original UNO“s dial that was designed by Klaus Botta remains essentially unchanged to this day.
While the finer details of the scale and the single hand continued to be optimized over the years, the basic logical principle remained the same – and is instantly recognizable in every UNO watch.
Turning a simple watch case into a design object
When designing the watch case, Klaus Botta consistently applied the principles of minimization wherever this made good design sense.
From the original UNO right up to the UNO Titan – the most recent version – all UNO watches boast a circular case basically comprised of an emphatically flat cylinder. Rather than being added onto the watch case as is usually the case, the lugs are incorporated into the structure of the case. This clever design feature gives the case a far more harmonious appearance, even on slimmer wrists.
The UNO exhibits an all-round logical and consistent design, which makes it look like a perfectly crafted sculpture from all angles.
High quality of design and material
Alongside the design details, the materials, technology and workmanship have also been continuously optimized.
Nowadays, the cases of Botta-Design wristwatches achieve the same high technical standards that are normally found only in exclusive Swiss brands. This is partly because our watches are produced in Germany, where – incidentally – watches are also manufactured for the Swiss watchmaking industry.
While the first UNO had to make do with the materials that were commonly used at the time, such as a chrome-plated brass case with mineral glass, today“s design classic boasts a whole host of high-tech materials and technologies:
stainless steel or titanium case (with or without PVD coating)
domed sapphire glass on both sides, which is made even more striking and transparent by double-sided anti-reflective coating
Swiss-made movements with up to 25 jewel bearings
Designed, developed and manufactured in Germany
Direct and personal customer advice, service and support from Botta-Design“s engineers and designers.
Unexpected success
Together with his then distribution partner „WatchPeople“, Klaus Botta initially had a first batch of his UNO one-hand watches produced in Pforzheim.
The watch was an immediate success, which surprised not only Klaus Botta himself but also his then business partner and co-owner of the WatchPeople brand. This man was Manfred Brassler, these days known principally for the Meistersinger watch brand he established in 2001.
In no time at all, the UNO became WatchPeople“s best-known and most successful model. When WatchPeople was sold in 1999, Klaus Botta regained the rights to the UNO model.
The Botta-Design brand is born
Since the Botta-Design team was already responsible for conceptualizing, designing and developing the watch models, production in and around Pforzheim could continue.
The team then began selling the watches through wholesalers abroad and retailers in Germany, as well as directly from their Königstein base via the company“s website www.botta-design.de
Every successful product has its imitators
By its own account, Botta-Design identified some 350 concept copies of the UNO one-hand watch on the market during research it conducted recently. The likenesses range from more or less imaginative interpretations to virtual 1:1 copies.
Klaus Botta appears unperturbed by this trend. After all, copycats merely confirm how attractive the concept is.
„Of course there are much cheaper concept and design copies, but they never attain the quality of the original. What is more, it is hardly possible to surpass the consistency and clarity of the multi-award-winning original in design terms.
Or at least, no-one in the last 30 years has succeeded in doing so,“ says Klaus Botta with justified pride.
Looking back to the past and ahead to the future
In the past, the team of designers from Königstein has repeatedly surprised the watch-buying public with interesting new concepts, including for example the UNO 24, a 24-hour one-hand watch, and the NOVA, the „advanced“ 12-hour one-hand watch.
The team at Botta-Design, the pioneer of the one-hand watch, is again working on a whole host of innovative concepts for the future. As Klaus Botta has announced, these will include not only novel one-hand models but also watches with several hands. Significantly more importance is also to be attached to mechanical watches by the innovative team from Königstein, says the company“s founder.
Watch this space.
BOTTA-Design. A Pioneer in Single-Hand Watch Design
Klaus Botta\’s design philosophy has had a considerable influence in the watchmaking industry. Introduced in 1986, his UNO watch was actually the very first single-hand watch worldwide. Chronographs by BOTTA-Design have long since become classics and are on display in the world\\\’s most renowned museums. More than 50 international awards are proof to the exceptional level of expertise in design. The entire collection including more mechanical and quartz-controlled wristwatches has been developed and designed at the company\’s headquarters in Königstein. All watches are produced in specialized factories in Germany to ensure highest quality and longevity.
Designed in Germany, handmade in Germany
Kontakt
Botta-Design
Klaus Botta
Klosterstr. 15A 15A
61462 Königstein im Taunus
+49 6174 961188
info@botta-design.de
http://www.botta-design.de