Nako watches gets Swiss certification
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Sunday May 21, 2023 06:00
According to Co-Founder, Gabriel Mothibedi, they have finally received the approval and certification of the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC). Founded in its current form in 1973, the COSC is a Swiss non-profit organisation that tests chronometers that are Swiss made; watches manufactured or assembled in Switzerland.
“The Rattan II is a ‘Certified Chronometer’. We finally received the approval and certification of the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC): the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute, ‘COSC Certified Nako Timepieces Chronometers’.
A COSC Certified timepiece must be accurate to minus four to plus six seconds a day and it also needs to be built from the highest quality materials with the most extraordinary levels of care,” Mothibedi said.
Mothibedi further pointed out that each movement was submitted to COSC (the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute) for its official certification where after 15 days and 15 nights of testing involving seven eliminating criteria in five static positions and at three temperatures.
He added that as seen on the dial of the Nako timepieces Three Dikgosi Edition Rattan II, that was a seal of approval, a mark of quality and prestige, which was recognised worldwide and celebrated by luxury brands such as Patek Philippe, ROLEX, Breguet, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Blancpain. Meanwhile, Mothibedi also told Arts & Culture that their Three Dikgosi Edition Rattan II, takes them back to their roots of timeless design. He added that its design was inspired by the pattern-rich and meticulous craftsmanship of Botswana basketry, particularly of the Ngamiland District; a conception that highlights the emergence of a cultural evolution, based on basketry crafts and for Nako Timepieces, pure horological artistry.
He added that they also embraced the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in the Design Innovation and Manufacturing processes of the Nako timepieces Three Dikgosi Edition Rattan II, which was done through the adoption of new manufacturing processes on the production of the Rattan II.
Mothibedi explained that the production of their latest offering features Real-Time Design and Rapid-Prototyping processes through The Internet of Things (IoT): human and machine interactions — spread across Botswana and five countries; Switzerland, Netherlands, Poland, Japan and the United Kingdom. “The Nako Timepieces Three Dikgosi Edition Rattan II has proven to be a masterpiece of watch making, a watch that succeeds on multiple levels, touching hearts and opening minds; all while effortlessly merging Botswana’s heritage with modern horology.
This groundbreaking innovation opened to the highest record of pre-orders and sales records during its production with the highest sales in the history of Nako Timepieces, and the men’s timepieces were sold out in no more than five days of their arrival,” he explained. Furthermore, he said the Rattan II has become an instant cultural phenomenon, sparking discussions, causing reflections, inspiring people young and old and breaking down old creative industry myths. "We have received amazing feedback, credits and praise about the masterpiece we have created. We have never witnessed such an overwhelming outpouring of genuine excitement, respect and gratitude as we have seen for the Nako Timepieces Three Dikgosi Edition Rattan," he added. As a presidential and luxury watch designer brand with rich historical significance, Mothibedi said their target market and demography was mainly the luxury and affluent markets, as well as the working class. He further commended and thanked the local government through the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre, the Botswana Tourism Organisation and other government departments on their national business support and capacity building programmes for SMMEs, which have been beneficial to their commercial progression at Nako Timepieces.
He also thanked Debswana Diamond Company for the opportunity and support, through the design and manufacturing of Bespoke Nako ‘Debswana 50th Anniversary’ Edition timepieces. He said they designed three different timepieces, two of which qualified for the ‘Swiss Made’ seal: a government of Switzerland seal of approval, a mark of quality and prestige, which he said was recognised worldwide and celebrated by luxury brands such as Patek Philippe, ROLEX, Breguet, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Blancpain.
Nako Timepieces is said to have satellite offices in New York, London and South Africa pushing the American and European markets and portfolios. Mothibedi said people of different nationalities and identities love their watches. However, he pointed out that they faced challenges as follows; as a micro watch brand, production of watch parts from European Independent and Mainstream watchmakers was quite expensive, leading to very slim profit margins. He added that European to Botswana currency disparities, high custom duties and taxation also played a big part in their expenses. “Botswana is so rich in culture, heritage and natural resources such as diamonds. We wanted to build a luxury watch designer brand with rich historical significance and to merge innovation and luxury watch making that is proudly rooted in Botswana. To build a brand that bears Botswana’s heritage on a wrist and that is founded on the belief that state-of-the-art watch making innovation can be synonymous with the cultural and historical significance of Botswana where time bridges the old and new,” he said.