VOTUM
VOTUM is a Swiss watch brand from Biel producing exquisite mechanical timepieces since 1962.
The brand was at its peak in the 60’s when the cosmopolitan city of Biel, confirmed its position amongst the most influential cities in the watchmaking industry. The already flourishing watch metropolis, paved the way to further expansions in the watch manufacturing industry, granting the essential access to the desired know-how required to produce unique state of the art jewelry watches.
In the 70’s the headquarters of Votum moved to Hamburg, Germany. During this period the sheer creativity of the brand was emphasized in unique models such as the ”Divimat” with its integrated inner bezel slide rule operating through an additional crown. This genuine collection is still highly respected among the watch enthusiasts around the world.
In the 90’s the brand had its homecoming. During this period and until the end of the last twentieth century, about 3000 watches had been manufactured.
In 2015, François Zahnd – Owner and CEO of watch manufacturing company fashiontime ltd. and Rolf Bodmer – graphic designer from Zürich, decided to revive the Votum watch brand. The new entrepreneurs found their inspiration from the mechanical watchmaking tradition and culture of the renowned Watch City, Biel/Bienne.
There is the passion for Swiss mechanical watches shared by Rolf Bodmer, born in 1957, designer and graphic artist from Zurich, and François Zahnd, born in 1961, watch manufacturer and watch industry expert in the city of Biel. The two watch enthusiasts met at an industry event in the summer of 2015 and decided to revive an old and dormant watch brand.
During one year multiple designs and prototypes have been created. In the autumn of 2016, the quintessence of the revival process emerged. A number of 10 models have been presented on a crowd funding platform and the project succeeded to reach its initial goal. Later that year, the first ever manufactured Votum timepieces from the revival collection, empowered the wrists of their new owners.
Official website: https://www.votumwatches.com
