Adresta, a Zurich based start-up, digitally connects watch manufacturers with their retailers and end users by transforming the timeless paper certificates into encrypted digital certificates and so be able to follow the high-end timepiece during its whole lifecycle. According to the Federation of the Swiss watch industry FH: “Fake watches account for 9% of customs seizures, placing watches second only to textiles as the most counterfeited products.”1. Large sums of money are invested to counter forgeries.
Adresta’s watch portfolio is a tamper-proof solution that makes the history of every produced watch accessible, providing trust and transparency. Every step from manufacturing, guarantees, certificates, to servicing and the passing on to the next owner or inheritor can be securely stored in a distributed ledger. Adresta’s approach comes with several benefits to the involved stakeholders. A direct communication channel allows the manufacturer and retailer to interact with specific customer groups and provide them with a new range of customer experience.
From the watch owners’ perspective, the benefits are multiple: They can easily travel and cross borders with their watches without the risk of incurring in problems and time waste at customs when not carrying their watches certificates with them; they can track their watch- es servicing; they can even retrieve and identify stolen timepieces and have insurance proof; finally, the seamless history of the watch results in a higher value of the timepiece in the pre-owned market.
Czapek & Cie, a renowned brand in the haute horology segment, is the first watchmaker to partner with Adresta. The discussions between the two companies started in 2019. “The connection and collaboration with Czapek & Cie, a historical Swiss watchmaker reborn as a start-up, was immediate,” comments Nicolas Borgeaud, co-founder of the Zurich team. “The company was already considering going digital for their high-end watch certificates. We just had to show them the efficiency of our approach.”
“For years watchmakers have feared that digitization would spoil the passion for beautiful mechanical timepieces,” says Xavier de Roquemaurel, CEO of Czapek & Cie. “Today, digitization is put at service of Haute Horology to protect items that defend the state- of-the-art of mechanical intelligence and craftsmanship. We invite all watchmakers to join this journey with Adresta for the benefit of the whole watch loving community.”
Adresta’s platform for Czapek will be officially released next summer. Adresta’s adventure started in the Helvetia Insurance incubation program. The jury found the problems addressed by Adresta very important, and that they can be solved by its team and technology. During their journey, the founders had the honor to talk to the well-known, forward-thinking watch guru Jean-Claude Biver, who appreciated the idea and helped the team shape it. “Mr Biver was a valuable endorsement and source for understanding the watchmaking industry and its needs”, says Nicolas Borgeaud.
To see a demonstration of how Adresta’s solution works, visit adresta.ch/explainer. To see an example watch portfolio, visit demo.adresta.ch.
