Originally from La Chaux-de-Fonds, anchored in the Neuchâtel watchmaking tradition, Thomas Baillod initially wanted to revolutionize watch distribution. Five years later, BA111OD is a brand in its own right, with a strong community, offering watches at unbeatable prices.
Putting the customer at the center
The initial concept aimed above all to put the customer back at the center of the equation. Direct distribution, strong digital presence, reduced costs… and customer involvement becoming the brand's first ambassadors and sellers. Chapters 1 and 2 were sold starting at CHF 400, for a self-winding watch made in Asia. The success was immediate. More than 1,500 watches sold and over one million in revenue in 1 year! BA111OD landed on the radar of affordable watch enthusiasts.
Affordable Swiss tourbillons
To the early critics mocking watches made in Asia, BA111OD responded with chapter 3 with a Swiss Made watch starting at CHF 695, showing that Swiss origin does not necessarily imply a price hike. But it's with its Chapter 4 Tourbillon, launched in 2021, that the brand will definitively demonstrate the relevance of its approach. Tourbillons entirely made in Switzerland… for less than CHF 5,000! The first 50 pieces sold out in less than 24 hours. 600 sold in 1 year, 1400 since launch. Veblen (note: American economist and sociologist describing the concept of conspicuous communication) is left speechless.
Growth and expansion
In 2022, production capacity expands to over 2000 watches per year. 70% are sold in Switzerland. The brand now employs 11 people and moves to Place des Halles in Neuchâtel, where design and assembly are carried out. In 2023, the brand shifts up a gear with the launch of its first in-house complication for its CHPTR_Δ. A world first —based on a Soprod M100—, a cycloidal movement, designed with renowned watchmaker Olivier Mory, for a triangular, asymmetrical, unique time reading… like the brand with its iconic crown at 4 o’clock. Positioned between CHF 2,600 and CHF 3,400, the model establishes the young brand as a challenger to the watchmaking status quo. It expands internationally (Paris, Brussels, Munich) and even integrates "classic" distribution.
Affordable Swiss watchmaking
In just a few years, BA111OD has established its place in the Swiss watchmaking landscape. Chronographs, equipped with Valjoux 7750 movement, starting at CHF 1,350 (chapter 5), watches set with lab-grown diamonds starting at CHF 1,350 (chapter 6) and now, chapter 7, certified chronometers with an integrated steel bracelet at CHF 820 or in bright colors, in limited "summer" editions, at CHF 840!
The BA111OD revolution is underway, it doesn't seem ready to stop and even fits into the family watchmaking tradition of its founder, as he reveals: "We are growing by +23% to date compared to 2024, proving that the concept works. And we have rediscovered the first traces of the Baillod family's watchmaking past in Neuchâtel dating back to 1775! For a brand born in the digital era, it's wonderful to fit back into this heritage."
