ABOUT AB ART WATCHES

The story of an extraordinary watch brand.

As a young man, Alexander Burhans was deeply interested in art and design. He was especially fascinated with simple and unostentatious forms which combined purpose and aesthetics in a harminous way. So, when he started creating his own watch brand – a. b. art in 1991 – it was only natural that the product would combine the best possible quality with a reasonable price and timeless design.

Alexander actually started out in the jewellery and watch business in 1989 when he opened his first retail store in Freiburg, Switzerland. By the end of the 1990s, more than 12,000 a.b.art watches had been sold around the world with customers in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, USA and Japan. Sales and distribution at this impressive level, however, required the brand to find an established watch producer – one who could meet the growing demand while at the same time maintain the design quality and competitive prices. The answer lay in the Swiss watch producer fashiontime, established by François Zahnd in 1986. From this point on the two men joined forces to build the a.b art watch into the desired and admired product that it is today.

"The unique and distinctive timepieces have won awards, attracted press coverage and even been displayed in the prestigious New York Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) "The successful collaboration produced many unique and distinctive timepieces. In 1999, the a.b.art range won the Form 99 Award for three models. Numerous articles in special-interest watch magazines followed and a.b art products were included in ranges stocked by several well-known museum gift shops, including the prestigious Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York.

From this point, it was clear that Alexander Burhans and François Zahnd had created a true watch brand in every sense of the word – each model, its packaging and its price was developed to clear and exacting standards. This ensured that wherever customers came across the a.b. art brand it delivered on its promise of the best possible quality and timeless design coupled with a reasonable price.
In 2003, Alexander Burhans decided to integrate fully his watch label into fashiontime to make better use of obvious synergies in creation, production and international distribution.

The team now manage the a.b.art designer watch brand from headquarters at the heart of the Swiss watch industry. From here the business manages directly the distribution of the a.b.art ranges in its two main markets of Germany and Switzerland plus the wider European Union. This close support of retailers enables the easy flow of crucial information from the sales teams and customers back to the development team – a key factor in the quality assurance process that maintains the standard of the a.b.art brand.

And so to 2007 and the arrival of this exceptional watch brand into the UK. Businessman David Shoesmith saw an a.b.art watch on a trip to Switzerland and was extremely impressed with the design and quality of the product. Back in England, he searched a supplier of the watches, but no avail. This drove him to contact a.b.art direct and – based on the rapport he struck up with Alexander and François – instead of simply buying a watch, he set up the business’s UK distribution arm to spread the word about this wonderful timepiece.

As can you probably tell, we’re extremely proud of the brand and know that you will feel just as proud to wear an a.b.art watch.