hibaud Guittard, the founder of Alto, does not have the typical background of an established watchmaker. Originally from the south of France, he cut his teeth in watchmaking at Audemars Piguet in Paris between 2011 and 2015, working in the communications department for the French market. Returning to the family industrial group, he spent several years in operational roles and on the board of directors. But he soon felt something was missing: the product itself, direct contact with creation.

This frustration became a vocation: “I’ve always had a taste for art history and contemporary art. It wasn’t my background, but it’s what attracts me. In watchmaking, I couldn’t find the artistic approach I had imagined. Many brands have moved towards sport, but I wanted to stay focused on art.”

Thibaud Guittard, founder of Alto

The meeting

With conviction, but without any pre-established network in the watchmaking world, he began to approach specialist designers. His initial contacts came to nothing, until a friend suggested he meet Barth Nussbaumer. Known for his rigour and his ability to turn a vision into reality, Nussbaumer was enthusiastic about the project.

With aesthetics inspired by the wedge design of 1970s concept cars, the ART 01, Alto’s inaugural model, is undoubtedly to watchmaking what brutalism is to architecture. It plays with light through its facets and represents the quadrature of the polyhedron in its form. The watch houses the A01 calibre, a self-winding micro-rotor movement designed and developed exclusively for Alto by designer Barth Nussbaumer and developed by the Cercle des Horlogers in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Three to four months of intensive work resulted in an initial technical specification: case, sapphire crystal, movement. Then began a long process of bringing the design to life, from the founder’s original drawings to their interpretation in real volumes. This dialogue gave rise to a unique 40 x 45 mm case, marked by a three-dimensional deconstructed octagon, where each edge becomes a sculptural fold.

The legacy of the 1970s: futurism and automotive design

The inspiration comes from a rich era: the 1970s. We see the influence of the ‘wedge’ design so dear to Pininfarina, where radical geometry heralded a futuristic vision of the world. The Maserati Boomerang, a unique concept car from 1971, is one of the founder’s references, as are the more recent visual worlds of Daft Punk.

This choice is not insignificant. It is aimed at a specific community: art collectors and automotive design enthusiasts, in particular. Alto targets an audience that sees the watch as a wearable sculpture, a cultural marker.

Selective distribution, global ambition

From the outset, Alto adopted an international strategy. In less than two years, its pieces found their way to Asia, North America, Europe and the Middle East. The first point of sale was opened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with retailer 10Ten Labs, and discussions are underway with other leading retailers. ‘The idea is not to flood the market, but to have strong representatives in every major region of the world,’ explains the designer.

La réalisation du cadran de l’ART 01 Oeil de Faucon, limitée à 12 exemplaires, requiert une expertise technique unique pour préserver la délicatesse de la pierre du même nom. Le résultat est un cadran architecturé spectaculaire, la pierre venant s’assombrir progressivement vers le centre pour évoquer la pupille et l’iris. Le boîtier conserve les proportions distinctives de l’ART 01 et adopte ici un alliage en or jaune 3N.

Volumes are therefore limited. Le Cercle des Horlogers, a well-known Jura-based manufacturer, develops and supplies the movements in-house, guaranteeing Alto’s technical legitimacy. The steel version is priced at around CHF 20,000, while a limited edition of 12 gold and falcon eye models is available for CHF 51,500. In 2026, a major artistic collaboration will mark a new milestone for the start-up.

Iconic potential

A turning point for the Alto project: the arrival of Raphaël Abeillon as creative director in the summer of 2024. The young company is thus bringing in one of the best designers of his generation, who spent more than a decade creating watches at Cartier. The ambition is clear: to give itself the means to build a leading brand around an instantly recognisable design.

A metal bracelet is in development, a crucial step in completing the watch’s silhouette and reinforcing its character. ‘A watch must be identifiable from a distance, then intrigue up close. From ten metres, ten centimetres, ten millimetres away, you have to know that it’s an Alto,’ insists Thibaud Guittard.

This requirement translates into a consistent message: no compromises, fidelity to a monochromatic and refined aesthetic, and long-term artistic collaborations. Alto intends to build itself up in successive layers, like an architectural work, without giving in to fluctuations and trends.

The founding art

The ultimate ambition is clear: to make the watch an ‘artistic limited time object’ – or Alto. A wearable sculpture inscribed in a broader artistic history. In this sense, Alto stands apart from the often decorative approach of watchmaking collaborations with the art world. Here, art is not an ornament added to a watch: it is its substance, its driving force, its DNA.

The announced collaboration with a renowned artist, to be revealed in 2026, illustrates this ambition. ‘Convincing a major international artist to collaborate with Alto is a source of immense pride. And the shared history we are building has a profound meaning,’ concludes the founder.

By choosing the long term, rarity and art as its compass, Alto is giving itself the means to build a true identity. A brand that does not seek to please everyone, but to deeply seduce those who see its watches as much more than a timepiece: a piece of contemporary art worn on the wrist.