Writing to a watch designer for the first time isn’t easy. You wonder whether your idea is far enough along, and what you should send. Some founders wait months for that reason, when an idea is enough to start talking.
This is how it works at ACTE.5, from the first message to the start of the work.
The first message
Most projects start with the form on the website. It asks about your brand, where the project stands, what you need, your quantities and your target retail price. You can answer “not sure yet” to several of them, and that is fine. They help me form a first picture of the project, so the call is useful from the start.
I read every message myself and reply within 48 hours, usually by suggesting a call. You can also book it directly on the site: the calendar shows the slots in your own time zone.
The first call
On that first call, I mostly try to understand why you want to create this watch, who it is for and what it should say, then the functions or complications you have in mind. Once the intention is clear, the design has a direction.
No need for a presentation. Images you like, a few sketches or a mood board are enough, and so are your own words. If the project is confidential, say so: we sign an NDA before going into the details. We are often asked.
Arriving with certainties
Some people arrive with certainties: this movement, this shape, this thickness. That is a good basis for the conversation. Then, as we talk, show several directions and mood boards and explain where the product could go, the person often stops on a direction they had not considered: “Ah, that could be interesting.” And that direction sometimes serves the original idea better than the solution they had planned.
Many founders also want Swiss made and nothing else. It is a real option, with a strong story to tell. But today other manufacturers, in Europe and elsewhere, do very good work too. We talk about it from the first call, without bias, because the choice affects the rest of the project.
What we take on
Projects arrive at very different stages: a simple idea, sketches or AI images, a finished design to develop, or, for an established brand, a new dial or a new line. The work adapts. It can cover the whole project, from concept and sketches to 3D, resin prototypes printed in the studio, the tech pack and following the factory until production. It can also extend to the brand (positioning, packaging, print, a presentation website), or stay limited to the part you need.
After the call
You then receive a written proposal with the scope, the steps and the schedule. Take the time to read it and ask your questions. When everything is clear on both sides, we start, and the same studio follows your watch to the end.
Tell us about your watch
At ACTE.5, a first watch and a full collection start the same way, with a conversation. Fill in the form or book a call.
