Luxury re-defined
From heritage reissues and regatta timers to classics that you’ll pass on to the next generation, this is a snapshot of what 2020-in-watches looks like.
All watches are investments, but some are more obviously so than others.
For a high-grade mechanical watch, this is your entry point! Your time piece collection is incomplete without one.
This is a definitive guide to a bona fide game-changer.
It is Nako time piece by Gabriel Mothibedi and partner Tirafalo Otlhogile.
I took time to get the fashion and style insight on you next timepiece style statement – Nako Timepiece.
Ladies, add a fantasy to his collection this coming Valentine’s.
Q. WHY A TIME PIECE BRAND?
A. We built a timepiece brand because a wristwatch is a powerful tool that not only provides the owner with the ability to tell time, but it also communicates a personal sense of style.
In addition, timepieces, as instruments that tell time crystalizes our brand philosophy of ‘time as a measure of life’ itself: time is the indefinite continued progress of existence and events that occur in an irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future.
The brand itself; Nako, embraces this conception throughout civilizations in different parts of the world and their different ways of telling time.
Time is all around us, it is a measure of life and experience.
Through simple observation of the stars and changes in the seasons, day and night humans began to come up with very primitive means of scaling time, and the brand itself embraces these as they were reflected in life activities such as farming and sacred feasts; ‘nako tsa temo’, ‘letlhafula’, ‘bogwera’ le ‘bojale’ initiation ceremonies in the context of Botswana.
Q. WHAT HAS CONSISTENTLY MADE YOUR WORK ON THE BRAND THUS FAR?
A. The foundation of Nako Timepieces is based on merging Horology + Heritage, hence we have country branding ‘Botswana’ on our timepieces and the Three Dikgosi concept on the back of the casing.
These timepieces are canvases through which we tell our heritage and stories.
Q. HOW DOES A TIMEPIECE AFFECT AN OUTFIT?
A. A wristwatch is a powerful tool that not only provides the owner with the ability to tell time, but it also communicates a personal sense of style.
Fashion and accessories define character and style.
A person’s ensemble is a reflection of their personality; “you are what you wear.”
Therefore, our timepieces as fashion accessories are an extension of personality; a reflection of perception, lifestyle and image.
Our timepieces are fashion and lifestyle products which bear Botswana’s heritage, and stand products serve as ideals of character, as symbols of self-identity and self-expression.
Q. WHAT ARE THE TIMEPIECES TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2020?
A. In 2020, we are bringing a slimmer design still within the three Dikgosi edition.
We look forward to covering other demographic profiles, young and vibrant youth and a product that will be a lot cheaper than what we have now.
This is so we allow many Batswana to celebrate their heritage and take pride in their own home grown brands by having other versions which are more affordable.
Trend wise, simplicity is still key, less
is more, and that’s what we should be looking for in year 2020 and beyond.
Q. YOUR INSPIRATION AS A BRAND?
A. Our inspiration came from our love for Botswana, our heritage and beautiful stories.
We wanted canvases on which to paint perfect pictures about Botswana, and we started with the three Dikgosi.
The Three Dikgosi Edition brings forth historical significance that dates back to 1885 when the Republic of Botswana was the Bechuanaland Protectorate.
Similar to the Three Dikgosi Monument in the Central Business District of Gaborone, that celebrates these national heroes, Nako Timepieces has an objective of commemorating and celebrating the significance of the three chiefs and the national virtues of ‘Botshabelo’ (refuge), ‘Bogaka’ (heroism), ‘Boitshoko’(endurance),‘Maikarabelo’(global responsibility)and ‘Boipuso’ (independence) that they instilled in the people of the Republic of Botswana.
The times of the three chiefs in the Bechuanaland Protectorate who fearlessly protected Batswana to 2019 modern day Botswana, a nation brimming with optimism and opportunity is why we sought to connect Nako Timepieces to the heritage and pride of Botswana.
Credits
PHOTOGRAPHY | HASSAN TRONIC ARTS
PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY | DAVID BILLBOARD
