CODE41 - Fine Watchmaking 2.0

Experience and participate in the creation of a Fine Watchmaking timepiece... As a mechanical watch enthusiast, this idea is the stuff dreams are made of! Well, what if we were to tell you that it's possible? And that a Swiss brand has been doing exactly that with success for years? That brand is CODE41, a start-up based in Lausanne that has turned the watchmaking industry completely upside down with its transparent community vision, sometimes off-the-wall and always creative. Time to tell the story of a completely nonconformist project!

The watchmaking brand empowering its community

Let's take a step back: in March 2016, Claudio D'Amore, then designer for the big names in watchmaking, founds CODE41. The concept is simple and yet terrifically innovative: creating mechanical watches accessible to all, and involving the consumer in their development.

That's how CODE41's great digital community came to be. Who are its members? Humble watchmaking enthusiasts, passionate about the idea of accompanying the brand in the conception of its pieces. Movement, design, complications... Thanks to an online voting system featured directly on CODE41's website, they can decide for themselves the various elements that will make up the watch.

It was a risky gamble, and yet 5 years later, you might say that it's paid off handsomely! During that time, the small team, which now numbers 24, has in fact multiplied the number of collections and invited extensive press coverage in watchmaking circles.

While each project is different, they all share the same inherent values: innovation, technicality, and exceptional "magic and value for money" compared to their competitors.

All this thanks to an exclusively online presence and an astute choice of service providers. The brand's credo? Pushing the limits further and further and daring to do what has never been done before.

An already busy program, to which CODE41 adds another element: transparency. The brand hopes to differentiate itself by employing complete honesty in displaying the price of its components, their origin, and the mark-ups. To formalize this approach, they've even created their own label, the TTO (Total Transparency on Origin), a counter, of sorts, to the Swiss Made label, which it considers opaque and deceptive for the purchaser.

From the X41 to the NB24; collections that go against the flow

To better understand CODE41's approach, all you need to do is take a slightly closer look at its flagship collections. Starting with the X41, introduced in March 2019, which will go down in history as the very first crowdfunded project in Fine Watchmaking.

With this watch, Claudio D'Amore's team wanted to lay to rest the clichés asserting that Fine Watchmaking is inevitably synonymous with luxury. And now that's a done deal: the X41, a manufacture movement produced in limited series, managed to arrive at a price 4 times lower than that of watches of identical value.

Another iconic model: the DAY41, a fascinating unisex watch originally designed for, and by, women. In revealing the interest of the female public in mechanical watchmaking, this project single-handedly demonstrated the impact that the CODE41 community could have on the future of the industry!

Incidentally, the DAY41, which is now on its 3rd Edition, has been one of the brand's biggest successes: 1,910 pieces sold during the first Edition, 1,109 for the second, and 645 for Edition 3 last Autumn, for a total of 4,304,187 Swiss francs!

More recently, we can also mention the NB24, the second edition of which just closed its pre-orders in December. During the Creator Edition (which is the launch edition), launched in spring 2020, this incredible chronograph with its exclusive design achieved record sales, with 1,380 pieces sold.

And it's easy to understand why: the NB24 impresses with its technicality and its almost entirely Swiss production, for a cost that's much lower than the market average. Its strong point? A peripheral oscillating weight visible on the dial side, a feature that's as expensive as it is rare.

Become a CODE41 member to take part in projects

Today, the CODE41 adventure has already brought together more than 500,000, who participate directly or indirectly in each collection. Registration, which is open to all and, most importantly, free, allows access to a number of benefits reserved exclusively for the brand's community.

So only those privileged members can take part in the voting and commenting sessions, where the development of the watches plays out. A fascinating experience for all those who dream of going behind the scenes of a watchmaking brand!

They are also the first to be informed about the opening of pre-orders, a real advantage when you know that they typically only last 2 to 3 weeks, and that the number of pieces available is always limited.

Once the product has been pre-ordered, it's time for the production phase, which can take several months. To keep its members patient, CODE41 makes sure to send them regular updates at each new stage of production.

Do you want to put a bit of magic into your 2022 and take part in CODE41's next project? All you need to do is head to www.code41watches.com and register as a member!