Aristo Vollmer Watches: Timeless Designs and German Craftsmanship
With her visit to Aristo Vollmer at Inhorgenta 2016 in Munich, Messe.TV presenter Jenny Dettner meets two traditional companies in the watchmaking sector. Aristo looks back on a tradition of watchmaking dating back to 1907 - Vollmer has been demonstrating expertise in metal watch straps since 1922. What are the current trends in watch design and materials? Find out in our interview with Managing Director Hansjörg Vollmer.
Aristo Vollmer: watchmaking for more than 100 years
Jenny Dettner: Aristo Vollmer is a company that is over a hundred years old when it comes to watchmaking. The watches are now so popular that they are sold in over 50 countries worldwide. Yes, and what makes the watches so special, I'll take a look now! Jenny Dettner meets Managing Director Hanjörg Vollmer at the Aristo Vollmer trade fair stand Jenny Dettner: Hello Mr. Vollmer, hello to you! Hansjörg Vollmer: Yes, good afternoon, hello! Jenny Dettner: Wow, I can already see a lot of great watches here! Hansjörg Vollmer: So here we have presented our company - with everything we produce. The company is made up of the Aristo brand and the Vollmer brand - both are traditional companies. Aristo was founded in 1907, Vollmer in 1922. Aristo has expertise in watches, Vollmer in metal watch straps. We make mechanical watches, quartz watches, metal watch straps, stainless steel, titanium watch straps and carbon watch straps.
Metal watch straps: stainless steel, titanium and carbon
Jenny Dettner: So you could say that this is a small overview of your entire range. Hansjörg Vollmer: You can say that, so here you can see everything we can do and in our brands we show that again in particular. Jenny Dettner: I can already see a few bracelets at the back. I'd like to take a closer look at them! Hansjörg Vollmer: We have the stainless steel Milanese bracelets here - a focal point of our production. These are so-called braids that we process into bracelets with different clasps.
Jenny Dettner: I don't think there are many producers who still make watch straps, are there? Hansjörg Vollmer: No, there are still three companies in Pforzheim that still produce such watch straps. Here we come to something very special. We are still the only company that can produce such straps - from titanium, a light metal that is allergy-neutral. There are no known allergies to the material titanium, so we also have a unique selling point here. Jenny Dettner: Yes, even in bicolor. Hansjörg Vollmer: Exactly. This is titanium nitride-coated yellow, so it is also allergy-free. We can also offer these straps as completely allergy-neutral. Jenny Dettner: Great, great! Hansjörg Vollmer: What we are showing here is very innovative. These are carbon belts made from carbon fiber composite material. A development that we have completed and are now able to produce such belts in series. Jenny Dettner: Wow and tell me, you even have carbon watches to go with these carbon bracelets! Hansjörg Vollmer: Yes, of course. A very large selection. Jenny Dettner: Let's take a look at them - it seems to be the material par excellence! Hansjörg Vollmer: Gladly!
Watches and bracelets made of carbon are all the rage
Jenny Dettner: Here they are, the classics of our time. What is so special about these carbon watches? Hansjörg Vollmer: Carbon is the material of the 21st century. It is 80 percent lighter than stainless steel and has outstanding optical properties. It is skin-friendly and really a wonderful material, good to wear, sporty, it fits in with the times. Jenny Dettner: Tell me, is it currently a trend or has carbon simply become a classic over the years? Hansjörg Vollmer: Well, I think it has become an integral part. We started introducing these products back in 2012. We are still alone on the market. Carbon is our unique selling point. Jenny Dettner: Very nice. Now you have more trend highlights, so to speak. The color blue seems to be all the rage this year. I've already seen that up front, you have some really great watches! Hansjörg Vollmer: Yes, that's right. Jenny Dettner: May we have a look at them? Hansjörg Vollmer: Yes, of course.
Jenny Dettner: Why the color blue now, of all colors? Hansjörg Vollmer: The color blue was introduced last year. It became a trend in the watch sector, so to speak, and it will continue this year. Jenny Dettner: I see. And would you say that watches are particularly expensive now? Hansjörg Vollmer: No, we are represented in a price range of one hundred to five hundred euros with this blue color. And the products are positioned in this segment. Jenny Dettner: Do you also have watches for us women? Hansjörg Vollmer: Yes, of course. You can see the whole broad spectrum here - this can be seen in our Aristella brand or titanium watches with blue-colored straps. This can also be seen here in a great accessory watch from Messerschmitt with a galvanically blued dial. Jenny Dettner: Very nice. Yes, this really is a great collection that you have here and I would like to thank you very much for the nice conversation and wish you good business! Hansjörg Vollmer: Thank you very much!
