Everyone's favorite hydro-mechanical watch company (wait, are they the only hydro-mechanical watch company?) HYT has just received investment to the tune of $23 million. The most notable investor is Swiss executive Peter Brabeck, who also happens to be the chairman of a little company called Nestle. No details are provided on how much he, or others, put in specifically.
We are covering this here on HODINKEE because financial information about independent watch companies is remarkably scarce, and we are often asked by young watch lovers and would-be entrepreneurs, "How did FP Journe make his first watch?" or "How does Urwerk stay afloat?". Well, in many cases, the answer is private investors that bankroll the developmental stages of a watch and remain candid, but integral parts of the growth of any independent watch company. The popular route these days is to start a Kickstarter campaign, but those folks tend to be playing a different game than someone looking for a multi-million-dollar investment to build proprietary technology. If you're looking to build a serious watch, private investment still appears to be the way to go.
Congratulations to Vincent and the entire HYT team. We look forward to seeing what you do with this new round of capital!
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