RAUH-Welt BEGRIFF works in collaboration with REC Watches on a special-edition watch, 901 RWB Rotana, which is based on the founder Akira Nakai's RWB Rotana. It is a custom Porsche (911) 993 from 1995, bringing forth a strong inspiration for cars visually. Notably, every single car that has the coveted RWB banner is actually handbuilt by Nakai-san himself.
He goes out searching for parts to finish certain builds if necessary and the watch references the car's rims. The month and week indicators on the timepiece resemble the oil temperature and pressure gauges. Watch designer Thomas Funder states that "Whether you like them or not Mr. Akira Nakai’s RWB creations don’t go unnoticed. You take a stand. We wanted to incorporate the same powerful presence into our Stella and Rotana timepieces,"
Car-Inspired Limited Wristwatches
RAUH-Welt BEGRIFF and REC Watches Deliver the 901 RWB Rotana
Trend Themes
1. Car-inspired Watches - Custom car design-inspired watches offer a unique product and an opportunity for collaboration between the watch and automotive industries.
2. Handcrafted Watches - Handcrafted watches bring an added level of luxury and personalization that could disrupt the mass-produced watch market.
3. Functional Watch Design - Watches with design elements that incorporate functional aspects of the items they're inspired by present disruptive innovation opportunities for future products.
Industry Implications
1. Luxury Watch Industry - Collaborating with the automotive industry for custom watch designs allows the luxury watch industry to provide unique products to their customers and reach new audiences.
2. Automotive Industry - Partnering with watch designers to create limited edition timepieces based on custom car designs presents a new revenue stream and branding opportunity for the automotive industry.
3. Handcrafted Products Industry - The trend towards unique, handcrafted products presents opportunities for watch designers and manufacturers to disrupt the mass-produced watch market and reach customers looking for personalized products.