When a company is bought out and you’re left with an empty factory and a handful of workers, what do you do? Federico Massacesi decided to keep the Florentine watchmaking tradition alive and build up a new watchmaking company from the remains. A relative newcomer to the watch market, founded in 1998, Anonimo has a fascinating history and a unique approach to watchmaking. Keep reading to discover the story behind the brand a visit Catawiki’s unique Anonimo auction to purchase one of their timepieces for yourself.
Where it all began
The well-known watch brand, Panerai, was once located in Firenze, Italy. When Panerai was added to the Richemont group, production was moved to Switzerland and the factory in Firenze was abandoned, left to only a handful of skilled workers. Entrepreneur and designer, Federico Massacesi, saw this as an opportunity to start something new and launched the brand Anonimo Firenze. Although he had no watchmaking experience himself, he did have experience with fashion as the former executive of Salvatore Ferragamo. He reached out to the local craftsmen left behind after the move to Switzerland, secured funding for his venture and revived the Florentine watchmaking industry. What he created would become a respected, beautiful brand. In fact he summed it up nicely when he said “It is in the Italian DNA to make beautiful things.”
What makes Anonimo watches exceptional?
Just like Swiss watchmakers pride themselves on their complicated movements, Anonimo prides itself on their cases. In order to avoid the metal becoming unnecessarily brittle, they use a different technique to craft their cases. Most watch manufacturers, even luxury brands, stamp the case shape out of metal, but Anonimo uses a reductive process, carving the case out of a solid block of metal. Although the company has not yet been in business for 20 years, their case making techniques date back to the 1930s and the company’s roots in Panerai.
Why are they anonymous?
Perhaps you’ve noticed that Massacesi called this new watch brand ‘anonymous’ in Italian. He follows the Florentine tradition of taking away everything that isn’t essential. He explained during an interview that “inner confidence is more important than ostentation”. This is why until 2010 the dials of Anonimo watches didn’t even bear the brand’s name. And this brings us to Catawiki’s special Anonimo auction.
Putting an Anonimo on your wrist
What makes our exclusive Anonimo auction so unique is that it features what are considered original watches from the “old brand”, or watches made before Anonimo partnered with other companies. These exceptional watches are open for bidding until the 3rd of October, so don’t delay, place your bids today and you could walk away with a unique Anonimo timepiece. If you have an exceptional watch, or a whole collection of watches that you’d like to sell, you can register as a seller here and offer them up for auction now.