The ADVOLAT brand

ADVOLAT was founded in 2013 by architect Kristina C. Franke and engineer and entrepreneur Dr.-Ing. Wolf D. Franke. Both founders are fascinated by design, technology and precision and strive to create sustainable products as lasting values in contrast to the throwaway society. Teamwork and recognition of all those involved in the creation are lived values.

The congenial couple has been married for a long time and has three children. While Kristina managed construction projects as an architect, among other things, Wolf worked for 15 years at a large automotive supplier, which interestingly also brought him into close contact with the luxury watch manufacturers IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre and A. Lange & Söhne. In the automotive sector, he worked in engineering and as a production manager, then as a quality manager and later as a board member and sole managing director in Europe, Australia and Malaysia. His appointment as managing partner of a Swiss consulting firm took them both to Basel, Switzerland, where Wolf helped make successful companies even more successful as well as lead struggling companies out of the red, while Kristina managed the market entry for German luxury bathtubs in Australia and New Zealand.

At some point, they took stock and asked themselves about work-life balance. The children demanded more presence and the family wanted to spend more time together - and watches had always been a calling and a vision. The feeling for shapes, colors and precision finally resulted in the foundation of ADVOLAT.

The worst enemy of metal is salt water: it leads to destructive corrosion. Watches worn on the wrist inevitably come into contact with sweat. The salty body fluid is similarly corrosive to seawater. That is why we took our cue from the yacht building industry, which has been dealing with this issue for many years and has found a solution: 316L stainless steel. Behind this designation is a medical stainless steel that really never rusts. The cases of our watches are made of this 316L stainless steel - an outstanding quality feature of our products.

An Asian influence is noticeable in our edition sizes: Here, the number 8 is considered a symbol of luck. Since we also find the number 8 aesthetically pleasing and associate it with the symbol of infinity, we like to make our watches in editions of 8, 888 or 8888. On the back are always engraved the edition size and individual number. Upon request, we reserve a special number for our customers. For example, if you have your 34th birthday on December 25th, then with a little luck you can get a watch with the number 25/888 or 34/8888, as long as the number has not yet been sold.