Time To Watches: Code41

Summary

The Real Time Show: Episode Summary

Title: Time To Watches: Code41
Hosts: Rob Nudds & Alon Ben Joseph
Release Date: May 27, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of The Real Time Show, hosts Rob Nudds and Alon Ben Joseph engage in an in-depth conversation with Claudio d'Amore from Code41, a brand renowned for its disruptive, transparent, and stylistically challenging timepieces. The discussion takes place live from Villa Sarazan during the Time To Watches event.

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First Day at the Fair

Claudio shares his experiences from the first day of the fair, highlighting the bustling activity and the positive reception of Code41’s products.

• Claudio d'Amore [00:31]: "The first day was amazing. It was very busy and people were just coming to this little place, Sarazag."

He emphasizes the importance of physical interaction, noting that many attendees were seeing the watches in person for the first time, leading to a better appreciation of their quality and details.

• Claudio d'Amore [01:07]: "Generally very positive because the quality is always difficult to judge on pictures... they usually are surprised by the details of the quality."

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Favorite Models and Design Philosophy

When asked about his favorite model, Claudio expresses a particular fondness for the "Make Escape," describing it as a fusion of mechanical elements presented on a large scale.

• Claudio d'Amore [01:34]: "Make Escape... it’s a mix of everything. It's a lot about mechanical elements that you can see actually on a large scale."

He explains that the design aims to create a "mechanical landscape" or "Mechascape," allowing enthusiasts to appreciate the intricate components side by side rather than layered.

• Claudio d'Amore [02:33]: "The feeling is very good because you really have this landscape of mechanical, which is Mechascape."

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Community Engagement and Production Process

Code41 prides itself on involving its community in the creation process. Claudio elaborates on how community members can vote on various design aspects, effectively becoming co-creators of new models.

• Claudio d'Amore [10:21]: "We make about six months of the developments and we will share about four chapters... people can either vote on some images or make some comments."

This collaborative approach ensures that each new release resonates with the community’s preferences and maintains a sense of ownership among its members.

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Current Stock and Future Releases

Discussing availability, Claudio mentions that Code41 currently has three collections available for immediate delivery. These include models like Day 41, T4, and NB24, which have already been validated through successful pre-orders.

• Claudio d'Amore [12:05]: "We have three collections that will be available for five days deliveries... Day 41, the T4 and the NB24 models."

He also touches upon upcoming projects, including a more classical regulator watch, blending traditional aesthetics with Code41’s unique touch.

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Style and Innovation

Claudio delves into Code41’s distinctive style, which marries mechanical aesthetics with forward-thinking design. He emphasizes the brand’s commitment to innovation while appreciating vintage watch qualities.

• Claudio d'Amore [07:47]: "We try to surprise people with saying, okay, it looks dressy, classical, but somehow... graphically there is something different."

This balance ensures that while Code41 remains rooted in traditional watchmaking, it continuously pushes the boundaries to create something novel and engaging.

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Event Takeaways and Industry Impact

Alon shares his observations from the event, praising Code41’s approach to transparency and direct-to-consumer model. He compares their journey to that of Christopher Ward, highlighting Code41’s unique position in the watchmaking ecosystem.

• Alon Ben Joseph [14:48]: "Code 41 a little different, a little more out there, a little more exciting."

The discussion also touches upon a pricing discrepancy observed on their website, prompting plans to address the issue and further engage with Claudio for future episodes.

• Alon Ben Joseph [16:38]: "It's not 44,000... Let's send a message to Claudio because it used to be below 10k."

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Conclusion

The episode wraps up with hosts expressing their appreciation for Claudio’s insights and the innovative spirit of Code41. They express eagerness to delve deeper into the brand’s journey and future projects in upcoming episodes.

• Claudio d'Amore [13:15]: "Thank you very much, Juni, for inviting me and see you soon."

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Notable Quotes

• Claudio d'Amore [01:07]: "Generally very positive because the quality is always difficult to judge on pictures... they usually are surprised by the details of the quality."
• Claudio d'Amore [07:47]: "We try to surprise people with saying, okay, it looks dressy, classical, but somehow... graphically there is something different."
• Alon Ben Joseph [14:48]: "Code 41 a little different, a little more out there, a little more exciting."

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This episode offers a comprehensive look into Code41’s innovative approaches in the watchmaking industry, their community-driven projects, and the challenges and triumphs they face in bringing unique timepieces to enthusiasts worldwide.

Transcript

[Alon]

Foreign.

[Juni]

Welcome once again to the Real Time show live from the Villa Sarasan at the time to watches event. Today we are with Claudio from Code 41, one of the most talked about brands over the past few years for their disruptive, transparent and stylistically challenging pieces. How are you today?

[Claudio d'Amore]

I'm very well, thank you very much.

[Juni]

How has your first day of the fair been? Busy?

[Claudio d'Amore]

The first day was amazing. It was very busy and people were just coming to this little place, Sarazag. It's quite a small and a nice place, so people just go around. It was very friendly and we had a lot of people coming to see the product in real because as you mentioned, we. We have been quite active on social media and all of that. But in real life, people were just coming to see the products in real.

[Juni]

Life for the very first time. In many cases, some people.

[Claudio d'Amore]

For the very first time, yes.

[Juni]

What are the reactions like?

[Claudio d'Amore]

Generally very positive because the quality is always difficult to judge on pictures and usually when people see that, they. They usually are surprised of the details of the quality, the general feeling of the products. So it has always been very positive.

[Juni]

Very good. Do you personally have a favorite model that you've produced over the years?

[Claudio d'Amore]

I would say that, you know, this rectangular.

[Juni]

Yeah, yeah, of course.

[Claudio d'Amore]

Make Escape. I don't know if we need to call it a watch or at least a time product. I think this one is my favorite because it's a mix of everything. It's just a lot about mechanical elements that you can see actually on a large scale because the idea was there to have all the components put side by side instead of having them on top of each other. And the feeling is very good because you really have this landscape of mechanical, which is Mechascape. It's mechanical landscape. And this, this as a designer also, I like it because it's just an object that is showing time. But in itself I already actually love also the shape and the size of the object.

[Juni]

Yeah, I really was taken by it the first time I held it in my hand. How it felt like something from the future or maybe something from the past at the same time. It was a bizarre proportion. It's bigger than a credit card. Quite considerably. So it's the size of. I don't know. How would you describe it, Alonzo? It's like a long, thin smartphone. Yeah. Size of a smartphone. It's a little thinner than the smartphone, isn't it?

[E]

The diameters.

[Juni]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're right. That's the closest comparison, I suppose. But it's just so beautifully made and such attention to detail in the finishing and the quality of machining. It really is an absolute pleasure. Do you have a favorite Alon from code 41?

[E]

I actually had the honor to discover a full array of the collection last year and I was really taken aback by the skeleton chronograph. And correct me if I don't pronounce the model name correctly. It was a whole universe that opened up for me. I've been following code 41 and Claudio from day one.

[Claudio d'Amore]

You.

[E]

You basically broke the Internet with the transparency of conducting business by cutting out a lot of middle men and women. So you offered a lot of value for money with the price points. And most importantly, it was very contemporary and technological. Technological design. And obviously with the megascape, you also broke the Internet again. All our colleagues and friends of media publication in the watch industry covered it, loved it. I believe you did two or three production runs and they all saw that.

[Claudio d'Amore]

Yes, actually we are still finishing the first production run because it's a very crazy piece, but also for watchmakers, it has been a crazy piece. And somehow, of course it's normal to have first round of prototypes, then you need to modify something. So I would say the process is as usual for the development of a movement, but this time it was even more complex and it took more than expected. So normally in June we can deliver the first 150 pieces. And then of course we are think we are already planning the second round. But first it has to be perfect for the. For the first and not. Not an easy one, I would say for watchmakers.

[E]

For you here as a direct to consumer brand. Are you here also to explore besides speaking to media and seeing collectors also doing wholesale and or retail?

[Claudio d'Amore]

Yes, actually we started with code 41 by really going into the Internet and wanted to talk directly to the final customer because they actually vote for the projects. Also we ask advice from them. But since the beginning we started with some standard movements. So it was fine just to be online, but now we have four in house movements and we have a product that needs to be seen in real. And we are here also not really to develop the retail as we usually think of retail, but more find the proper partners with physical place where we could have some of our products. And the idea is also for us to be able to send customer or potential customer that would say, okay, nice, but I would like to see it to send them to these partners that they can have a hand on the product to cover a bit more than just our own showroom in Switzerland. So yeah, it's not retail as usual, but physical place, that's what we're looking for. Also.

[E]

Did you bring novelties to this fair?

[Claudio d'Amore]

We have a project which is. Which is almost ready as usual. I would say there was some delays in the prototype, so they were not ready for today. But it's a regulator project that it's a bit aside of what we did until today because it's not open heart, I would say not a skeletonized watch where you see the mechanics. It's more classical, classical piece, but with the code 41Touch. And this regulator is ready. So people already, we shared already some design elements. We asked people for some design choices and colors. So on the website we can see it and we have of course, images. But the prototypes didn't arrive on time. So the pre order would be in June.

[E]

For those that are not familiar with code 41, and you just mentioned the code 41 style. What is that style? If you had to use an elevator pitch for that?

[Claudio d'Amore]

The. When we talk really about the fact of the first seven collections, it was really about showing the mechanic, the feeling of the mechanic. Myself, so I'm a designer, I'm the founder, but my background is design. And I've always been fascinated by the, you know, this rough aesthetic of machine pieces that you can find in the industry. Or I'm not talking about watchmaking, I'm talking about the, you know, real machine CNC pieces and this kind of aesthetic. Very rough, but beautiful at the same time. This is what I try to to do with all the case and the movement design of the seven first collections. And this touch of just trying to, I would say, to create something that could stand out. That's the little touch of code 41. Because I also love vintage watches. Of course there is all this beautiful quality of vintage watches, but myself, I see the watchmaking that needs to go on and not always looking back. And this is what we try to do, just to see, okay, what will be next. And it will be something that people will like and some others not. But that's okay. We don't need to be to make everyone happy.

[E]

Would code 41 ever make a classic dress watch?

[Claudio d'Amore]

I think we can. Because even this regulator or the Moonphase we launched last year, these are much more classical style, but with always a little touch of code 41. Meaning we try to surprise people with saying, okay, it looks dressy, classical, but somehow we see that it's. Graphically there is something different and we can do. We can do almost everything actually. There Is no limit. We just need to always have this fresh high on. When you say you try to just push a little bit the limit.

[E]

So you've touched upon that the community is an integral part of the voting process. How do one become a community member and how heavy is the voting rights of that community in your process?

[Claudio d'Amore]

Well, there is two different type of. I would say community member. When you have you just register to do projects and then you can follow the different chapters we make and people can vote or comment. And usually when we do a new project, we make about six months of the developments and we will share about four chapters. Starting with first the choice of the movement, then you know, size or stuff like that, some design elements and people can either vote on some images or make some comments. For example, we ask people, okay, what shall we do? Shall we maybe go for just standard automatic watch or shall we use a perfect weight around or shall we just go for manual? And these people can just comment and the clients that become. When we make a pre order, these people become the creator of the project. It means because they supported the launch of this new collection, they become creator of this new model and they will get a piece that is engraved with Creator Edition with it's a numbered. Let's say the first 500 will be engraved with Creator Edition with the numbers from 1 to 500.

[E]

Do you actually have stock right now? Can people go on the website and order production models? Or is it always community created pre ordered productions?

[Claudio d'Amore]

We have currently we have three collections that will be available for five days deliveries. Because these are collection that have already passed. I would say the, you know, the launch because for us when we make a pre order it's also to validate that the project can go to production and. And if not then of course it will not go to production. And at least we didn't produce a watch that will not sell. If it does, then usually we do second edition still in pre orders. And then the third collection we will have some stock in order to say okay, this one is validated. Now we can have a bit of stock because we know that there is traction for this model. And at the moment There is the Day 41, the T4 and the NB24 models that are available on stock.

[Juni]

I can't wait to get them on my wrist again. I know I've tried them all on before, but I really have to come into the villa and have a look tomorrow. So I'm gonna have to leave you to fly solo of some of these interviews so I can Have a look at the good stuff.

[E]

Right hereby granted.

[Juni]

Claudia, thank you for your time. We wish you the very best. Rest of time to watchers. Enjoy yourself.

[Claudio d'Amore]

Thank you very much, Juni, for inviting me and see you soon.

[Alon]

Code 41, eh Alon. You've got a lot of time for these guys. You've got a lot of time for the watchers. I know that we've sat down together with the team on multiple occasions in Geneva and had some very good conversations. What were your takeaways from this year's event?

[Unnamed Speaker]

How can you not love a guy called Claudio d' Amore? I love what they did from day one. Like Bayeux, they want to break the mold. They do things differently. They think outside the box. They are part of the watchmaking ecosystem. I'm a big fan, and it's interesting how they are pivoting with many of these initial cool cats, these new brands that were direct to consumer and now finding a more holistic 360 way of selling their watches. And they're looking for distributors and retailers. And that's something that I found interesting. And that's also one of the reasons why they are at time to watches. Very technical. I wouldn't dare to call it futuristic, but a lot of skeletonized watches, and they're still making that desktop clock or.

[E]

Pocket watch and, or pocket watch.

[Unnamed Speaker]

So something I, I, I think is uber cool. What, what's your takeaway about the brand and what they're doing right now?

[Alon]

I saw the brand initially as a concept brought to life just similar to Bayo in that sense, that it was a new way of thinking. And maybe another industry corollary to pull in here is Christopher Ward, because code 41's real shtick was their absolute transparency, where they broke down the cost and the origin of all components, if I remember correctly. I think that's really what stood out as a presentation.

[Unnamed Speaker]

It is.

[Alon]

And yeah, that's the way they do it right now. For me, aesthetically, I don't love many of the watches because I don't like skeleton watches very much, as you know. I absolutely adore, though, the desktop clock, the pocket watch, as it were. The, the. It's about mobile phone size, isn't it? It's around the size of an iPhone, I think. And it's, it's a beautiful love letter to watchmaking. I think it's a reminder of the importance of appreciating time as it passes and the tactile nature of, of telling it and engaging with it. And I think aesthetically, it's the most successful thing they've ever done. I particularly like the blue bridge one with the green hands. I don't know if we've got any fans of the Seattle Seahawks. Listen here, but whenever brands deploy this colorway, I'm always tempted to reference their unusual jerseys that Nike obviously made a big splash with when they became uniform sponsors for the NFL. I used to call the old Tangenta update with blue and green accents the Seahawk. I think I even referenced that in an article. And this one here for me is the code 41 Seahawk. We'll call it the 12th man as a nod to Seattle's famous crowd. But I have a question for you, Alan, because I'm a little perplexed by this. Now, I know it's not a cheap thing, but I'm on the website and I'm looking at the price and I.

[Juni]

Think there's an error here because they've.

[Alon]

Got it listed at €44,615. €44,030 for the black dials 1 and 44,265 for the white DAZ. It's not 44,000.

[Unnamed Speaker]

I. I think it's a bug. Yes. They don't make that kind of stuff. Although you're talking about the Mechascape, right? That.

[Claudio d'Amore]

That desktop. Yeah.

[Unnamed Speaker]

Yeah. Well, I'm on the website too and I see, strangely enough, in sterling and it's translated to Dutch. So you know what, let's send a message to Claudio because it used to be below 10. I guess he never made a margin on it. He wanted to make a splash. I think there was round two and this is round three, if I'm not mistaken. You know what, let's put a little disclaimer there because I know the most expensive WristWatch is the X41, something around 10k ish, which is basically almost a proprietary manufacturer caliber. And I want to circle back to the reference you made to Crystal Ward. What I found interesting is code 41 from day one wanted to make unique designs and it was something totally new. And they are very indeed leaning heavily on skeletonized stuff. So either you love it or you don't. That makes it very technical, a technical product. It's. Their DNA is also a lot of cushion shaped cases. What I didn't like about Christopher in the beginning, they were all about being low pricing, a lot of bang for your buck. But they were referred to copycats until the 12 came on the show and the Bel Canto and that broke the mold. So. And that's, I think a Lesson we can take away from analyzing these two. And for all of those that are listening and want to make a new brand, what do you bring to the table and what added value are you bringing both for consumers and to the watchmaking ecosystem?

[Alon]

Yeah, because it's a very interesting transition for Christopher. I'm not sure I would say that the 12 broke the reputation as a copycat, but I would definitely say the Bel Canto did. I think the Bel canto was the moment when you started to see Christopher Ward as a progressive and creative watchmaker rather than again a concept, you know, the concept of, you know, Mike's concept, as he's frequently explained to us on the show, is transparency, connectivity with the audience, giving people what they want, not overthinking it too much in terms of design. Code 41 a little different, little more out there, a little more exciting. Now I'm curious, what's the price of the Mechascape on your machine? What does it say?

[Unnamed Speaker]

So when I look Now I see Sterling 37,665. And I am, I'm on the.comnl so he knows I'm in the Netherlands, but he's projecting me in Sterling.

[Alon]

Okay, interesting, because that's, I guess that is, that's a direct conversion of what I'm seeing from euros, I guess €44,000, about £37,000. But I went on good friends at Monochrome's website to check out the review of this piece when it was was launched and on their site the price was stated at 16,800. That was back in 2023. But either they've realized that it costs twice as much to make, which is totally possible, I suppose, or there's something going on there that needs a little bit of attention. We'll figure that out and we'll come back to it because we need to get Claudio on the show for a full episode anyway.

[Unnamed Speaker]

I think actually if I remember correctly, the first ever launch, remember when all the media co hosts, the media colleagues of ours did a video review. I'm quite sure it was like 999 or something. A symbolic value just below 10k. And I don't think he made a single euro on it. Claudio. The 16 is maybe inflation. I think that this is maybe actually what it costs with a normal margin. But you know what? We'll all our dear listeners and answer will ping Claudio.

[Alon]

Yeah, we will. And we do need to get him on the show because it's a really intriguing story and something very new and novel for the industry. So let's reach out to him and get it set up. It.