Here is the story of a small Italian skunkworks showcasing our long-established talent of crafting finely engineered mechanical timepieces. Italy prides itself on encouraging the Swiss Made industry to flourish; we can't forget how visionary people like Corvo or Monti are back in the days. Our technical ingenuity is second to none, and a new generation of watch enthusiasts is hitting the spot and enlarging the independent brands' portfolio like never before. I will tell you the Inceptum Duo A story, a unique and promising start-up launched by two young engineers.
I recently met Alessandro Metelli, a 27 years old entrepreneur who, along with his partner Andrea, founded Inceptum, a boutique brand supported by the Faculty of Engineering of Brescia, which provided them with technical equipment and testing facilities via the Department of Mechanical Engineering's laboratories. I took the chance to sit down with him and ask some questions regarding project status and vision.
Dear Alessandro, what drove you to embark on such a project and join the ultra-competitive watchmaking industry?
We are driven by passion and the technical expertise acquired so far. Our university is supporting us and encouraging us to move forward. Our vision was to craft an entirely crafted Italian timepiece and a product geared towards connoisseurs.
May you tell more about the product's features?
Our timepiece is 37mm across and adopts an Aisi 316L steel machined case. I'll pick the double-edged profile among its distinctive features, the first being micro-sandblasted and the second polished instead.
The lugs undergo a micro sandblasting process, too, while the case side and bottom showcase polished treatment with the case back carrying the wording "Designed in Italy – Prototype number 1" engraved on top. The mechanical movement is a thoroughly-reworked ETA 2801 module with a hand-winding beating at 4Hz and ensuring 48 hours of power reserve when fully wound.
The brass-made dial is micro-milled, polished, nickel-plated, and finally, PVD treated to give the matte black finish you'll see in pictures. It adopts Breguet–style numerals and raised profiles tooled via two-tenths of a millimeter precise milling machine to provide an enhanced three-dimensional visual effect. Pictured here is prototype number one; be aware the final production model might change.
What is your current production capacity?
We're going to manufacture fifty pieces at SOP; this is our production capacity.
You unveiled your "Prototipo Uno" during Watches of Italy's first edition; what was the audience's reaction?
The reaction was utterly positive, and we received encouragement to move forward with the project.
Inceptum duo A is the name of your start-up; when do you expect to hit the market?
The final model and sales will roll out towards the end of 2021.
Finally, what is the new timepiece's price point?
The current model will go on sale at around 3,700 Euros.
Thank you so much, Alessandro. I look forward to seeing you again soon. For your further information, Inceptum Duo A will attend Watches of Italy's second edition, expected the next 25 and 26 September, in Tortona.
(Photo credit: courtesy of Inceptum Duo A)
Salvatore Oliviero @Horbiter®
