- The timepieces are a product development partnership in an effort to position Botswana as a Global Diamond Hub through marketing strategies that will tell and dignify the Botswana diamond story
GOSEGO MOTSUMI
Following the transformational agreement between the Government of Botswana and De-Beers Group signed last July for value addition to Botswana diamonds through jewellery design and watchmaking, Nako Timepieces recently launched Botswana Diamond Edition watches styled “Moon Phase.”
An aspect of the agreement is about jewellery and watches inspired by the country’s rich cultural heritage and indigenous knowledge.
Nako Timepieces collaborated with Okavango Diamond Company as part of celebrating the 10th anniversary of ODC, in a product development partnership to position Botswana as a global diamond hub through marketing strategies that will tell and dignify the Botswana diamond story.
The shape of the moon
Founder and product engineer at Nako Timepieces, Gabriel Mothibedi, explained in an interviews: “A moon phase watch is a timepiece that shows the different phases of the moon through a small hole on the dial.
“Through the aperture, you’ll see the current phase of the moon exactly as it looks in the sky without having to ever go outside at night. The watch gets its name from the shape of the moon as it travels around the earth.
“These phases – the shape of the Moon’s sunlit portion as viewed from Earth – are called moon phases or lunar phases. The shape of the moon gradually changes throughout the month as it orbits the Earth and the Earth orbits the Sun. The aperture hides the part of the moon that isn’t visible during the 29.5-day lunar cycle.”
Botswana blue
The all new timepieces feature diamonds sourced from Botswana of carats ranging from 0.3 to 1.0.
The pieces come in a satin white dial, Botswana blue genuine leather straps padded with crocodile stain, casing made of surgical stainless steel, hardened mineral glass with sapphire coating, water-resistance of up to 50 metres – 5 ATM, a High Quality Swiss Made Automatic movement sourced from Breitling.
The functions are moonphase, minutes, hours, seconds and date indication and case diameter of ø 44 mm for men and ø 38 mm for women.
For the President and the First Lady
Said Mothibedi: “We only have two pieces for the First Lady Neo Masisi and President Mokgweetsi Masisi. They are unisex in design, not mass produced yet and currently not available for sale. Details will be communicated.”
Addressing the 2022 Natural Diamond Summit in October, President Masisi said diamonds are not sustainable because they are a depleting resource, hence the priority is to work together with the industry to support the sustainable growth of the diamond value chain in order to continue to invest in other sectors of the economy.
Nako Timepieces and Okavango Diamond Company subsequently joined hands in a product development partnership in order to participate in making government’s vision a success.
Design innovation
“In addition, we have adopted Brand Nako as a case study to foster engagement and government-led participatory activities in creating awareness and building understanding of design innovation: jewellery design and watchmaking as prospects of business growth and higher value jobs that can transform the economy, Mothibedi said.
“Through our product offerings and promotions, we would not only like to promote Botswana’s culture through storytelling. Our mission is to build capacity into Botswana’s innovative, ingenious and creative potential by enhancing the quality parameters of her products and services, as well as promoting authentic product design inspired by the country’s rich cultural heritage and indigenous knowledge.
“Furthermore, we envision strengthening the professional practice of design innovation: jewellery design and watchmaking to achieve business and economic development objectives.”