BNB Concept
BNB Concept was a Swiss manufacturer of complicated movements, founded near Geneva in 2004 and taken over by Hublot in 2010
Foundation
Initially established in Crans-près-Céligny near Geneva, BNB Concept is a high-end movement manufacturer founded in May 2004. The name comes from the the three young watchmakers behind the company: Mathias Buttet, Michel Navas, and Enrico Barbasini. The three had previously worked at Franck Muller and had grown their team from 4 to 20 employees in 2005, 60 in 2006, and 230 2008, indicating the success of the company. The new company's headquarters is in Duillier.
BNB specializes in movement construction in the high end range. Customers include Jörg Hysek (HD3 Complication), with the HD3 Complication Bi-Axial Tourbillon "Vulcania" clearly showing the capabilities of the movement producer. Hublot is another customer, sourcing the tourbillon chronograph movement in the Bigger Bang. Other customers include Jacob & Co., Bell & Ross and DeWitt. Numerous other watch companies also rely on BNB, but do not want to be named.
BNB was capable of producing high-end movements, complications, and whole watches and rivaled Renaud & Papi and Chrostophe Claret. Notable products included the Hublot Bigger Band, Concord C1 QuantumGravity, Jacob & Co. Quenttin, Bell & Ross Minuteur, Romain Jerome Day & Night.
Confrérie Horlogère
The watch guild, Confrérie Horlogère was created in 2008 based on an idea by Mathias Buttet, the founder and president of BNB Concept SA. It offered BNB staff a platform to realize their own vision. Every year, Buttet picked seven watchmakers to work on their own designs.
Bankruptcy, Hublot, and La Fabrique du Temps
In January 2010 BNB filed bankruptcy. The company's supply of spare parts, CNC machinery, and 29 employees, including Buttet, were taken on by Hublot, one of its biggest customers. The concept of "Confrérie" (brotherhood) was continued under the name "Confrérie Horlogère Hublot". These elements were moved to Nyon, near Geneva.
Navas and Barbasini went on to form La Fabrique du Temps, a similar company that produced high-end watches for the likes of Jacob & Co. starting in 2011. This company was purchased by Louis Vuitton the next year, becoming that manufacturer's high-end watch studio.
Address
BNB Concept SA
Zone Industrielle Les Bucléis
CH-1266 Duillier