Skip to main content

Foto Nouveau watches are inspired by Leica and Hasselblad camera designs

foto nouveau watch design camera leica hasselblad watches 1
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Smartwatches might be all the craze nowadays, but if you’re looking for something more traditional with a touch of photographic inspiration, you might find yourself interested in Foto Nouveau.

Founded by Getty Images Art Director William Bon, Foto Nouveau is an up and coming watch and accessory manufacture inspired by the designs of cameras new and old.

The company came to be with the help of a savings account Bon had created with the income he earned from shooting photo assignments. After developing a handful of designs, Bon traveled the world in search of facilities able to produce the watches he had meticulously designed.

Foto Watches 2
Image used with permission by copyright holder

From the initial sketch to the final product took roughly three years, but it is now finally complete. The first three Foto Nouveau watches have been released to the world, each of which features a face inspired by photographic equipment.

All three of the watches are constructed of stainless steel cases, calf leather straps, sapphire crystal faces, and Ronda movements.

“Foto Nouveau combines design elements of classic film and modern digital cameras into unique small-batch time pieces and accessories,” says the company’s website, adding “the results are products that reflect visual and tactile elements of medium format and 35mm camera design.”

Foto Watches 3
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Two of the watches are based off viewfinder designs, complete with focusing points and overlays. These come in at $300 a piece. The third watch is inspired by the optical construction of 50mm lenses and costs $280.

If traditional watches aren’t your thing and you already have a smartwatch, you could always save yourself the trouble and create a photography-inspired face all on your own.

Editors' Recommendations

6K for $2,495? Blackmagic Design does it again with the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K
blackmagic design does it again pocket cinema camera 6k pcc6k header

During a livestream on August 8, Blackmagic Design announced the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, an upgrade over the PCC4K, which will remain available as part of the product line. The PCC6K introduces a higher-resolution 6K sensor (6,144 x 3,456), which is also physically larger, forcing a move up to the Super 35 format compared to the Four Thirds sensor found in the 4K version of the camera. That also means a new lens mount was necessary, and Blackmagic Design chose the Canon EF mount.

The Pocket Cinema Camera 4K was already one of our favorite cameras, earning a 9 out of 10 in our review and topping our list of the best video cameras. While it lacked some refinements, it did more than any other camera to bring down the costs of professional digital film production, making it an excellent tool for students and indie filmmakers at just $1,300. The PCC6K won't be quite as cheap, but its $2,495 price is still very affordable compared to any other Super 35 cinema camera.

Read more
Fujifilm’s most-hyped camera has just started shipping
Fujifilm's X100VI camera, released in 2024.

The latest iteration of Fujifilm’s X100 camera started shipping on Wednesday.

The X100VI is -- as the name cleverly suggests -- the sixth in the series. Early reviews have been mostly positive as the camera builds on the successes of the already impressive earlier models going all the way back to the original X100, which launched in 2011.

Read more
How to resize an image on Mac, Windows, and a Chromebook
Windows 11 set up on a computer.

Resizing an image is something we’re all going to have to do at some point in our digital lives. And whether you’re using Windows, macOS, or you’re rocking a Chromebook, there are ways to scale images up and down on each PC. Fortunately, these are all relatively simple methods too.

Read more