Watch company Czapek & Cie has become the first business to pitch for funds simultaneously in three different countries via crowdfunding.
The Swiss Haute Horlogerie brand is offering watch enthusiasts and other investors the opportunity to become co-owners of the business in a pitch looking to raise a maximum of £759,000.
By reaching out to an international audience, the company hopes to be able to access a broader investor base and a larger source of funds.
In the UK, Czapek & Cie has partnered with Crowd for Angels and in France and Switzerland with Raizers.
The company is aiming to raise cash to fund the initial production of the proprietary SXH1 watch and to support its sales and marketing objectives.
To date it has reached almost a third of its target, with £240,000 raised.
Investments start at a minimum of just £33, while those looking to plough serious cash into the venture can potentially become a member of the advisory board.
Xavier de Roquemaurel, CEO and co-founder of Czapek & Cie, said: “Every watch lover’s dream is to feel the excitement of owning a brand and thanks to modern crowd funding possibilities we can now fulfill that dream internationally.”
He added: “Raizers & Crowd for Angels demonstrated the level of Collaborative spirit and financial expertise we needed to execute perfectly a Luxury fundraising in a web 2.0 environment.”
The origins of Czapek & Cie can be traced back to 1839 when Czech-born, Polish watchmaker François Czapek founded Patek, Czapek and Cie with fellow Pole Antoni Patek.
For six years they produced exceptional watches and at the end of their partnership, in 1845, Czapek founded Czapek & Cie. At its height, the company had boutiques in Geneva, Warsaw and Paris.
The brand, which is now based in Geneva, was re-established in 2013 by three entrepreneurs with a passion for fine watches and outstanding mechanics. The company raised CHF500,000 (£350,000) in spring 2015 in order to deliver the first pre-series for this October.
The timepieces will be made available by subscription and through selected retailers.
