Bostami Ahmad’s Artwist.Co Thrives in Success with Unique Timepieces

BY: Michelle Liew

Artwist limited edition watches feature unique artworks by artists from all over the world and the main driving force behind the production of this superior product is none other than Bostami Ahmad who is also the founder of Artwist.Co.

"Our focus at Artwist.Co is to produce watches that have their own story, combining art and elegance," Bostami told Bernama in a recent interview.

Artwist.Co is a company based in Malaysia with the support of the Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (MRANTI) under the Global Market Fit Program (GMP).

Before this, perhaps no one could have imagined the production of a limited-edition watch as a work of art or the imagination of an artist could be immortalized in a watch.

What's interesting is that the watches produced by Artwist are limited in quantity - only 1 to 300 units are produced, making the watch unique and sought after by collectors.

Each watch is produced in limited quantities to allow watch designers and engineers enough time and space to create new product masterpieces and find sources of inspiration with high quality precision. The serial number printed on the back surface of the watch also guarantees that each watch is unique and cannot be copied.

According to Bostami, 42, who is also a graduate of the Faculty of Creative Multimedia, Multimedia University (MMU), Artwist.Co was established in 2018 to provide space for artists to sell their artwork to generate finance through a dynamic product collaboration method.

Since their paintings can decorate the clock face as well as hang on the wall, Artwist clocks can be worn, styled and taken anywhere in the world.

"So far, more than 25 artisans, including from Malaysia and abroad, such as Nic Mac (London, England), Mayuko Miura (Tokyo, Japan) and international designer Aleksandra Erdogan from Moscow, Russia have contributed to this business," he said.

Bostami added that the latest hand-drawn and limited-edition products under the Artwist brand are the result of collaboration with famous artists and figures including former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and legendary singer and composer Datuk M. Nasir.

In 2021, Bostami and his partner Zakiyah Hasan combine the skills developed at the Scuola Politecnica Di Design, Milan and have design project experience with Lamborghini, Moleskine, Whirlpool, 3M in Italy and the Google XPrize Moon Mission in America.

During a meeting with Bostami at their company headquarters in Cyberjaya, the writer had the opportunity to see for himself some of the unique watch collections produced by Artwist.Co.

For the writer, the most amazing watch is the one named 'Gerbang', which depicts the artwork of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Palestine, painted by Datuk M. Nasir himself.

This collection, which also featured the 'Suatu Masa' edition watch (one of M. Nasir's popular songs), was produced to celebrate his 40th anniversary in the world of music.

This watch is of course the dream of fans of this legendary singer known by his stage name 'Sifu' because his name and signature are written on the watch and the warranty card of the watch.

Bostami also shared his experience of meeting with Datuk M. Nasir for the production of two sets of limited-edition watch designs, and it was one of the main events that boosted the Artwist brand.

"This watch collection makes us more famous to customers and the local market. During the sales exhibition session at Datuk M. Nasir's Satu Hikayat 40-year Concert (23-24 Nov 2019) at the Plenary Hall, Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC), all "The 120 units of watches on display are sold out. This is where we see a golden opportunity to expand our empire in the watchmaking industry through a co-brand strategy and compete with other global watch brands," he said.

The production of limited-edition watches, which is also the core business strategy of Artwist.Co, also opens up opportunities for artists to profit from the resale value of the watch, which usually increases in value over time.

In addition to collaborating with various figures, music groups and local label brands, Artwist.Co is also in the process of highlighting the figure of the Prime Minister who has contributed a lot to the progress and modernization of Malaysia, through his watch collection.

According to him, his company is working hand in hand with the National Archives of Malaysia and the Perdana Leadership Foundation to pay tribute to iconic Malaysian personalities by producing a collection of Statesmen - The Malaysian Prime Minister Series.

"This limited-edition watch is a combination of traditional heritage and luxurious contemporary design, displaying the unique style of each Prime Minister. We create a watch that people want to wear not only because of its traditional function of telling time but because of its unique design," he explained.

One of the company's impactful projects is to celebrate Tun Mahathir's 40th Anniversary as the 4th and 7th Prime Minister (1981 - 2021), who is also known as the Father of Malaysia's Modernization.

For this exclusive combination, Artwist designed two watch editions named Patriot and Vision, combining the values of modern elegance and timeless aesthetics.

"Another example is the elegantly designed watch with Tun M's signature. There is also graphic art on the face of the watch inspired by the shape of the KLCC Twin Towers from above," he added.

So far, Artwist has successfully sold thousands of watches including exporting to more than 22 countries.

Watch enthusiasts can find more information about Artwist watches at www.artwist.co

For corporates or institutes interested in ordering a watch with their own logo as a souvenir, can contact Artwist.Co at hello@artwist.co