Who is ADVOLAT?

At ADVOLAT North America, we are about building a community and sharing experiences. And we’re all about being stylish while doing it. Most people think luxury watches are for only the very wealthy, but we’re changing that. With our limited-edition functional watches, you can be part of an exclusive group, too.

ADVOLAT North America offers high-quality timepieces that are ready for duty. Military members and first responders field-tested these watches and put them through high-stress situations. They proved that ADVOLAT watches can handle anything that’s thrown at them.

History of ADVOLAT

ADVOLAT was founded in 2013 by architect Kristina C. Franke and engineer and entrepreneur Dr.-Ing. Wolf D. Franke. Both founders are fascinated by design, technology and precision and strive to create sustainable products as lasting values in contrast to the throwaway society. Teamwork and recognition of all those involved in the creation are lived values.

The congenial couple has been married for a long time and has three children. While Kristina managed construction projects as an architect, among other things, Wolf worked for 15 years at a large automotive supplier, which interestingly also brought him into close contact with the luxury watch manufacturers IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre and A. Lange & Söhne. In the automotive sector, he worked in engineering and as a production manager, then as a quality manager and later as a board member and sole managing director in Europe, Australia and Malaysia. His appointment as managing partner of a Swiss consulting firm took them both to Basel, Switzerland, where Wolf helped make successful companies even more successful as well as lead struggling companies out of the red, while Kristina managed the market entry for German luxury bathtubs in Australia and New Zealand.

At some point, they took stock and asked themselves about work-life balance. The children demanded more presence and the family wanted to spend more time together - and watches had always been a calling and a vision. The feeling for shapes, colors and precision finally resulted in the foundation of ADVOLAT.

ADVOLAT North America was born out of a partnership between Ulrich Wahl Holdings LLC—a veteran-owned business—and ADVOLAT Schweiz to bring ADVOLAT watches to the North American market.

What Sets Us Apart

The ADVOLAT watch studio is based in Basel, Switzerland, and all of our timepieces ship to North America from there. ADVOLAT has a time-honored tradition of making quality, robust watches.

All watch models are limited-edition runs of primarily 888 or 8,888 pieces. When a model sells out, we will never reproduce it. This makes owning an ADVOLAT timepiece a unique and personal experience.

ADVOLAT is a member of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH, which accepts only watch manufacturers that adhere to the strict standards in place by Swiss law.

All ADVOLAT timepieces come with a 36-month international warranty that covers your watch no matter where in the world you are. We will work to make sure that your timepiece provides you with the best experience, and we stand behind our offerings! Each Certificate of Authenticity lists the terms of this warranty.

Our philanthropic efforts focus on the veteran and first responder communities. With every watch sale, we donate $10 to Headstrong. This organization is dedicated to healing the hidden wounds of war. They are committed to veteran mental-health care, and we are proud to support their mission. Consider donating to their cause even if you do not purchase a timepiece from us.

Explore our watches, ask us questions, and know that we are here to bring you a timekeeping experience like no other—one that is meant to be cherished and shared. So tag us on Instagram when you’re wearing your newest timepiece and follow us on Facebook to keep up with limited-edition releases. Explore and go on adventures with a stunning timepiece right by your side!