NEPTO

What NEPTO does

NEPTO is a French watchmaking company founded in December 2018 and headquartered in Le Mesnil-le-roi, France. It designs and sells quartz watches through a direct-to-consumer e-commerce site serving individual consumers globally, with collections branded Vultura, Shield, and Numéro 1 priced between €249.90 and €279.90 per piece, plus a strap line at €19.90–€34.90. Annual production is on the order of 1,000 watches, indicating a small-batch positioning aimed at the affordable premium segment rather than mass-market volume.

The product uses third-party Miyota quartz movements housed in 316L stainless steel cases with 3D-printed dials, pairing commodity movement technology with distinctive case geometry and in-house design. The company offers free worldwide shipping above €100, a 45-day return window, and a 2-year warranty, and it ships internationally with multi-language catalogs in French, English, and German. Recognition includes an Iron A'Design Award (2019), Sublime Magazine's Original Time and Good Brand Award (2020), a New York Times feature on its sustainable packaging (2020), and inclusion in Top 50 French watch brand rankings.

NEPTO operates as a privately held SAS, is bootstrapped (no external funding disclosed), and runs with a small team led by founder Vincent Ifrah, who also leads design. The business model is pure DTC retail margin on watches and accessories, with no wholesale or B2B channels described.

Name

NEPTO

Legal name

NEPTO SAS

Website

https://nepto.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NEPTO is a bootstrapped French DTC watchmaker founded in 2018, selling small-batch quartz watches (€249.90–€279.90) and straps directly to global consumers via e-commerce, with collections branded Vultura, Shield, and Numéro 1.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Watches

NAICS

Jewelry Retailers (458310)

SIC

Retail-Jewelry Stores (5944)

akta.pro primary industry

Fashion Watches (CRAKADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dress/Formal Watches (CRAKADAF), Luxury Quartz Watches (CRAKADAB)

Keywords

• Designer watches
• Quartz timepieces
• Watch straps
• French watchmaking
• Direct-to-consumer watches

Headquarters

HQ city

Le Mesnil-le-roi

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct Watch Sales: NEPTO generates revenue primarily through direct online sales of watches to consumers. Watches are sold at fixed price points (€249.90 and €279.90), with each watch purchased as a complete product including a strap. Production volume is approximately 1,000 watches per year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NEPTO designs and sells distinctive French-designed wristwatches and interchangeable watch straps direct-to-consumers worldwide through its own e-commerce site. Its portfolio spans three main watch collections—Vultura (extraordinary case shape), Shield (hexagonal case), and Numéro 1 (3D-printed embossed dials)—each powered by Miyota quartz movements and priced at €249.90–€279.90, complemented by Italian-made leather, metal mesh, silicone, and NATO fabric straps.

Product overview

NEPTO is a French watchmaking company launched in December 2018, offering a portfolio of approximately 85 watch products across three main watch collections (Vultura, Shield, and Numero 1) plus a dedicated straps line. The company produces about 1,000 watches annually with unique case shapes (round and hexagonal) and offers straps in various materials (leather, metal, rubber, NATO fabric). All watches feature Miyota quartz movements, are water resistant to 5 ATM, and come with a 2-year warranty. The company emphasizes French design with Italian craftsmanship for straps, and sustainable packaging using recycled cardboard.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Collection Vultura: Watch collection featuring an extraordinary watch shape and groundbreaking design.
• Collection Shield
• Collection Numéro 1

Products and services

• Vultura Watch Collection The Vultura collection features an extraordinary, non-mainstream watch case shape described as groundbreaking, including color variants such as Onyx Black, Sanguine Copper, Apyrit Rose Gold, Halcyon Blue, and Aureate Brass with mesh metal straps. Each watch is priced at €249.90 and is sold directly to individual consumers seeking distinctive French-designed timepieces.
• Shield Watch Collection The Shield collection is defined by a unique hexagonal case shape inspired by the Paris coat of arms, offered with a beautiful combination of colors and a balanced design. It includes the award-winning Shield Blue Ocean model and targets design-conscious consumers and gift buyers, with prices around €279.90.
• Numéro 1 Watch Collection The Numéro 1 collection features 3D-printed dials with embossed designs and special hands for elegant time-telling. The Blue Ocean dial uses 3D printing to create a blue smoke impression with relief. Targeted at design-oriented consumers, with most models priced at €279.90.
• NEPTO Watch Straps Interchangeable watch straps made in Italy with a quick release mechanism, available in 18mm and 22mm sizes across leather (croc, corda, ostrich, derby, quilt, zebra), metal mesh, rubber, silicone, and NATO fabric options. Mesh metal, silicone, and NATO straps are priced at €19.90, perforated and pattern leather at €29.90, and premium leather straps at €34.90, allowing daily personalization of NEPTO watches.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 1,000 watches produced per year
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Almagro Film FestivalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNEPTO is an official sponsor of the Almagro Film Festival in Spain, representing a cultural/marketing sponsorship that aligns with the brand's creative and design-oriented positioning.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cluse: Dutch direct-to-consumer fashion watch brand selling minimalist, design-forward analog timepieces in the €150-250 price band via own e-commerce. Closest comparable to NEPTO's positioning, price tier and channel mix.
• Bering: Danish minimalist watch brand selling slim, design-forward quartz timepieces globally. Similar premium-affordable positioning and overlap in target buyer (design-conscious urban consumer).
• TRIWA: Stockholm-based fashion watch brand with design-led positioning, mix of analog watches and straps in the €150-300 band. Overlaps with NEPTO on Scandinavian-influenced minimalism and strap customization story.
• Kapten & Son: German D2C watch and accessory brand with Scandinavian minimalism cues, similar price points and similar founder-led brand-building trajectory in the European market.
• MVMT: D2C fashion watch brand (now part of Movado Group) that built scale through minimalist analog quartz designs sold online. Direct benchmark for the D2C fashion watch play NEPTO is pursuing.
• Daniel Wellington: Swedish-born D2C watch pioneer built on minimalist design, interchangeable straps and Instagram-driven marketing. Same core offer (analog quartz watch + strap ecosystem) at overlapping price points but far greater scale.
• Ice-Watch: Belgian fashion watch brand known for colorful, design-driven quartz timepieces at accessible price points. Comparable in brand-led positioning and analog quartz product category.

Broad incumbents

• Skagen: Fossil Group-owned Danish minimalist watch brand with extensive multi-channel retail and bigger catalog. Comparable design language but vastly larger distribution footprint than NEPTO.
• Fossil Group: Global watch and accessories group with a portfolio spanning fashion, hybrid and smartwatch categories at the affordable-premium tier. Sets the structural competitive context NEPTO operates within.
• Mondaine: Swiss design-led watch brand with broader product portfolio (railway clock heritage, multiple collections). Overlaps with NEPTO on design-forward analog watches and Swiss/European brand cachet.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UClEuoywFQJM9wyoFqIqNT-Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/nepto.official
• Instagraminstagram.com/nepto.official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nepto-official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NEPTO