Nako Timepieces partners with Montsho
Luxury watchmaker, Nako Timepieces has partnered with track queen Amantle Montsho as she prepares for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Montsho was presented with her own Nako Timepieces Three Dikgosi edition slimline ‘moonlit’ red and a plaque in recognition and celebration of her role in athletics.
Nako Timepieces co-founder, Gabriel Mothibedi said their vision is beyond making money. “Our purpose is designing and making products that celebrate the historical stories of Botswana. In the same way, we are interested in community development, capacity-building and enhancing industries particularly sport, art and design,” he said.
Mothibedi explained that after launching the women’s watch, they decided that since there was an athlete who has been making the country proud for years, it was only proper to appreciate her.
“The government and other companies have tried. We decided that we should also play our part. Wherever she goes, she has a watch with her, even when at international competitions she would be wearing it. She would be wearing it at the Olympics. It is a local brand and she would be able to tell our story. These are the stories that we should sell outside,” he said.
Mothibedi added that when athletes compete at the international stage, they are not representing themselves but the country.
He said, for now, they have given Montsho a watch, but next it could be something else because they should cater to the athlete’s needs.
“We have met with her in a limited time because they are busy with Olympics preparations. We gave a plague to honour and recognise her. We are yet to discuss a partnership with her where we would find out what resources she would need and what we could afford,” Mothibedi said. He said there is an issue of advocacy where they spread the word to different stakeholders. Mothibedi added some people are not aware that it is an Olympics year. He said the partnership would be finalised at a later stage as the athlete has other international partners and they would not like to bruise their egos. Mothibedi said they decided that while they are still negotiating they should recognise her. “Montsho is not Nako Timepieces ambassador because we do not have brand ambassadors at the moment. It was just an honour and to create awareness. This partnership is particularly focused on the 2020 Olympics,” he said.
Mothibedi said Tokyo 2020 is a point of entry and after that, they would have another discussion but would not affect other partnerships she has with other companies. He urged other companies to extend their visions and assist athletes. “This is our sport. Athletes are not only making themselves proud but also the country. The stories of Botswana should be written by us, people of Botswana need to be supported by us,” Mothibedi said.