Monday, December 2, 2013

AkriviA - Tourbillon Monopusher Chronograph

 
An Exceptional Brand
 
AkriviA was born of the meeting of two promising personalities from Geneva’s horology galaxy, Rexhep Rexhepi and Etienne Deschamps.
This brand has established itself within the great traditions of horology, that of ingenious mechanisms of the first clocks, with the most refined complications. It is with the ambition of the great players in the world of horology and the Arts that Akrivia, today, presents exceptional timepieces, aligning heritage with the reinterpretation of contemporary aestheticism. 
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Rexhep Rexhepi
It was at the tender age of 12 that this young horology aficionado left Kosovo for Geneva.
A passionate and committed student, he obtained his horology diploma from Patek Philippe. Geneva’s great watchmaking house wished to keep him on and offered him his first contract as a professional watchmaker. Over a period of two years, this tireless and inquisitive young man would work in virtually every atelier of the watchmaking house.
Upon being noticed by BNB Concept, he perfected his skills whilst working on complicated mechanisms. At the age of 20, he was made manager of the atelier.
Francois-Paul Journe also took interest in the young and talented watchmaker, and put him in charge of mounting some world re-known calibres. 
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Despite being more than fulfilled in his job, Rexhep aspired to be more independent. His experience gained alongside the greatest stimulated his creativity, and it was at night, after long days at work, that his project to launch his own brand matured. The first time-keeper conceived by his own hands was a tourbillon chronograph. He then partnered with Etienne Deschamps, a young horologer sharing the same aspirations.

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Etienne Deschamps


Etienne Deschamps grew up in the Geneva countryside, far from the established and prestigious watchmakers.
It was almost by accident, at the age of 15, that he became acquainted with horology. More than being just a job, he discovered in it an identity, a tradition, and roots. He then began his apprenticeship with the Chopard house.
After four years of study, he was awarded the title of best watchmaker in Geneva for his end-of-year exams.

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With a deep desire to travel the world, Etienne spent eight months in Brisbane, in the Australian Queensland, to perfect his English and satiate his taste for adventure. A few months after his return, Chopard offered him the position of Method Agent.
It was not easy though to stay put after having had a taste of freedom and travel. Etienne therefore jumped onto a new opportunity: that of setting up his own business.
A methodical and patient man, he left the comforts of a secure job to return to university, where he later obtained a Bachelors degree in Management at the ESM, Management and Communication school.


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The AkriviA Tourbillon Monopusher Chronograph
 For me as a watchmaker, a tourbillon will always remain one of the most challenging and beautiful types of escapement mechanisms to create - and this is the reason why it is at the heart of my first AkriviA timepiece. However, using a tourbillon was just one of several decisions regarding my specific choice of this type of movement. I was also fascinated by the combination of a tourbillon with the more rare variety of chronograph called a ‘monopusher’. 
  
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This is one of the oldest chronograph types that we know of, with a grand history dating back to the 19th century. Even today in the 21st century it remains the most easy to use chronograph type, perfectly suited to the typical timing tasks of everyday life.  This combination of tourbillon and monopusher chronograph is very inspiring for me in the way it combines complications in an elegant manner for a contemporary watch design. I see no reason why a watch cannot be useful, as well as high-end and elegant!
 
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The movement I am using for the first series of AkriviA timepieces was developed by friends of mine here in Geneva; in fact, I was even able to follow its development directly as it was being designed. So it also has its ‘roots’ in the Geneva tradition – the city where I grew up and presently live.

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It embodies everything that tradition has to offer while being different from the rest and in fact, it is actually quite rare as very few of these calibers were made. 
 On a more technical watchmaking level, an aspect I really enjoy is the fact that the chronograph mechanism is built up on the dial side, which is quite rare in the world of watchmaking. All of the bridges, springs, plates and the tourbillon cage, the balance with its gold timing screws, the chronograph wheel and many more details - have all been re-designed following my personal approach to watchmaking, and for this reason many new parts were created from steel, which allows me to work to a high level of finishing as well as providing extensive longevity regarding wear and tear.

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 Some of these changes were purely visible in order to follow all the codes for the Geneva Seal; others were undertaken in order to optimize the monopusher chronograph functions for perfect chronometric results and the elimination of backlash when stopping and starting the mechanism. And, last but not least, as a watchmaker, I am exceptionally pleased that the timing results of this movement when completed in this manner have turned out to be exceptional in every way.

Design
In the design of the case for my watch, I was strongly influenced by classical traditions as a starting point; however, it was not my wish to merely copy a particular look or style of case design from the past. For this reason I chose to create a strong identity using what I would call a neo-classical design vocabulary.

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The case design recalls the elegant cases of the past only by indirect inference, yet its design is firmly rooted in the more dynamic lines of the 21st century. And with an eye to the user, in order to make the watch comfortable to wear, a lot of attention was paid to such details as the creation of a streamlined, ergonomic case form and outline, the shape of the pusher as well as the angle and direction in which the fingers touch the case when using the chronograph functions. The anti-glare treated sapphire glass front and back provide the perfect window on the movement’s key features and the attention given to each detail.

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With a philosophy identical to that used in the movement, the case is extremely finely finished in every detail as well as complex in its realization with more than 30 separate parts; for this reason it takes me more than 5 days of work to complete the case by hand to the same level as my movement. And of course, here also you will find hand engraved inscriptions on the case to complement that work….

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DIAL SIDE
Created according to the highest standards of traditional Swiss watchmaking, all components of the chronograph movement were made by hand. The engravings, chamfering, matte finishings, cicle grain finishings, the mirror polishing and some 36 inward angles constitute all the finishings.
Under the chronograph bridge, you can see more of the hammer and gear teeth, with another specificity; the wheels. They have been specially cut with a patented design by AkriviA.

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TOURBILLON
The tourbillon seduces us with its size, its elegant proportions and the quality of its finishings. The 10 inward angles and mirror polished surfaces complete this unique haute horlogerie mechanism.

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MOVEMENT SIDE
The sapphire case-back reveals a structure in accordance with the purest tradition of Geneva. The different bridges are all adorned with straight Côtes de Genève, created with boxwood and covered in diamond paste.
A mirror-polished steel plate is enthroned in the center of the movement and draws the eye of the connoisseur.

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The movement bridges - all beveled by hand - bring rigidity to the masterpiece, that is necessary for accurate chronometric results. This construction is inspired by marine chronometers, which must be accurate under all circumstances. This is also why the Saturn timepiece maintains a sporty essence.
On the baseplate decorated with a fine stippling, and hand-chamfered, one notices the steel ratchet wheel and the barrel. 

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The center wheel and the intermediary wheel are both angled, have circular-graining and are plated with yellow gold. The AkriviA logo, the "Manufacturé à Genève" inscription as well as the rest of the inscriptions are hand engraved.

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Each timepiece is unique and entirely assembled by hand by the same watchmaker. Only 10 samples of this ultra-exclusive timepiece will be manuafactured.

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Technical Description

Movement
DIMENSIONS
• Diameter: 30.00mm / Thickness: 7.40mm
NUMBER OF PARTS
• Complete movement : 286 parts / Tourbillon cage : 63 parts
NUMBER OF JEWELS
• 33 / Olive-domed and plate jewels
POWER RESERVE
• 100 hours / With chronograph engaged: 72h
CHRONOGRAPH
• Engages directly with the Tourbillon cage
• Column-wheel
• Snail type gear-trains design by AkriviA
• Steel parts decorated by inward angles and sinks
• Chronograph wheels and parts decorated by hand
MAIN PLATE
• Interior and exterior flanks finished with angles and sinks polished by hand.
• Manual circular graining
• Rhodium finish
BRIDGES
• Interior and exterior flanks decorated with 10 inward angles created and polished
by hand.
• Angles and sinks with hand graining and polishing by hand
• “Côtes de Genève” decoration
• Manual circular graining even on non-visible parts
• Finishing of all steel parts with hand made blocked and facet polishing
• All inscriptions engraved by hand (“AkriviA”; N°, “Manufacturé à Genève”, logo)
• Nickel-rhodium finish
• Hand-engraved inscriptions finished in 3N gold
TOURBILLON CAGE
• Cage pillars in Titanium
• Bridges in hand blocked and facet polished steel
• Eight hand made and polished inward angles
• Swiss anchor escapement
• 60-second rotation
• Weight of the cage: 0.45g
BALANCE WHEEL
• Gold timing screws
• Diameter 9.60 mm
FREQUENCY • 21,600 vph
DISPLAYS
• Hour and minute / Chronograph minutes and seconds / Segmented power reserve (100 hours)
Bridge side view
Dial side view
Exterior
CASE
• Available in Steel or 18K 5N red gold
• Front sapphire glass crystal with anti-reflective treatment (both sides)
• Lateral tab at 9 o’clock provides optimal ergonomic positioning of the fingers
when engaging the chronograph
• Case composed of 30 parts
• Transparent back of sapphire glass with anti-reflective treatment (both sides)
• Hand engraved inscriptions placed on the circumference
CASE DIMENSIONS
• Diameter: 43mm
• Thickness: 12.90mm
WATER RESISTANCE
• 3 ATM (30m / 100ft)
CROWN
• In steel or 18K 5N red gold with engraved and polished AkriviA logo
• Engraved circumference with “clous de Paris” decoration
DIAL
• Black PVD–coated German silver base
• Silver pigments for the hour and minute markers (steel version)
or blue pigments (red gold version)
• Brushed and rhodium finished minute and seconds display
• Brushed and rhodium finished power reserve sector
• Hand engraved, blocked and facet polished decorative inset at 12 o’ clock
• Hand engraved, blocked and facet polished decorative insert around
the tourbillon cage in steel
HANDS
• Sword shaped hour, minute, seconds and chronograph minute hands in AkriviA design
• Hands with Rhodium finish
• Power reserve in brushed German silver with rhodium finish and red lacquer
STRAP AND CLASP
• Hand-sewn black alligator
• Choice of 18K, 5N red gold deployant clasp or pin buckle, both with hand-engraved
AkriviA logo and hand stitched alligator strap

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www.facebook.com - AkriviA 
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www.AkriviA.ch

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