Tuesday, July 28, 2015

ArtyA – Arabesque Tourbillon

ArtyAARABESQUE Flying Tourbillon - Pièce Unique NEW

Here’s exactly why it’s exceptional:

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Firstly, there’s the way the case have been made – engraved out of grade 5 titanium, more usually renowned for its outstanding hardness. The floral motifs draw inspiration from foliage patterns on historic gun stocks. The watch is made from as-cast titanium and inlaid with 18-carat gold.

Secondly, the ArtyA-manufactured flying tourbillon has bridges that  have been cut into multiple layers of carbon fibre arabesques.

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Is it still worth pointing out that this is something all-new from ArtyA, a first in watchmaking, and a creation that will probably inspire many imitations? Yes and no. Yes; because quite simply, this is indeed the case. But then again no, because the unique watch being announced today is typical of what the brand – one of the most creative in contemporary watchmaking – does on a daily basis.

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Even so, even the keenest ArtyA fans are likely to be in for a surprise: the piece unveiled by Yvan Arpa, the brand’s CEO and Creative Director, is based on a rectangular case format that is completely new to ArtyA. His name is a reflection of his uniqueness: “Arabesque Tourbillon”.

























A first: a 100% titanium case, hand-engraved, contrasting techniques that deliver extraordinary result.

This hand-produced pattern is in himself an outstanding achievement for any craftsman. But the really eye-catching exploit for any connoisseur is that for the first time in watchmaking, it is engraved in grade 5 titanium.

This material is already used in watchmaking – for its hardness. So engraving patterns on it is counter-intuitive, to say the least. And that was precisely the approach that attracted Yvan Arpa: “titanium is sold to us as an absolute, the epitome of toughness: resistant to impacts, corrosion, temperature, and so on. In actual fact, it’s simply a little more resistant than the reference materials we have always been used to, such as steel. And instead of machining it clinically, it can be worked with to produce a piece of art – as I have now demonstrated.”

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Inspiration
The choice of arabesque patterns is a highly personal touch by Yvan Arpa. “I got the idea from a western,” he explains. “I noticed the engraved stock of a rifle. The patterns were perfect. I drew some patterns in the same spirit then validated the model and procedure with Tech Graving, a former partner of the historic Liege School of Gunsmithing, founded in 1897 and an authority recognized worldwide for its expertise in this field; they went on to fashion this outstanding watch.”

The arabesque motifs on the watch were so difficult to work on that the chisel used by the master engraver had a life expectancy of just 120 seconds. Every two minutes, it needed replacing to continue the engraving – which required over 100 hours of relentless work. The final result stands in the age-old tradition of royal gunsmiths.

Hot and Cold
The watch is imposing and solid, made from pure titanium with hand-made engraving, featuring inset gold in its motifs, made exclusively for ArtyA by craftsman Bram Ramon. These hand inlays give a unique brightness to the watch – a combination of as-cast titanium and warmer gold. On the back, the bridges of the watch are machined in layered carbon fibre – equalled only by titanium in toughness. As a result, the rear side of the decor is fully in keeping with the dial side.
The Arabesque Tourbillon has a 52.5 x 40 mm case. The piece is powered by a hand-wound Swiss-made mechanical caliber, regulated by a flying tourbillon with an outstanding three-day (72-hour) power reserve.
The watch is engraved with “Pièce Unique – 1/1”, and fitted with a hand-engraved tang buckle on a full-skin crocodile strap.

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Technical details

Model: Arabesque Tourbillon

World premiere
Over 100 hours of engraving

Movement:
Swiss-made mechanical caliber
Flying tourbillon
Power reserve: 72h
Case:
Grade 5 Titanium
Unique piece in titanium hand engraved with 24cts gold inlay
Case back:
Grade 5 Titanium
Engraving and screwed back case
Arabesque rear bridges in carbon
Dial:
Arabesque Black dial, unique engraved case
Dimensions: 52.5 x 40 mm
Height: 14.4 mm
Crown : titanium with micro-machined and hand engraved "A"Logo
Water resistance: 3 atm
Strap:
Full-skin Crocodile strap
Clasp:
Hand-engraved tang buckle

Unique piece 1/1 pieces
Price: 212'000 CHF

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Monday, July 27, 2015

CHRONOSWISS – “Ouroboros” Quarter Repeater for Only Watch 2015


CHRONOSWISS – “Ouroboros” Quarter Repeater for Only Watch 2015

Beauty and the Beast

As its second contribution for the Only Watch charity, Chronoswiss once more chose to excel in artistic craftsmanship. For 2015´s charity auction, the brand proudly presents a timeless interpretation of the ancient “Ouroboros” theme in a sophisticated quarter repeater wristwatch. Dating back to ancient Egypt, mankind has always been fascinated by this symbol of self-reflexivity and the eternal re-creation process.

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This concept has been translated into a most intriguing timepiece with a high proportion of demanding craftsmanship. Set in a case made of solid white gold, the Ouroboros has been engraved by hand into a solid white gold dial. This is a time-consuming and extremely elaborate process which results in a three-dimensional serpent with a beautiful coating of patina.

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In the very center of the dial encircled by the Ouroboros´s body, the white gold has been embellished with côtes de Genève in galvanic anthracite, further adding to the mysterious allure of the timepiece and exactly matching the color of the elegant alligator skin watch band. After the serpent has been engraved into the dial, the artisan still has to perform one demanding step in the creation process of this unique piece: the cutting of the Breguet thread.

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The resuscitation of these historical, to a degree almost forgotten, handcrafts is something that is near and dear to Chronoswiss CEO Oliver Ebstein who founded a special workshop at the brand´s headquarters in the Swiss town of Lucerne in spring 2013. Here, ticking treasures like the “Ouroboros” are created by artists, partially with the aid of historical tools, such as an antique rose engine built in the year 1924 in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

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While the dial as the “face” of the watch receives a lot of attention, the insides of the timepiece, which are visible through the transparent case back, also create a great amount of fascination. Technically speaking, the quarter repeater mechanism which is featured on Chronoswiss manufacture caliber is counted among the great complications. One little hammer strikes its gong to ring out the number of hours (“ding”), then two little hammers strike against two meticulously tuned gongs to ring out the number of quarter-hours (“ding-dong”). The sound of the “Ouroboros” is crystal clear, pure and truly beautiful – almost a contradiction to the beast on its dial.

About the Only Watch timepiece:

In its second contribution, “Ouroboros”, Chronoswiss pays tribute to the ancient symbol of a serpent eating its own tail, a metaphor for eternal re-creation. This fascinating timepiece is yet another example for artistic craftsmanship performed at Chronoswiss, the white gold dial having been engraved by hand.

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