By Jovan Krstevski
The ArtyA watch brand is owned by Yvan Arpa and we all know how this luxury Swiss watchmaker treats us with the nicest releases for every Baselworld event. As for the Baselworld 2016, the ArtyA watch brand promises yet again a very complicated watch to date. Indeed the ArtyA 3 Gongs Minute Repeater, Regulator, & Double Axis Tourbillon as a unique timepiece since as the name implies there are really a lot of impressive technologies employed here that serious watch aficionados will be happy with. I for one am excited considering the level of expertise and the display of such expertise on the watch itself.
The 64.6×47.3 mm ArtyOr alloy (18k gold) and titanium case is rather large but this is so that the sound can be amplified. There are two sources of inspirations here, one is taken from the 1959 Gretsch Bo Diddley guitar for its nice angular body and the other is from the glass walls of underwater houses. The excess space in the case is necessary for better sounding chimes from the minute repeater. I really like the combination of ruthenium and gold components in the case which makes it very unique plus the 5 sapphire crystals used on the front, sides and back of the case. I also believe that the design also provides unique quirks since buyers can get personalized auditory experience by request although this only involves careful adjustment of the gong and hammers that balances the volume and clarity. With what you will pay, this is a sigh of relief.
The dial is needless to say very impressive showcasing the watch’s luxurious highlights. The tourbillon is seen at the 6 o’clock against a backdrop of smooth polishing and gold components surrounding the main time display at the center. I am tempted to say hybrid-skeletonized but the watch face looks more like it particularly the separate dials for the hours and minutes including the pure exhibition case back where we can see the impressive details of the expensive movement. Indeed, I agree with some horology fans that this watch is a unique marriage of traditional watchmaking and out-of-this-world design.
What powers the watch is an MHC caliber 3200AR manually wound mechanical movement boasting of 450 parts. There are 2 barrels here, one powers the main movement while the other powers the minute repeater. Obviously, the double axis tourbillon relies on the bigger barrel. The main spring is only charged when the slide is activated making the movement’s design very efficient. There are a total of 46 Jewels in this watch and the running train gears are also believed to be made of 18k gold. Most of the movement’s parts are coated in cool black ruthenium particularly on the underside which is mainly geared for the technical crowd. At 3 Hz, this manually wound mechanical movement is capable of providing 64 hours of power reserve which is not bad for a tourbillon.
Don’t let the 480,000 Swiss francs price point discourage you since at this level, you will get more than you bargained for. The ArtyA 3 Gongs Minute Repeater, Regulator, & Double Axis Tourbillon is the first for the watchmaker and the for entire watch industry too so this is indeed a very exciting release for Baselworld 2016.
For more info, please visit artya.com
JOVAN KRSTEVSKI – FOUNDER, PROPRIETOR & EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Jovan Krstevski has been collecting watches every since his father bought him an Omega Seamaster back when he was just a teenager. He launched Watchgeek back in 2011, which is now known as WristReview and is one of the most widely read watch blogs on the Web. He quotes ’WristReview is a site to help people find, explore, discover and enjoy wristwatches.’ Besides WristReview, he also writes for a number of publications. Read his articles here
