Opening page: Rexhep Rexhepi at work These pages, clockwise from top left: The process of anglage; Chronomètre Contemporain; close up of AK06 movement
Credit: All images @swisswatches
I took my father’s Swiss watch “ while he slept to open it and discover what was going on inside. I’ll let you imagine his disappointment ” don’t like to limit myself to only one school of thinking or one approach in watchmaking,” he says. Located in Geneva’s Old Town, Akrivia employs six watchmakers, including Rexhepi’s younger brother, Xhevdet, a fellow Patek Philippe apprentice who joined the atelier in 2016 after graduating from the Geneva Watchmaking School. The team produces around 30 timepieces a year and abides by a ‘one watch, one watchmaker’ philosophy. “In some ateliers, the watchmakers only do one specific work on every movement. In the end this is very boring for them and effectively turns them into human assembly machines,” says Rexhepi. “If one watchmaker is responsible for one entire watch, every day holds different chores and you can never be bored. It also gives a sense of pride to the specific watchmaker in what has been accomplished.” Symmetrical movements, embellished with traditional techniques such as anglage, perlage and Côtes de Genève, have become a brand signature. The Chronomètre Contemporain, for example, features a subtly concave bezel and curved bevelled lugs that surround a grand feu enamel dial displaying the hours, minutes and seconds. A transparent caseback reveals the hand-wound RR-01 movement, designed in-house and finished with anglage, black polish and Côtes de Genève. “The human mind and eye are very susceptible to symmetry on every level; it provides a natural balance,” Rexhepi explains. “I cannot say that a symmetrical layout in a watch movement provides great technical
advantages as such, but on a visual, personal and subconscious level, I feel that a logical, balanced movement layout is a foundation of good engineering principles, as well as being attractive.” To differentiate the Chronomètre Contemporain from Akrivia’s existing timepieces, Rexhepi signed the dial with his own name, rather than the marque’s. In the past, he has spoken about feeling uncomfortable putting his name, as a Kosovo-born watchmaker, on a high-end Swiss watch. How does he feel now, after his grand prix win? “I am not the kind of person who loves to be the centre of attention, and therefore I have no desire to have a particular following centred on my name or personality. The watches are the important object here, not me,” he says modestly. “On the other hand, I would be lying if I said that the public recognition was not important for the continuity of work and the future of the atelier. I suppose it has taken about a year for me to find a working balance in these issues, but now I feel more comfortable dealing with life behind the workbench together with the public’s interest in my timepieces,” he reflects. As Rexhepi adjusts to his newfound status, how have his childhood experiences shaped him as a watchmaker? “That is hard to say, but if I had to single out one thing, it is that there were so many choices and possibilities to grow, learn and create in Switzerland. This was not a possibility for me in Kosovo, of course,” he says. “Today, when a problem or challenge arises, I am always ready to solve it and continue further, because I see
challenges as a natural by-product of having so much freedom and potential to work with.” This can-do attitude no doubt serves him well as an independent marque operating in a competitive industry dominated by big brands. “It is like every other business start-up in the world economy: you have to fight for what you believe in day and night, and work out the economics of funding your ideas. As a start-up, you have to love dealing with challenges of every kind,” he says. With demand for independentlymade timepieces rising in recent years, Rexhepi believes now is a good time to be an independent watchmaker. “I think the present mood surrounding independents is actually better than ever,” he says. “Collectors in general are looking for more unusual and special watches away from the mainstream, while the internet also helps new makers to be discovered more quickly and to build up more interest in their work than was the case 10 years ago.” Akrivia has partnered with Seddiqi & Sons in the Middle East and Rexhepi has visited the region to meet with collectors, although they may have to be patient as he works through his bulging order book. Rest assured, each timepiece will be hand-finished to his exacting standards. “Techniques like anglage, perlage, Geneva stripes, black polish and similar were always executed by hand in traditions going back several hundred years. When executed this way, they become actually a kind of art form all on their own and transform the entire watch to a higher level,” he says. For the lucky few, it will be worth the wait. 31