Steve Huyton Looks At The AkriviA Tourbillon Monopusher Chronograph

AkriviA is an exciting new brand established this year (2013) by the exuberant Rexhep Rexhepi and Etienne Deschamps.

Their partnership was born out of a shared passion for exquisite watchmaking. Even though they are both still in their twenties they have clearly gained extensive experience within the industry. It is this ambition that has driven them to produce the glorious Tourbillon Monopusher Chronograph.

I have had several discussions with Etienne Deschamps to discover the motivation behind the brand. As far as I am aware they are both still working in other jobs to fund this venture. This shows their determination to succeed in a very competitive industry. They recently unveiled the fantastic Tourbillon Monopusher Chronograph at Baselworld to a highly receptive audience. In my opinion all this positive attention is thoroughly deserved. It is incredibly impressive that these two youthful ateliers have created a highly complicated tourbillon as their first model. Most companies would work towards this enormously technical feat over a period of years if not decades.

Aesthetically the Tourbillon Monopusher Chronograph is a well-conceived watch that combines avant-garde styling with haute horlogerie. The dimensions of the watch are a modest 42.5mm x 12.90mm. These proportions would be catorgorised as classical and are much smaller than a lot of their competitors. I would imagine this elegant timepiece would be comfortable to wear and appeal to the intended target market. The face of the watch is beautifully laid out with two display counters (positioned at 2 o’clock and 10 o’clock) and a large aperture showcasing the majestic tourbillon.

I love the skeletonized element on the dial, which works in prefect harmony with the delicate polished steel hands. The attention to detail on this amazing watch is mind blowing.

Beneath the sporty façade lies the highly complicated caliber AA-2301. This tourbillon chronograph movement comprises 33 jewels, 36 polished inward angles and delivers up to a 100 hours of power reserve. It is really important to mention that all elements of this mechanism have been meticulously hand finished and decorated in Geneva. AkriviA has accomplished this monumental achievement with the assistance of MHC SA, Manufacture Haute Complication. The Tourbillon Monopusher Chronograph features hours, minutes, seconds and monopusher chronograph function.

The AkriviA Tourbillon Monopusher Chronograph is available in either a choice of stainless steel or luxurious 5N gold and is supplied with a hand sewn alligator strap.

This highly exclusive watch is limited to only 10 pieces of each. The prices range between CHF 160,000 and CHF 200,000 (approximately $165,000 and $206,000).