A Closer Look at the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronometre Contemporain Watch
The Rexhep Rexhepi Chronometre Contemporain is a piece from a small but innovative luxury watchmaker with an interesting life story. The brand is relatively new but is making waves in the watchmaking community. To fully appreciate the eye-catching Rexhep Rexhepi Chronometre Contemporain, one must at least have a small piece of the backstory behind it.
History of Rexhepi
Rexhep Rexhepi was born in Kosovo and relocated to Geneva, Switzerland when he was 12. He got a job as an apprentice at Patek Philippe and the age of 25 founded the Akrivia brand from his Geneva apartment. The enterprise now produces just 40 watches annually with a debut of the Chronometre Contemporain at Baselworld in 2018, according to GQ. He was just 31 when this masterpiece was announced. A price tag of $ 60,000 for the platinum version in a limited edition run has elevated the piece to a degree of exclusivity.
A closer look at the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronometre Contemporain Watch
A Blog to Watch dissects the finer details of the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronometre Contemporain, which is produced by the owner of the small independent brand Akrivia. Rexhep Rehepi is the name of the brand for this piece, bearing his name. We begin with a look at the individual components that make up the gestalt.
The case
The case of the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronometre Contemporain is 38 mm in width with a thickness of 9.5 mm. The original design is neo-classical and crafted of 950 platinum material or the second choice in 18k rose gold metal. This piece features an exhibition case back featuring a flat sapphire crystal protecting the back yet allowing for a clear and crisp view of the inner workings of the movement beneath. The front of the timepiece also receives a protective sapphire crystal, resistant to scratching.
The dial
The dial of the platinum version has a brilliant white background with printed Roman numerals for the hours, with minute indicators placed around the inside of the bezel at the outer rim of the dial. A delicate design pattern separates hours and minutes in a stylish blueprint that creates a high degree of legibility in an eye-catching design that is neither busy nor plain. It’s sophisticated with a touch of classicism. Rexhepi skillfully captured that median line between decorative and practical. It’s a beautiful watch face with nicely contrasting thin platinum hands. The subdial at the bottom for the second’s indication of the time maintains the same color scheme for a remarkable contrast with an overall conservative theme with tons of character and uniqueness. The thin fixed bezel is highly polished, matching the decently wide crown that is equipped with ample gripping from the polished ridges. The case slopes down into the polished lugs giving the piece a curvaceous aesthetic with gentle slopes that catch the eyes and move them downwards over the piece. This is what we mean when we say that visually, it is a moving piece with symmetry and lines that capture your attention and draw you in to examine each element of the watch.
The movement
The Chronometre Contemporain is powered by a caliber RR-01 movement. This is an in-house chronometer style with a stop-seconds feature. The powerplant has the capacity for operating with a COSC chronometer specification. The base timepiece does not come with this but you can order it as a part of the deal for an extra charge. The architecture of the RR-01 is unique with the use of symmetry and yellow gold plating on the gears that gives it a sophisticated and decorative appeal when viewed from the exhibition window at the back. The design is impeccable with eye-catching elements that are well ordered visually. The movement beats at 18,000 vibrations per hour at 2.5 Hz. The lower speed is intentional for the sake of creating a calm and soothing visual experience. Overall, the movement is mechanically designed for shock resistance, which is another feather in the caps of the in-house engineers who designed it. Remarkably, the power reserve for this piece is approximately 100 hours, another innovative benchmark that sets the bar high.
Other features of the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronometre Contemporain
The platinum version comes with a brown leather strap made of genuine leather with a pin and buckle closure that matches the materials of the case. The band is engraved with the brand name and specifications of the piece. It’s worth noting that every watch is hand-crafted. It takes hours for the small team to complete the watchmaking process, particularly with such attention to every small detail to ensure perfection. About 40 pieces are released each year. The platinum version has a price that starts at $62,998 in USD. The 18k rose gold version starts at $65,192. It’s going to be tough to find either on the market today as the brand has confirmed that all units of each variant have been sold out during the pre-order period. If you want to obtain a Chronometre Contemporain it will have to be from a private seller should one go to auction. We may see more appear from the house of Rexhepi in the future, but so far, no work about plans for future releases has been indicated.
Final thoughts
The Rexhep Rexhepi Chronometre Contemporain is a model that appears once in a blue moon. It’s likely that due to the low numbers combined with the uniqueness of the styling and design, with its in-house movement and overall persona, that this watch will increase in its value in time. Savvy watch enthusiasts and collectors have bought them all up, which makes the world believe they may be as great as a Rolex. We seem to place the highest value on the things that are difficult to obtain. Quality in workmanship, uniqueness in design, and rarity are the three factors that are in play to enhance the future valuation of the model line. We hope that Rexhepi will continue to produce more versions of the line, even if released in small limited edition numbers.