ArtyA ‘Purity Stairway to Heaven’

2009 - 2024 Celebrating 15 years and its debut at Watches & Wonders, ArtyA presents ‘Purity Stairway to Heaven’.

• 2009-2024: 15 Years! ArtyA celebrates its anniversary in Geneva with its official debut at Watches & Wonders. Founded by Master Watchmaker Yvan Arpa in 2009, this independent Geneva-based brand quickly made a name for itself with distinctive and daring creations. Today, ArtyA is now present in over 30 countries, supported by more than 60 top-tier retailers.

• Transparency as an aesthetic principle! In 2021, ArtyA unveiled the Purity concept, a new, evolutionary family of movements where each layer of the architecture is taken to the extreme. Complexity that only appears to be simple, the essence minimalism – extreme, pure simplicity.

• And above all, total mastery! The logical next step, after presenting three tourbillons in the Purity family: a new, exclusive, Swiss-made 2-hand Manufacture movement – with ArtyA in full control of all stages of design and creation, directly infusing it with its own vision, ideas and solutions.

• The complexity of transparency! The pursuit of a watch that is both under 40mm in diameter and visually harmonious and pure – ArtyA saw it as a challenge that was both technical and aesthetic, where design aspirations and engineering imperatives are inextricably linked.

• Because this new creation isn’t just about size. Its architecture marks a significant technical advancement, showcasing the power of horological mechanics, designed in three dimensions:

- Two barrels working side by side, in parallel, equipped with a longer and thinner spring to ensure a smooth, stable and linear energy flow.

- The escapement is the star: placed on the ‘Stairway to Heaven,’ it is suspended in mid-air. Beating at 4Hz, it offers a mesmerizing aerial display, with the smaller balance wheel improving chronometry.

- Arched bridges, beveled by hand, with unprecedented shapes, neither juxtaposed nor adjacent, featuring direct encasing that clears the necessary space for the regulating organ.

- Extreme skeletonization characterizes each part, guiding the eye to compelling discovery. It requires meticulous machining, uncompromising precision and perfect alignment.

- Adjustment of the hairspring (considered the soul of the mechanical watch) is assured either in a ‘standard’ fashion (as with 99% of brands) or in the ‘traditional’ manner, i.e. customized for clients who appreciate the choice and the distinction. Here, ArtyA adjusts the inertia weights (mere micrograms) in reverse symmetry to tailor the hairspring to the wearer.

- Visually, the architecture is based on mastering the material and the void, the tension between components, where everything is constructed from the positioning of the gears, thoughtfully conceived as a work of mechanics in suspension.

- The entry price is highly competitive, with the first model in steel priced at CHF 24,900.00, excluding tax. This is the first chapter of a family destined to grow in time.

Purity... Behind this simple word, a revolution in watchmaking construction. Typically, the movement’s components – base, bridges, gearing, mainplate, dial, bezel, crystal, case middle – are ‘simply’ stacked.

In the case of Purity, ArtyA has turned the established order on its head. The structure of the skeletonized manufacture caliber appears to emerge from nothingness. The components interact as a puzzle of interlocking parts suspended in mid-air, functionally cohesive, anchored in the case’s metal.

Stairway to Heaven

Here, everything is about levels of perception, of reliefs and contours, and how light plays with shadows and reflections. In this manufacture caliber everything matters. Its heart beats at 4 Hz to both ensure both optimal precision and maintain a comfortable power reserve. Here, the system of dual barrels arranged in parallel provides a steady flow of energy throughout the cycle. A minimalist dial, in the spirit of purity, for easily reading the time off this concentrate of horological power. It was intentionally moved to 3 o’clock to afford unencumbered observation of the mesmerizing ‘Stairway to Heaven’ that showcases the escapement. All is connected by a network of bridges and gears designed to achieve the effect of a ballet of refined engineering.

Case and movement, interior and exterior, intimately connected

The surfaces, reflections, finishes with alternating matte and glossy textures – they follow a pure vision that begins with the movement and extends to the case, as if echoing the mechanics.

The myriad different shapes – hemispherical, concave, spherical – alongside a sequence of satin-brushed, polished, and sandblasted finishes, invite the continuous interplay of shadow and light. The components’ forms burst forth, their volumes stand out and express themselves in space, offering a completely different perception.

The movement’s finishes seamlessly merge with those of the case, with brushed, diamond-polished, and iron-microblasted details, all the way to the screws (an exclusive ArtyA design). The hands, first sandblasted then diamond-polished to mirror the hand-beveled bridges, reveal a structured, dynamic aesthetic. The effect is resolutely contemporary, highlighted by the case-back screws (also an ArtyA patent). Prepared to embrace all the finishes characteristic of the Manufacture’s Purity creations, the hand-crafted dial – the watch’s focal point – is offered in several hues. It adds a layer of customization to appreciate on the wrist.

As a nod to ArtyA's 15th anniversary this year, the woven carbon inserts on the case flanks evoke design codes established in the early days. Indeed, ArtyA was one of the very first to explore all the possibilities of carbon fiber in watchmaking. The rest is history.

Functionality and comfort

Beyond a unique expression of art and technology in time, ArtyA’s intent with the Purity collection is a functional timepiece made for every day. Perfect readability thanks to a sober dial under a double anti-reflective coated glass is part of that, as is ease of use combined with the eminent wearability of an integrated bracelet. The latter is offered initially in rubber to serenely benefit from the case’s 50-meter water resistance. Other materials are available as well, such as leather or nubuck.

Ultimately, the Purity collection represents the fusion of ArtyA’s watchmaking expertise with its vision of transparency. Every detail is thought out with a drive towards perfection – the illusion of simplicity.

Technical specifications

ArtyA Purity Stairway To Heaven

Exclusive "Watches & Wonder Launch Edition": 10 pieces per configuration

After Watches & Wonders: 99 pieces per configuration

Case

• Material: Stainless steel, with or without black PVD treatment;
• Ceramic, white, black, green, or blue
• Diameter: 40 mm
• Case back: Open, screw-in with ArtyA© case screws
• Water-resistant to 5 ATM, equivalent to 50 meters

Dial and hands

• Skeletonized
• Sandblasted, satin-brushed, diamond-polished; various colors

Movement

• Swiss Manufacture; designed, developed and manufactured in Switzerland exclusively by and for ArtyA and Telos.
• Superior chronometric reliability thanks to the dual barrel torque
• Diameter: 31.4 mm
• Thickness: 7 mm
• Number of jewels: 22
• Number of parts: 134
• Torque 820 gf.mm
• Frequency: 28'800 vph (4 Hz)
• Power reserve of 72 hours

Functions/Indications

• Hours and minutes, offset to spotlight the Stairway To Heaven

Strap and buckle

• ArtyA rubber, integrated; or hand-finished calfskin
• Pin buckle

MSRP

• Purity Steel from CHF 24'900 / USD 28'000 / EUR 25'900
• Purity Ceramic from CHF 29'900 / USD 33'900 / EUR 31'000
• (excluding VAT; prices based on CHF; exchange rates at time of writing)

For more information, please visit artya.com