Rexhep Rexhepi is the type of independent watchmaker you would likely want to engage with if you are in search of elegant, hand-crafted dress watches, into which a lot of effort has been invested in both aesthetic refinement and movement finishing. These particular watches represent an interesting evolution in the career of the young watchmaker, inspired by a love for military 'officer's watches' of the 1940s. Rexhep has now entered a phase of his 'brand' where nothing but his name on the dial will suffice. Welcome the debut of his eponymous watch label, Rexhep Rexhepi. Although Rexhep still primarily focuses on his brand Akrivia, I do not think this Rexhep Rexhepi Chronometre Contemporain model is a one-off idea.
Let's be frank: Rexhep is following in the footsteps of others (such well-known figures as François-Paul Journe from his city of Geneva), who have found success in brands bearing their own names. This is no accident. Except for special cases like Rolex and Omega, most classic or legacy watch brands are simply people's names. They are not adjectives, place names, or 'cool-sounding' words. Of course, there are always exceptions, but if you want to be Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, Louis Vuitton, Panerai, Richard Mille, Breguet, etc., you will need a name (or names) as part of your... name.
The Rexhep Rexhepi Chronometre Contemporain fits into a modern trend and is the simplest (in terms of complication) watch currently produced by Akrivia. The movement is manually wound and only displays the time. The appeal of the Chronometre Contemporain lies in the mechanical design and hand finishing, a unique approach to the dial of classic dress watches, to some extent in the case material, and in the fact that watches like these are inherently limited in production.
The company Rexhep describes the Chronometre Contemporain as a 'neoclassical' design. This means the design is original but aims to fit the form of popular classical watches today that appeal to many elite collectors. Here we see the Chronometre Contemporain in a platinum 950 case, but the watch is also available in an 18-karat rose gold case with a black dial. The case is 38mm wide and 9.5mm thick (water-resistant to 30 meters) with sapphire crystal over the dial and also on the case back.
The dial of the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronometre Contemporain is made from traditional grand feu enamel with blue print and matching 18-karat white gold hands. The hands are also hand-polished and look so beautiful that you may never want to look at overly shiny machine-polished hands again. For the most part, the Chronometre Contemporain is very conservative, but there is a lot of character in the small details, such as the dial style and the delightful symmetrical curves of the movement.
Inside the Chronometre Contemporain (by default, they do not have a COSC certificate, but for a small extra fee, you can order it with the watch) is a movement that Rexhep calls his caliber RR-01. The RR-01 is fully developed in-house and is a chronometer movement in the traditional sense of the word. It also has a 'stop-seconds' function. The simplicity lies not in making it cheap, but in minimally interfering with areas like chronometry and isochronism. This means that each RR-01 movement is capable of operating within COSC chronometer specifications and also has a luxurious finish. These things do not always go hand in hand.
The RR-01 movement has an interesting architecture that I have not seen before - although it clearly fits within the framework of what Akrivia does, where symmetry in design is often very important. At the top of the RR-01 movement is a well-secured mainspring barrel with a power reserve of about 100 hours. The freely suspended balance wheel is opposed to one of the main gear mechanisms - this is a very interesting way of creating visual balance, especially considering that in most cases, the balance wheel in movements is the most eye-catching element. In the RR-01 model, this is not the case. Nevertheless, watchmakers prefer to choose a lower frequency for such movements, as the slow rotation of the balance wheel is visually soothing to the eyes.
The large bridge spanning the movement is not for the 2.5 Hz (18,000 beats/hour) regulation system, but for another gear wheel. If anything, this movement should provide excellent shock resistance. It is nice to see not only an interesting-looking (and well-made) in-house movement but also a movement that seems to genuinely care about being well-designed and intended to work.
Such watches deserve a place in every collection. Clearly, not everyone can afford such luxury, but in many ways, watches like the Chronometre Contemporain make more sense than a showy tourbillon (although Akrivia makes those too). Watches like the Philippe Dufour Simplicity have proven that there is a great love for exceptionally well-made watches that focus on doing just one thing really well. Moreover, you can easily collect and enjoy something like the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronometre Contemporain one day, and switch to something with dose complications the next day - but people who end up wearing such comfortable-to-live-with watches usually dedicate quite a bit of wrist time to them.
According to Rexhep Rexhepi, it takes several months to complete the Chronometre Contemporain watch, which includes considering all the details, as well as decoration, assembly, and testing. The watches are also a relatively good deal, considering that their namesake is still behind their production. I think for some time, Rexhep Rexhepi will continue to produce both Akrivia watches and those under his eponymous name. I am curious how he will allocate his creativity and time between these two directions.
The price for Rexhep Rexhepi Chronometre Contemporain (which, according to the brand, are all already sold out) is 57,500 Swiss francs in 18-karat rose gold and 59,500 Swiss francs in platinum (as pictured). Learn more on the Akrivia website.