Watch Selection - Ari by Eva Leube
WORLDTEMPUS - 8 December 2010
There is a reason that Ari made it all the way to the final three of the category it was entered into at this year's Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve. That reason is that this watch is incredibly fresh and out-of-the ordinary while at the same time able to incite intense emotions in watch enthusiasts.
Four years in the making, Leube showed debuted Ari at the A.H.C.I. booth this year at Baselworld. She was certainly not prepared for the onslaught of attention this unusual watch brought her. It seemed to me as if the watch world had just been waiting for such a spectacularly emotional timepiece. Admittedly, for me it was emotional because Leube is a woman, and women master watchmakers branching out on their own in grand A.H.C.I. fashion is about as rare as it comes. It takes thick skin, dedication, perseverance and training like no other - all of which Leube most certainly received when she worked for Thomas Prescher in his Twann-based workshop. She relates that further experience gathered by working with Rolex, Ulysse Nardin and even in restoration has also shaped her unique skill set.
Leube rearranged and modified vintage Record pocket watch Caliber 302 to fit her timepiece measuring 52 x 21 mm. To do this, she practically turned the movement upside down and made a new hand-setting mechanism to accommodate both this and a crown now positioned at 6 o'clock (rather than 3 o'clock). It travels half the length of the movement and goes around the spring barrel. "The curve of Ari's movement is so pronounced that the whole mechanism had to be completely reconceived," she told me at Baselworld. Additionally, the beating heart of the watch - the escapement and balance -remain visible from the front. All of this is no mean feat considering the extreme curvature of the entire ensemble.
In gold or platinum, each watch is only manufactured upon order and each will be delivered with a strap that has been custom-made for its new owner, whether this owner is male or female. The first connoisseur to have ordered Ari is, indeed, male.
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