It?s a rare occasion when an independent upstart can captivate an old-fashioned and conservative industry like Swiss watchmaking. It?s even more difficult for that attention to remain unwavering and grow into a swell of expectations rarely seen in horology, something more akin to the cyclical world of haute couture, where flashes of youthful brilliance are commonplace, but more often than not, shine brightly before fading out of influence.
But this is watchmaking. An industry where the makers and artisans don?t die, rather they live forever, or until a conglomerate exhumes them with a limitless marketing budget and a tag-team, by-committee product build-out stuffed with skeletons ? sorry, I mean skeletonized dials ? and an eye on Instagram for the next big thing. That?s why Rexhep Rexhepi?s emergence has come at the perfect time.
Rexhep Rexhepi, age 31, is the founder of the six-year-old Akrivia atelier.
Horology isn?t for the fickle minded. Careers in the industry mirror the consumer?s mindsight in many ways, the most apparent, in my opinion, is that starting an independent firm, just like the purchase of a fine timepiece, isn?t measured in years, but rather in decades. Enthusiasts and collectors spend tens of thousands of dollars (or more!) on watches every single year. And yes, there are those ?serial flippers? out there, but many of us take our decisions and purchases seriously with the thought of handing our watches over to our children or grandchildren. Contemporary w...