Yvan Arpa may not be a horological household name, but he is one of the true charismatic characters in modern watches. Avant-garde only scratches the surface of his raging design demeanor as he fearlessly walks the watch road less travelled.
From his Son of a Gun collection that embraces the feel of a firearm, to the eclectic electric lightning-struck bezels, Arpa’s crazy creations seemingly know no limits. From tough to tender, Arpa’s most recent ArtyA release embraces the natural world by incorporating actual butterfly wings into a watch dial like none other.
One recent design features a 38mm 316L stainless steel case struck by lightning, with luminous inlays. The dial is made with real butterfly wings and natural pigments created by Dominique Arpa-Cirpka using techniques never before applied to watchmaking.
Inside is a Swiss quartz movement with a white hand-made crocodile strap. This is truly a unique piece.
The Son of Earth Butterfly Parade will capture the heart of male lepidopterists. It’s cased in 47mm stainless steel (also struck by lightning) that houses a Swiss mechanical movement.
As with the smaller version, the colorful dial hosts real butterfly wings ensconced with natural pigments and gold leaf using the same techniques from Dominique Arpa-Cirpka. Also a piece-unique, the larger, mechanically motivated ArtyA Butterfly also features a high-quality hand-made crocodile strap. Prices start around $6,500.
You can find more details as well as exploring a host of watches unlike anything you’ve seen before at www.artya.com.
In the U.S., ArtyA is distributed by BeauGeste Luxury brands, which offers a selection of Arpa’s singular designs on its website. Or contact BeauGeste at 212-847-1371.
