Have you ever dreamt of creating your own watch?
I believe every enthusiast has thought about it at least once. After all, we have all fantasized about asking our favorite brand for a special commission, or even a unique reference.
We can’t help it, customization gives any watch a unique aura. Both for its exclusivity and for the story they tell. Just look at the price premiums they achieve at auction!
Arsène Lippens
But entering the Patek Philippe Salon in Geneva to ask for a unique piece is not something for everyone. For this reason, Arsène Lippens was born, a new brand of Swiss Made watches created by three guys (not Swiss Made) who want to make Personalization and Community their strength.
Arsène Lippens does not want to be another watch brand to join the vast and crowded cosmos of microbrands, but rather a community of enthusiasts who share passions and experiences together.
For this reason, Alberto, Dries and Stjin worked as much on watches as on creating a real family with which to share moments and create memories, using watches as custodians of these experiences.
The watches
However, let’s start from the passion that unites us all, watches. Arsène Lippens launched the brand with two collections: Numerico and Visionario, a quartz single time, and a self-winding Chronograph, both Swiss Made and with an aesthetic halfway between vintage and funky, which draws inspiration from great watches of the past and the profiled and futuristic design of the Pontiac Streamliner Torpedo.
Each watch will be personalized with a significant engraving for its owner, whether it is a name, a phrase or a date it does not matter, the concept is to create an emotional bond with your watch, remembering a moment or a person every time you use it wears.
Numerico
The Numerico is the entry-Level model, featuring a 37.5mm case with a two-step bezel. On the dial, leaf hands point to elegant painted Breguet numerals and round applied hour markers.
The Numerico is powered by a quartz caliber with quick set date, and is available in 5 different dial and case configurations, from steel to gold plated. Our favorite? Probably Salmon, although the version with Sand dial deserves a special note, it’s not often you see this color on a watch like this!
This model is supplied with two leather straps, the first made with a vegan leather obtained from apples and cork, the second in suede, both with pin buckle.
Visionario
Thus we arrive at the big brother: the Visionario (meaning Visionary in English). A self-winding chronograph with a 39.5mm diameter and 13.5mm thick case (glass included).
Like its little brother, it features Breguet numerals – this time applied, and only the 12 and 6 – and a stepped bezel, with 2 steps.
In addition to the Breguet indices, the dial is enlivened by alternating round and triangular indices, and is surrounded by a very particular chronograph scale. In fact, the pulsometric one was chosen, which allows you to measure heartbeats. As? Once the chronograph is activated, the beats are counted (in the case of the visionary 30). Once the 30 beats have been counted, the chronograph stops: The second hand will indicate the beats per minute.
As can be seen through the opening on the twelve-sided caseback, the caliber is a Swiss Made automatic La Joux Perret L113, with a customized unidirectional rotor. The power reserve is 60 hours, weekend proof.
The Visionario is available with two straps, one in saffiano leather with folding strap, and the other in suede with pin buckle, and with a metal “Chicchi di Riso” bracelet, with polished central links and satin-finished external links. The bracelet is equipped with a butterfly folding clasp system.
The matte dial of the Visionario has been made in different colors, from the classic white, black and blue to green, sand, salmon and “terracotta”, probably our favorite. A brick red inspired by the sunset colors of the sand dunes of the Dubai desert.
Community
We said before that this is not just a watch brand. But why? The idea with which Arsène Lippens was born was to unite a community through their watches. In fact, Arsène was born as a B2B, targeting universities, associations, clubs and every place where people come together to share the most disparate passions, from golf to sailing to motor racing.
In fact their first customer was a university; the first Numericos will go to the Geneva Business School (where the founders met), which in turn will put them on the wrists of the 2024 graduates, so that they can remember this milestone every time they wear their watch.
And it is precisely from the university world that the particular box that Arsène Lippens supplies with each of his timepieces is inspired. Inspired by the cylinder that contains the Graduation parchment, it is made of leather and performs the double function of a watch holder. A patented design that we find brilliant!
Availability and prices
The Arsène Lippens Team is made up of young guys under 25 years old. For this reason, they have launched their project on Kickstarter.com, where it is possible to pre-order the watches now, to finance the production.
On Kickstarter, the Numerico is priced at CHF 550 (around €572 at today’s exchange rate), while the Visionary costs CHF 1650 (around €1714). In appreciation of early backers, Kickstarter prices are reduced, and by purchasing multiple units you may receive a discount.
The Numerico will be delivered in May 2024, while for the Visionario we will have to wait a little longer, until August 2024.
Per tutte le informazioni sui prezzi, ecco il link del progetto: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/arsenelippens/arsene-lippens
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