An introduction to ArtyA Depth Gauge

Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), which is intended to salute the excellence of worldwide horological production and annually rewards the finest creations and the most important operators in the watchmaking sector. For 2022 official nomination you will find ArtyA Depth Gauge. Photo: GPHG

In a series of handcrafted dials featuring gems from the sea, including corals, fish scales, or earthy colors, ArtyA pays homage to the largest of components; the ocean. A full selection of cutting-edge, one-of-a-kind dive pieces round out the line and bring out its more practical and sporting side. Besides, the Depth Gauge is the collection’s creative and technological centerpiece.

With an inventive depth gauge dial that offers a rainbow time impression that will send you into a kaleidoscope mind spin in which color does not exist, ArtyA completes its latest “Son of the Sea” diving line. And while it might not accomplish all of those goals, ArtyA’s Depth Gauge will give you a fresh understanding of tone.

About the Brand

Generally, the independent label ArtyA captures the imagination and liberated attitude of its creator, Yvan Arpa. For more than a decade, ArtyA’s horological design has established itself as a cornerstone of Geneva’s unique manufacturing sector. It is complex, unusual, occasionally rebellious, and always original.

While holding a series of roles with organizational companies where Yvan Arpa produced now-iconic concepts, he went free to let his creativity run wild. He constantly experiments with odd elements, including butterfly wings, cigarettes, and revolver bullets, among others, in distinctive designs with newly devised intricate complexity. Besides, he is disruptive and purposefully provocative.

As a result, a clock transforms into a one-of-a-kind cult item in the hands of Yvan Arpa, appealing to a market that values remarkable uniqueness, inventiveness, and artistry. Moreover, the prestigious watches made by ArtyA are passionately crafted, and their target market responds passionately to them. The label’s motto, “Manufacture of Emotions,” explains it all.

ArtyA Perspective

The goal of ArtyA is to produce one-of-a-kind, theatrical works that evoke emotion. The company has always been able to take craftsmanship legacies and distinctively portray them with unrestricted innovation and passion. Yvan Arpa founded ArtyA in order to offer his imaginative creativity the opportunity to express itself without being constrained by preconceptions or weak artistic standards. Furthermore, he experiments with various designs and materials while being closely watched and frequently imitated by the majority of the business. Journalists created the word “Arpanisation” to refer to how the manufacturing sector integrates ancient antiques into timepiece design.

This innovative dial features the main colors that disappear as you dive deeper. From red to blue, including orange, yellow and green, you can check your depth by looking at the colors still visible on your dial . Available with a blue or black bezel. Photo: ArtyA

His enormous realm is depicted in shapes that are influenced by modern media and contemporary technology, in which watchmaking and exquisite art coexist. It’s also where titanium’s rigidity is matched only by the refinement of the inscriptions that have been cut into its face.

In addition, Yvan Arpa studies tourbillons, minute repeaters, skeletonization, and, most importantly, sapphire, of which he was a founder. He also continues to be among the most revolutionary experts, while his wife and inventive collaborator add beauty and lightness to the artwork with paints, coral, as well as butterfly wings.

ArtyA Depth Gauge Watch Review

This brand-new ArtyA dive timepiece employs a vibrant dial along with a phenomenon called selective absorption to show you exactly how deep you are underwater. The fact that nobody has achieved something like that before is astonishing. Forget about any unique technology or top-secret, last-minute invention. It’s just regular physics and the rules of nature. And Yvan Arpa represents the brilliant mind which never sleeps.

According to the creator, this concept of color fading with height woke him up at night. Despite the production of thousands of diver timepieces over the course of five centuries, nobody ever did something like this. As a result, he focused on making it legible on a dial.

The technology behind the ArtyA Depth Gauge is that as you dive under, the colors slowly disappear. In general, color is determined by how much light the object reflects, absorbs, or both. Our eyes’ hue sensors perceive color differently based on the lighting’s wavelength, which is calculated in nanometers (nm) units. For instance, light having a wavelength of roughly 700nm is interpreted as red. On the other hand, a wavelength of about 400 nm would be considered violet. The apparent light spectra are composed of different colors.

Due to water’s ability to block off specific wavelengths of sunlight, color rapidly begins to fade just after about 5 meters, finally putting you in a colorless environment. Red is the initial hue on the rainbow to vanish; at just 5 meters, it is almost completely gone. After that, at a depth of ten meters, the vivid orange of Nemo the clownfish is gone. Blue light can be seen as far down as 60 meters, whereas yellow and green disappear at 20 and 30 meters, respectively.

At 30 meters, the free divers are frequently seen, provided they aren’t dressed in green. As Crepas did before them using their DECOMASTER and multicolored depth-gauge bezel, this has enabled ArtyA to take advantage of this technological development. It has also created what could be one of the most cost-effective ways to make a depth gauge for SCUBA divers.

Meanwhile, on dry land, where you probably won’t require a colored depth gauge dial very often, you can just admire the cheerful rainbow that covers the surface of the dial. The creator of ArtyA decided to include a revolutionary, ground-breaking, and first-in-the-world depth measurement dial in its line-up of authentic diving pieces.

Photo: ArtyA

In general, knowing your depth through a beautiful display of hues is something that could possibly be more practical, artistic, and poetic. This ArtyA Depth Gauge has an entirely new form that blends functionality and beauty. Moreover, the creative dial depicts selective absorption, with the primary hues gradually fading away as you descend. Therefore, you may determine your level by observing the still discernible shades on your dial, which run from red to blue and include orange, yellow, and green. The Depth Gauge watch also comes with a choice of a black or blue bezel.

ArtyA created a steel casing that is water resistant to 300 meters to provide divers with the finest circumstances imaginable. To advance technical developments, the company also made a one-of-a-kind rotary bezel with a ceramic plug that mimics the form of a wave. The fusion of artwork and technology succeeds again by enabling its movement and providing a distinctive look. The idea extended to even the smallest elements, such as a pin clasp that has a unique shape resembling a water drop, as well as a crown that was influenced by a submarine’s doorway.

Generally, the ArtyA Depth Gauge diving timepiece detects depth, so you don’t have to be a specialist to comprehend that. This will seem like a novel notion to the amateur. However, the more experienced enthusiast will relate to the timepieces from brands such as Jaeger-LeCoultre or Oris that had manual depth meters. Two companies are performing what Swiss manufacturing has traditionally excelled at, which is creating incredibly intricate systems to display basic measures. They were all pressure and water-resistant tubes and connectors. For aficionados in search of mechanical wonders, there are horological wonders.

Movement

On the other hand, the company’s COSC-certified ArtyA Aion caliber powers the watch. This unique ArtyA movement, which plays with a well-known three-hand design, utilizes a variety of polishing treatments, including Rose Gold, NAC, and Côte de Genève, to enhance the elegance whenever the light reflects.

The Making of Diving Watches

Mechanical timepieces’ ultimate enemy is water. When moisture enters a watch, they essentially become curtains.

Diving watches must withstand potentially fatal circumstances underneath the waters, so they need to pass the most demanding testing in manufacturing. Your wristwatch should be reliable enough for you if it fulfills all of those criteria. A piece ranked for diving to 200-300 meters won’t likely give you any trouble when you’re doing the chores like washing, so consider it an overabundance of precaution.

Nevertheless, this isn’t the only aspect regarding diving clocks that bothers people. There is also the absolute legend of the renowned underwater explorers. They lived after World War II when the aqualung was a practical device for performing tasks or having fun below water. Good diving timepieces are among the best examples of the saying “less is much more.” They were specifically created with readability in mind, as the waters were the new frontier for research. Any further ornamentation just went in the line of security.

Actually, we relate to diving timepieces most because they exude adventure (thanks to James Bond). Together with pilots’ pieces, they became one of the first dress timepieces produced on a bigger physical scale beyond usual in the 1950s; greater mass implied more excellent resistance to higher pressure beneath the waters. They were also more visible from afar due to their greater mass.

Conclusion

Yvan Arpa throws the microphone into the ocean on a planet where businesses compete to introduce the most significant invention. His concept’s apparent simplicity silences most watch architects, but potential collectors are given the opportunity to speak.

Overall, only 9 units of every bezel color were made for the Limited Edition ArtyA Depth Gauge timepiece. Its Swiss MSRP is 12’900 CHF, which represents the cost of this level of a rarity as well as ArtyA’s excellent Switzerland craftsmanship.