The Eva Leube Ari Watch - Curving the Calibre
The Ari watch by Eva Leube follows the contours of the wrist forming a striking and substantial arc shape, but this is no run-of-the-mill cuff watch, inside is a handmade movement which has been designed to fill the entire case in a stunning front-on view. Eva Leube has quite literally curved the calibre.
This has been a productive year for Eva Leube - she has been accepted as a candidate for the AHCI, has presented her first timepiece the "Ari" and her creation, four years in the making has been chosen as a finalist for the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève in the Design watch category .... that's "design" not "designer" watch, there is a huge difference...
So. How do you curve a calibre? Re-write the rules and re-design almost everything - not just the components, but the tools required to make the components. To create curved parts you need solid blocks of metal, not flat sheets. To cut and shape the curved parts you need to create tools capable of cutting and shaping curved parts. To finish curved parts once they have been cut, you need unique tools capable of finishing the curved parts ..... To complicate the process even further Ms. Leube lives and works in Sydney, just about as faraway as you can get from the industry's comfort zone of suppliers and technical know-how.
Now it is not uncommon for an independent watchmaker to choose a location other than La Chaux-de-Fonds in which to create their timepieces. George Daniels has made some of the watches which define the industry in his workshop on the Isle of Man, a location often buffeted by all that the Irish Sea can throw at it, storms which mean that sometimes the delivery man doesn't deliver. The McGonigles do some of their watchmaking down the road from us in Ireland, a country where as we know only too well the Monday post often doesn't exist, a country where a weekend can sometimes stretch to four days, leaving it rather difficult to meet deadlines. Independent watchmakers think differently, are different. The mainstream environment can provide unnecessary distractions, and independent watchmakers are not only an artistic collection of individuals, they are extremely resourceful too.
Inside the Ari watch is Eva's handmade calibre appearing in a unique linear form. The large balance is at the top, followed by a subdial for seconds then in the centre is the hour and minutes dial with an Eva Leube engraved ratchet wheel completing the perfectly formal line-up. The hands are heat-blued steel - traditional and superb. The 53.44 x 21.6mm case is enclosed in a curved sapphire which reaches right over the case sides and is a feature in itself. The crown is tucked away tidily beneath the 6 o'clock allowing for a pure uncluttered case.
Two case versions are available, either Platinum 950 or 18 carat gold. On the caseback is a coat of arms designed by the watchmaker featuring the reversed escape wheel of the Ari watch. Hand-finishing will be immaculate, each watch will be a work of art, an heirloom piece. Due to the handcrafting involved the piece can be personalised for the individual.
Find out more at Eva Leube.com and if you like this piece as much as we do you the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève has a public prize, you can click-and-vote for the Ari watch here.
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