One of the things that endears independent watchmakers to collectors and enthusiasts worldwide is their approachability. Events like Watches and Wonders Geneva give visitors a chance to meet the families, creatives, and technical specialists behind the brands — though few get to sit with the watchmakers themselves.
This year, I was fortunate. At the ArtyA booth, I met nearly the entire Arpafamily: master watchmaker Yvan Arpa; his wife, the artist and dial-maker Dominique Arpa-Cirpka; and their sons Jérémie, a designer, and Stanislas, a micromechanical engineer.
We talked about dancing, music, martial arts, mathematics, mental evolution, authenticity, family, choices, travel, and, of course, watchmaking. Our conversations unfolded over three unhurried, caffeinated sessions —the kind of encounters that remind you why the independent world matters.
Family at the Heart of ArtyA
What sets the ArtyA booth apart is the family’s integration. Jérémie designs cases and forms. Stanislas works on micromechanics. Their mother, Dominique, produces expressive dials using techniques ranging from painting to natural materials.
“Not only am I the father, I am the manager. I must tell them what I want and need. It’s very special and brings new shapes, new ideas,” says Yvan.
Some of their newest designs feature braided carbon fibre, architectural sapphire, butterfly wings, sculptural movement bridges, and finishes that push classical techniques into new territory.
Looking back at my notes, I’m back in that moment: strong coffee, Swiss chocolate, a table full of ideas, and a family that treats time not as a commodity, but as something alive.
Yvan Arpa’s Unconventional Path
Yvan Arpa’s path into watchmaking is one of those stories you can’t invent. Before he ever touched a balance spring, he taught mathematics and practised martial arts professionally in Thailand. His career began in the world of numbers, but the environment never suited him —hierarchy outweighed curiosity. He walked away, choosing movement over stagnation, challenge over convention.
“After two years, I decided to leave the field. I travelled for a year and followed some of my dreams. One was to cross Papua New Guinea on foot. While I was walking, I wondered what I could do with my life.”
Switzerland called him back. But he didn’t want to be part of its clichés.
“Even though I’m half Italian, I’m Swiss. I wanted to do something related to Switzerland — but not cheese, or chocolate or banking.”
Time, in its philosophical sense, drew him in. “A watch is the most useless essential object you can own,” he said. That paradox delighted him.
His ascent included working with the big brands. Fiercely independent, he was determined to have no shareholders in his own business — Luxury Artpieces ArtyA SA, formed in Geneva in 2009 — and needed to build capital.
“The way you behave with shareholders is different. When you’re alone, you follow your instinct.”
A Manufacture of Emotion
At Richemont, he led Baume & Mercier in Switzerland and later directed sales across Europe and Asia. At Hublot, he helped launch the Big Bang collection. As CEO of Romain Jerome, he pushed boundaries with watches incorporating steel recovered from the Titanic, moon dust, and storytelling that extended far beyond traditional horology.
His journey also included work with Jacob & Co., creating Spero Lucem watches, and crafting a bespoke motorbike that took over 1 000 hours. In 2016, he co-designed Samsung’s Gear S3 — a smartwatch that speaks fluent Swiss.
But none of this fully explains Yvan Arpa. His identity, and ArtyA’s, becomes clear only when you hear him talk.
“I’m half Italian,” he says with a smile — the kind that reveals both pride and mischief. “Italy is really good for enjoying life. The pleasure of food and wine and dancing and singing. We sing a lot in Italy.”
Music is central to him — not a hobby, but a way of measuring depth. He loves jazz and plays the piano, but prefers listening.
“It’s compulsory to have good music. If someone doesn’t like music, I can’t get along with them.”
Music inspired ArtyA’s Son of Sound collection. It began with the rock band KISS. When they asked him to design a watch for them, he created a guitar-shaped piece. Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley questioned it and drew a violin instead, but Yvan laughed and said, “No, nobody plays violin. But when the contract arrived, they asked me to design, produce, and sell the watch. I said no again — so I did it for myself.”
It’s a small example of a larger truth: Yvan follows an internal compass, not a commercial one.
The Black Belt Watch: A Trophy, Not a Product
Yvan’s first independent brand, the Black Belt Watch, had only one rule: you could buy it only if you were a certified black belt. The idea honoured the Bushido code: rectitude, courage, benevolence, respect, honesty, honour, loyalty.
“Many people are proud. Being a black belt is one of the biggest achievements in their life. But they cannot say it. You can’t meet someone and say, ‘Hello, I’m a black belt.’ So, I made it a trophy. Something they could wear without saying the words. It’s a watch money cannot buy.”
Demand arrived swiftly — including from the wrong kind of people.
“Some offered ten times the price. But if you’re not a black belt, I can’t sell it. Otherwise, I’m not true to myself.”
The challenges escalated: forged certificates, obsession, even tattoos of the Black Belt logo. Eventually, he opened the concept slightly — still rooted in martial philosophy, but more accessible — and the brand found its balance. Today, part of its mission supports associations helping people with disabilities practise martial arts.
ArtyA: The Secret Garden of Emotion
Where the Black Belt Watch carried a sense of discipline, ArtyA expresses Yvan’s creative instinct — raw, intuitive, sometimes provocative.
“ArtyA is my secret garden. The brand’s DNA is creation. It’s a manufacturer of emotions. It must give emotion — hate, love, passion, whatever it triggers.”
He laughs about his “forbidden collection” — pieces so extreme he doesn’t show them.
“People want the things I don’t want to show. But I don’t create for the market. If a concept wakes me up, I must make it. I have no choice.”
When asked what he wants people to understand about ArtyA:
“I want the brand to reflect who I am. And that the people who buy our watches are people I can talk to, people I get along with. It’s a manufacture of emotion. Passion, work, and stories.”
His process begins not with function or demand, but because an idea won’t let him sleep.
One example is the Purity Stairway to Heaven, which features an offset hours and minutes display designed to highlight the exclusive Manufacture movement. The escapement, usually buried deep within the mechanism, is placed on a sculptural staircase, delivering exceptional chronometric stability with its dual-barrel system.
“The challenge was removing material instead of adding it. Making space. Creating architecture.”
The back includes a mirror — partly practical, partly symbolic — catching light in unusual ways.
The titanium model is priced at CHF 25 900, while the sapphire version is priced at CHF 75 900. The collection includes the new Wavy case by Jérémie Arpa, demonstrating mastery of sapphire crystal and mechanical elegance.
The Central Tourbillon: Starting at the End
The Purity Wavy Central Tourbillon starts at CHF 135 000 — one of ArtyA’s most striking developments.
“I love the cage of the tourbillon. People want to show it — especially with a brand that doesn’t spend a lot on marketing. So, I made it huge, in the centre.”
Traditionally, movements are built first, with the tourbillon added last. Here, they started from the tourbillon and built the movement around it.
The in-house 19mm automatic tourbillon dominates the 40mm case — floating, glowing, commanding attention. The Tiny Purity Tourbillon NanoSapphire Chameleon, has a 39mm case cut from a block of NanoSapphire, a high-tech transparent material whose molecular structure allows it to change colour depending on the light.
As our conversation ended, he said:
“Thank you for this type of interview. It’s a slice of pleasure.”
That line stayed with me. Because in the world of independents, pleasure — in ideas, in risk, in creation, and in human connection — is the currency that matters most.
At ArtyA, this is evident in every family member, story, and watch. They call themselves manufacturers of emotion. Spend an hour with them, and you understand why.
