When the cosmos meets Swiss fine watchmaking

PURITY MOISSANITE
CURVY TOURBILLON

The first-ever introduction of silicon carbide into the art of watchmaking.

There are materials that the universe forged before humanity existed. Moissanite is one of them. ArtyA Genève has chosen this silicon carbide of cosmic origin to sculpt one of the most ambitious cases in contemporary watchmaking: the Purity Moissanite Curvy Tourbillon, a crystal watch where light becomes mechanics, and mechanics becomes light. With this timepiece, ArtyA continues its exploration of extreme materials with a crystalline case designed to reveal the mechanics of a manufacture tourbillon with a curved architecture.

More than a case, the moissanite here becomes a true optical lens, amplifying the depth of the movement and projecting a rainbow fire with every movement of the wrist.

An exceptional piece to discover at Watches and Wonders
ArtyA Booth : n° 17, Carré des Horlogers
April 14th – 20th
Appointment booking: info@artya.com

A MATERIAL BORN FROM THE STARS

Discovered in 1893 by French physicist Henri Moissan in a meteorite crater, moissanite is a silicon carbide with exceptional physical and optical properties. Unlike sapphire, an aluminium oxide, moissanite has a radically different atomic structure and characteristics, combining extreme resistance with incomparable brilliance.

With a hardness of between 9.25 and 9.5 on the Mohs scale, it is the second hardest material known after diamond, making its machining formidably complex.

But it is above all its optical behaviour that fascinates: moissanite has a dispersion index of 0.104, more than double that of diamond (0.044). This phenomenon generates a spectacular decomposition of light into a multitude of colours. Each facet acts as a miniature prism, transforming the case into a living luminous sculpture.

Machining this material requires the development of exclusive processes capable of working a crystal whose melting point exceeds 2,700°C and whose resistance far exceeds that of traditional watchmaking materials.

"In 2023, ArtyA presented at Only Watch the world’s very first watch with a round case entirely sculpted in moissanite. Today, the Maison pushes the boundaries even further with a tonneau case architecture featuring complex curves."

Far more complex than sapphire, moissanite demands extreme mastery and unique expertise. It is Stanislas Arpa, son of the founder, who leads both the creative vision and the development of exclusive machining processes for this exceptional material, establishing within the Geneva workshops an entirely novel know-how with no equivalent in the global watchmaking industry. ArtyA is today the only Maison in the world to possess this expertise. Its subtle champagne hue, of rare sophistication, reveals the full luminous nobility of the material.

A CURVILINEAR ARCHITECTURE

The geometry of the Curvy case further accentuates the visual experience. Its polished volumes and crystalline surfaces create a subtle optical distortion that gives the impression that the movement is floating inside a stellar gemstone. The flanks of the case act as a natural magnifying glass, amplifying the depth of the mechanism and the hypnotic rotation of the tourbillon. This singular formal language confers upon each ArtyA creation its incomparable identity.

The case reveals a spectacularly intense rainbow play of light, enhanced by a complex faceting composed of 65 facets.

THE PUR-T3 CURVY TOURBILLON

MANUFACTURE CALIBRE

At the heart of this crystalline architecture beats the PUR-T3 Curvy Tourbillon manufacture calibre, developed to follow the curved lines of the case. Its asymmetric architecture showcases the hours and minutes display offset at 12 o’clock, and a tourbillon positioned at 6 o’clock.

The movement operates at 4 Hz (28,800 vph) and is powered by two barrels mounted in parallel, guaranteeing stable torque delivery and a generous power reserve of 65 hours guaranteed, with a maximum of 70 to 72 hours. Rare are Swiss manufacture tourbillons beating at 4 Hz, most oscillate between 2.5 and 3 Hz, and this elevated frequency significantly enhances chronometric stability.

The tourbillon is regulated using the traditional method via timing weights (masselottes), rather than the more common regulator (raquette) approach. This method, rooted in the great watchmaking tradition, enables finer and more precise adjustment, with each weight positioned to the micron to individually tune the rate in each position. A choice of high horology, more demanding to implement, that testifies to the level of manufacturing excellence at ArtyA.

Notably, the upper tourbillon cage bridge measures an impressive 17 mm, a remarkable dimension that underscores the architectural boldness and visual impact of the mechanism.

FINISHING

The movement benefits from a contemporary finishing approach blending matte textures with traditional bevelling. The bridges and mainplate are fine-sandblasted, while several components are shot-blasted with cast iron and hand-bevelled. The tourbillon cage receives this demanding treatment: shot-blasting with cast iron balls followed by manual bevelling on all edges, revealing the geometry of the structure. A NAC grey galvanic treatment underlines the architectural depth of the movement.