When discussing independent Haute Horlogerie, it is impossible to overlook the work of Rexhep Rexhepi. Despite his youth, he is one of the most respected names in this realm, best known for the Chronomètre Contemporain under his eponymous brand. That being said, before ‘Rexhep Rexhepi’ the brand, there was ‘Akrivia’. While it is easy to see the success of the brand and the watchmaker today, Akrivia’s beginnings in 2012 was not so obvious. With avant-garde designs presented to a world not ready for hyper high-end independent watchmaking, it wasn’t until the late 2010’s when momentum started shifting.
First unveiled at Baselworld 2017, the AK-06 marked a quiet yet pivotal turning point for Akrivia. It represented a deliberate step away from the tourbillon-focused pieces that had defined the brand’s early years. Conceived as a true pièce de résistance, the AK-06 made its statement not through complication, but through restraint, architecture, and an exceptional level of execution. Developed during a difficult transitional period for the atelier, the AK-06 was very much an all-or-nothing effort, created at a time when they were struggling, as admiration for the work was not yet translating into meaningful sales numbers. As collectors began gravitating toward smaller, slimmer watches, the AK-06 arrived with a recalibrated sense of proportion and intent. In hindsight, this was the watch that crystallised Akrivia’s identity and laid the groundwork for its renewed momentum in independent watchmaking.
That shift in focus is most immediately felt in the case. As seen here, the AK-06 retains Akrivia’s already-established design language, but in noticeably more measured proportions. Measuring 41mm x 9.9mm, it is slimmer and more restrained than the brand’s earlier offerings, resulting in a profile that sits comfortably on the wrist and slips easily under a cuff. The core elements remain intact, including the sharply defined case lines, the U-shaped construction with an ovoid bezel, the paired lateral “ears” on each side that frame the case, and the clous de Paris knurled crown, with the right-hand ear doubling as a discreet crown guard. Extensive brushed surfaces are contrasted by wide, polished bevels along the lugs, reinforcing the case’s architectural presence while keeping the overall impression calm and cohesive.
The open-worked dial is where the AK-06 becomes most expressive. Despite being a time-only watch, its tri-layered construction creates an astonishing sense of depth, with each element clearly showcased and functionally placed. The matte anthracite grey main plate, contrasted against lustrous gold-toned components, immediately evokes an industrial, almost steampunk-inspired aesthetic. The base plate is entirely hand-hammered, a slow and demanding process in which each strike is applied individually by the artisan to form a field of fine dimples, resulting in a subtly frosted texture. The process alone takes hours to complete, imparting a tactile, almost organic quality that is rare at this level.
From approximately 2:00 to 7:00, the dial reveals perlage decoration on the underlying plate, creating a deliberate contrast between two distinct finishing techniques. This interplay further accentuates the surrounding details, allowing the black-polished components and other finishing techniques across the dial to stand out with clarity. The outer periphery and the small seconds sub-dial at 6:00 are fitted with lightly brushed chapter rings, while a power-reserve indicator occupies the 12:00 position.
For those attuned to mechanical detail, the dial of the AK-06 is a stage for mechanical choreography. At 9:00, you’ll find a compact gear train that drives the power reserve display, tracking the barrel’s state of wind, while a coiled blued-steel spring at 2:00 keeps the indicator under constant tension, preventing drift from external force if the watch is ever jostled. At 3:00, the keyless works are fully exposed, translating crown rotation into precise hand movement and making the simple act of setting the time engaging. A cartouche at 8:30 quietly denotes the edition number. Anchoring the dial are a pair of stylised central hands—Rexhepi’s take on Observatoire-style hands—which are thermally blued with black-polished tips, uniting the entire display in both function and elegance.
The AK-06 also introduces a small but clever complication: the reset-to-zero mechanism, which is traditionally reserved for minute-repeaters to prevent mis-timed chiming. When the crown is engaged, the seconds hand in the sub-dial instantaneously snaps back to its zero position, which allows the user to adjust the time precisely.
Powering the AK-06 from within is the Cal. AK-06, a manual-winding movement developed entirely in-house by Akrivia. As seen through its open caseback, the movement is impeccably finished, with sharp anglage throughout and deep Côtes de Genève that reflect Rexhep’s classical training, while the movement’s near-perfect left-right symmetry emphasises visual balance. As far as power reserve goes, the Cal. AK-06 can hold a charge of up to 100 hours on a full wind.
It’s not hard to see why the AK-06 proved so important to Akrivia’s revival. Rexhepi’s approach to its dial design is unmistakable, mechanically efficient, visually dense yet so clear, and executed with a level of detail few brands can match. There is a delicate balance between complexity and legibility that gives the dial an almost painterly feel, and at the time of release, it felt genuinely refreshing. Production was strictly limited to a total of 50 pieces, split evenly between steel and titanium. Being one of the brand’s earlier offerings, getting your hands on an example at retail today is virtually impossible, except when a collector chooses to sell, as with the piece we are offering here.
With plans to retire the Akrivia name, interest in these pieces have skyrocketed. On top of this, Rexhep Rexhepi is not only seen as the leader of the next generation of independent watchmakers but also as one of its most talented, taking over from fabled names such as Philippe Dufour, Roger Smith and F.P. Journe. This inadvertently cements the AK-06 as a unique and important piece of 21st-century watchmaking that will no doubt go down in the history books.
