Press release
Swiss watchmaking has continued to reinvent itself throughout the centuries as Swiss craftsmen, inspired by their passion and love of tradition, strive to enhance their precision expertise.
Maison Bunter, one of the leading specialists in major complications and jewel-setting, has been fired by such passion for some 155 years. Today Bunter is proud to present Arcadia: an innovative watchmaking concept that rises to the challenge of reviving one of the greatest emblems of Switzerland's watchmaking heritage.
During the 19th century the Arcadia brand was the symbol of Swiss watchmaking excellence and the standard-bearer of the celebrated Fleurier Watch Company, whose creative approach would inspire generations of watchmakers. Now, after falling victim to the ‘quartz revolution,' Arcadia, and its incredibly avant-garde models, are being reborn under Bunter President Claude Sanz - a passionate devotee of watchmaking history.
This new adventure, imbued with unfettered imagination, offers a fresh approach to communicating the values of traditional Swiss watchmaking around the world.
HISTORY
1858 – 1970 : Arcadia
In the early 19th century Swiss watchmaking - hitherto a craftsman's activity - enjoyed one of its earliest industrial booms.
Thanks to Edouard Bovet, one of the first watchmakers to target the Far Eastern market, the number of watchmakers in Fleurier (a village in the Val-de-Travers near Neuchâtel) more than tripled inside 30 years.
Jules-Samuel Jequier, who was born in the village in 1835, chose to devote his life to watchmaking from an early age. He joined Bovet in 1856 after training as a jewel-cutter and, thanks to his enthusiasm and entrepreneurial zest, rose swiftly through the firm's ranks.
Later, helped by his five sons, Jules-Samuel Jequier founded the Fleurier Watch Company, a manufacturer devoted to jewel-cutting and designing watch calibres. The growth of the watchmaking industry would inspire the Jequiers to launch a number of different watchmaking brands.
Among them: Arcadia.
rcadia was founded in 1858 and became the flagship of the Fleurier Watch Company. The classically-inspired Fleurier brand enjoyed great renown among connoisseurs of quality watches, epitomized by names like Breitling and Rolex.
Arcadia watches displayed amazing creativity for the time.
This avant-garde brand produced some particularly stylish collections, typified by some of its early 20th century models - symbols of Swiss ancestral tradition imbued with modern, indeed contemporary, vision.
But the arrival of quartz was to be the downfall for many Swiss watchmakers, who failed to realize the importance of the 1970s electronic revolution. Swiss mechanical watches were left behind by cheap, mass-produced, electronic watches from abroad. The resultant economic crisis lasted 15 years and threatened the entire sector, coming close to completely destroying traditional Swiss watchmaking.
Many Swiss watchmaking firms were forced to close, taking with them the brands which had underpinned their success. Arcadia was no exception and, over a century after its launch by the Fleurier Watch Company, sank into oblivion.
2010 : Rebirth of Arcadia
Arcadia represents the crowning glory to an exceptional career and the fulfilment of a dream for a man to whom watchmaking is far more than a job. Claude Sanz cuts a unique figure in the watchmaking world: a trained geologist and mineralogist, as well as an expert in setting and mechanical complications.
Nearly forty years ago Sanz acquired Bunter, a firm specializing in the cutting of industrial stones and rubies needed for watchmaking. Today, thanks to their mastery of invisible settings and de luxe, made-to-measure projects, Bunter are recognized by all the pre-eminent Swiss watchmaking firms.
For Sanz, work is a passion: a passion for timepieces, for horological savoir-faire and for watchmaking history. It is also a dream... one he has secretly entertained for many years, to blend his skill and experience with the launch of a watchmaking brand that would write the final chapter of a story that began 35 years ago.
“When you make watch components, you inevitably think about creating your own brand,” says Sanz.
But his ambition goes further. As a keen historian, he dreams of pursuing the mission of a Swiss watchmaking firm in the purest mechanical tradition - albeit one adapted to the contemporary era.
In the 1990s Claude Sanz learnt about the incredible story of the Fleurier Watch Company and its star brand, Arcadia. He was fascinated by this forgotten watchmaking venture, and promptly decided to take over the Arcadia brand – which had fallen into the public domain - and revive its century-old traditions. “Arcadia calibres were highly innovative for the time, and the Fleurier Watch Company was considered an international ambassador of Swiss watchmaking,” he explains. Today the industry is witnessing a return to small mechanical movements, so Arcadia is perfect for the 21st century! It's the start of a whole new adventure.
The Arcadia renaissance is underway. With Bunter's structural and technical support, Claude Sanz has set about renovating each Arcadia calibre in the purest watchmaking tradition, inserting them into modern cases with sleek designs, made using the latest avant-garde technologies and materials.
A combination of the richness of the past and the boldness of the future, Arcadia aims to showcase and perpetuate an exceptional, time-honoured, heritage on the international scene - and restore the prestige of a watchmaking symbol that was the pride of Switzerland for over a hundred years.
AC01 : Transcending tradition
With its modern, virile look, the first re-edition of the Arcadia collection strides confidently into the 21st century – while retaining the utmost respect for watchmaking's greatest traditions.
This can be seen in the powerful design of this audaciously restyled retro model. While retaining its DNA – rounded shapes for the watch and displays within a tonneau case – the Arcadia AC01 has been entirely redesigned in line with today's technical codes. This new design approach is one of extremes: the watch combines harmonious volumes with aggressive elegance, with visible screws and push-pieces reworked to appear part of the case.
The watch is made from such avant-garde materials as titanium (for the case), carbon (for the split-level dial), and anti-allergenic technological fibre (for the strap), married to watchmaking functions that evoke the awesome savoir-faire of the Fleurier Watch Company: the hour-and-minute display in the centre of the dial is surrounded by four skillfully juxtaposed sub-dials with original, extra functions (including chronograph, date and 24-hour time-zone index). The automatic movement, with 18-carat pink gold rotor, can be admired through a transparent case-back.
Watchmaking tradition transcended! The watch is edited in a limited series of 275, and offered for sale with a revolutionary concept ideally suited to the era of new technologies: much in the manner of an iPhone or iPad, all data linked to the model (guarantee, aftersale service, orders for further timepieces) is entered on a USB key given to the owner and activated on-line at time of purchase.
Another novelty: each Arcadia model comes with a travelling case in supple, ultra-resistant neoprene for easy transport and maximum protection.
AC01 - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
CASE
Shape : cushion
Material: TITANIUM/STEEL 316L
Dimensions: 42.00 x 40.00 x 14.60 mm
Opening: 29.40 x 29.40 mm
Between lugs: 22.00 mm
Bezel & case-back: sapphire crystal
Dial: split-level, carbon fiber
Mobile lugs
Strap: technological fibre
Clasp: folding, with security
MOVEMENT
Dubois Dépraz module (base ETA2892-A2)
Functions
Time Display: center hours & minutes hands, small seconds hand at 3 o'clock
Chronograph: center seconds hand, 30-minutes counter at 9 o'clock, 12-hours counter at 6 o'clock
Date at 4 o'clock
Time zone: 24-hours index at 12 o'clock
Winding: automatic, two-way
18 k rose gold rotor
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour
Power-Reserve: 40-44 hours
Case Diameter: 26.20 mm
Thickness: 6.80 mm
Crown - 3 positions:
1 - manual winding
2 - quick date setting
3 – time setting
1 pusher: GMT time-zone setting
55 jewels (21+34)
