Written in Partnership with Amir Bakian“When the going gets tough…”
We think everyone remembers this phrase, used more or less seriously. But in this case, the going got really tough – and it concerns a micro brand of excellence, Aventi, which came to the attention of a small circle of contemporary (and shall we say – avant-garde) watch enthusiasts as a company that was not afraid of anything. Because launching a high-end watchmaking brand in 2020 actually took a lot of guts, we shall concur.
Enter the Aventi A15 Wraith Saphite™ Paraiba, a jewel on the wrist.
With a name like this, you can tell right away that something interesting might be going on. If you are a little gem-savvy, you know azure the tourmalines in the Paraiba are natural stones shining with a unique and distinctive blue color that has never been possible to replicate with other materials. Yet when we saw the photos of this watch, we were impressed.
The case of the Wraith is made of a proprietary material called Saphite™, a proprietary variety of sapphire crystal that is even more transparent (with an even lower refractive index, which makes it less prone to reflections and optical distortion) than the norm: Aventi creates a block of material that is then cut to the watch’s dimensions and polished throughout. Like having a large tourmaline of 92 faces, inside of which beats a pulsating, technological titanium heart. And the crown, located on top of the timepiece, is also made of Saphite™ Paraiba, with a precise cutting and polishing process that takes more than four days to complete.
A titanium movement with an optimized tourbillon
The movement that animates the watch is a hand-wound GT-01S skeleton caliber, executed in grade 5 titanium and finished with fine perlage and anglage on each surface. Its unique feature is that it is composed of only 68 elements: Aventi has reinterpreted the tourbillon, optimizing its architecture to contain it in only 18 pieces.
Each movement is hand assembled and tested in La Chaux de Fonds by Aventi’s Master Watchmaker, Olivier Mory, to achieve an accuracy of +/-4 seconds per day. It beats at 21,600 bph and offers a power reserve of more than 100 hours. And it has full-proof resistance: an impressive 5,000 G and 2,000 gauss.
Exceptional visibility, day and night
The watch might be made mostly of a glass-like substance, but – true to its name – the crystal in the Aventi Wraith A15 Saphite™ Paraiba is there, but it appears not to be. This is the result of an unparalleled anti-reflective treatment: as many as seven AR layers are applied internally, and seven more cover the outside of the surface.
And a view inside the case confirms this desire to show and amaze: the watch hands are also executed in sapphire crystal – an industry first – with machined edges coated with SuperLuminova to facilitate nighttime reading. The rest of the dial, a small black-coated plate that matches the angular, industrial design of the movement, is executed with a guilloche hobnail motif, with small black satin-finished side-by-side pyramids.
And when the lights go out, this timepiece shows its full character. Not only are the markers and hands covered in lumen, but also some of the inner contours of the movement and dial. And this provides a genuinely out-of-the-ordinary visual experience.
A strap that fits like a glove
Aventi’s attention to detail does not end in the watch: it also transfers to creating a suitable strap, which is also made in-house. To ensure the best possible wearability, Aventi chose FKM rubber, a material that has a higher density than traditional rubber (1800 kg/sqm versus 1100) and better qualities of strength and durability.
This ice-white strap is manufactured by injection into a mold and then cleaned with ultrasonic washing. In addition, the band comes with a butterfly clasp made of titanium and steel, making it even easier to wear the watch.
A watch that can stand out and distinguish itself
One of the scourges of modern watchmaking – at least according to most watch fans – is the investment market that has sprung up for luxury timepieces. As a result, many people buy watches and keep them in their safes, never wearing them, ready to repurpose them on the second-wrist market once prices go up.
And this is precisely what Aventi would like to avoid for its creations.
This means that production will be limited but ongoing: no numbered special editions, but a standard expectation for ordering a sartorial product made with care. And in the face of demand, the company wants to make choices. That is, to “marry” someone with the same conception of watchmaking, which is a striking difference from mainstream production.
And call him by his full name, as an old friend.
In short, there is something new under the sun in haute horlogerie. And while we reflect about life, the universe and all that jazz, basking in the infinite reflections of this timepiece, we look with curiosity at Aventi and its next moves.
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