I’ve always felt that Yvan Arpa is one of those watchmakers that can easily fall under the radar. But as one of the more daring Swiss watchmakers around, that definitely shouldn’t be the case.

Having made a name for himself in the industry he started his own brand back in 2010 under the name ArtyA, which combines “Art” and his two initials, “Y” and “A”. Of course, having your own company allows you to play by your own rules, and that has translated to a series of highly-regarded and unique timepieces.

Son of Gears Edelweiss Black Edition

The fact that so much has come out of his workshops in a relatively short period of time has been even more impressive. The Geneva-based brand has developed no less than six collections, housed in seven different watch cases that range from 38mm to 47mm in diameter.

Arpa prefers to call his collections “families” and that makes sense considering that each is named beginning with “Son of…”

Today, we’re taking a look at the latest masterpiece by ArtyA from the Son of Gears family. It’s called the Son of Gears Edelweiss, more specifically, and it was released as a celebration of Switzerland - as if all Swiss made watches weren’t!

This one is more symbolic, however, since it draws inspiration from the iconic flower found in the Swiss Alps region. Back in the good old days, these flowers were hard to come by and alpinists needed to be daring to get their hands on one. During the 19th century, the highest ranks in the Swiss army were also defined by badges with the edelweiss.

Edelweiss: A special Swiss symbol

I particularly like the choice of the tonneau watch case for this model, which adds a more geometric design structure to balance the delicate shapes of the flower on the dial. Measuring 41.5mm by 44.8 mm, the well-proportioned case is made of stainless steel with black PVD treatment for the Black Edition of the model.

The ArtyA Unitas-based movement has been skeletonized for the application in this watch, which allows the edelweiss motif to be showcased on the dial.

The good news is that, unlike many other brands that turn to skeletonization, this model is as unique as it is affordable. It starts at 5’400 Swiss francs for the base model, and 6’400 Swiss francs for the Edelweiss Black Edition.