ATELIER AKRIVIA was born from Rexhep Rexhepi’s dream of becoming an independent watchmaker bringing to life a unique vision of watchmaking, one firmly rooted in Geneva's tradition of haute horlogerie and its codes of precision and quality.
It was a demanding and uncertain path chosen by the young watchmaker. His first creations did not immediately find its collectors, and recognition came slowly. Yet, driven by an unshakable belief in his work, he continued relentlessly, refining his craft at the bench, perfecting every detail, and dedicating himself entirely to his vision. Through perseverance, discipline, and countless hours of work, he built not only watches, but credibility, trust, and a name synonymous with excellence.
Today, REXHEP REXHEPI has achieved the extraordinary: eight in-house calibres, several workshops in Geneva's Old Town, and two prizes at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG).
THE FORMATIVE YEARS
Born in Kosovo, he arrived in Switzerland at the age of 11, joining his father who had already settled there, as war was unfolding in his home country. Even at a young age, Rexhep was already deeply fascinated by watches. Upon arriving in Geneva, where watchmaking is omnipresent and deeply embedded in the city’s identity, this early passion quickly evolved into an all-consuming obsession.
At 15, he began his apprenticeship at Patek Philippe, where he spent five years with the storied brand. This experience instilled in him a profound understanding of haute horlogerie, where tradition, decoration, and refined engineering is paramount.
ESTABLISHING ATELIER AKRIVIA
Rexhep Rexhepi was only 25 years old when he founded ATELIER AKRIVIA in 2012. By then, he had already accumulated a decade of experience in fine watchmaking, having worked with some of Geneva’s leading watchmakers, a period that shaped his vision of the craft.
Driven by a desire to bring his vision of watchmaking to life as an independent, Rexhep Rexhepi founded ATELIER AKRIVIA. The workshop’s guiding philosophy is reflected in its name: the Greek word, akrivia (ακρίβεια), translates as precision or accuracy, with a secondary meaning of embodying exceptional quality. Fuelled by an unwavering pursuit of independence, precision, and artisanal perfection, Rexhep Rexhepi embarked on the journey of his atelier, an adventure defined by uncompromising devotion and a heartfelt commitment to the timeless art of watchmaking.
A BOLD BEGINNING | AK-01
ATELIER AKRIVIA unveiled its first timepiece in 2013, just a year after its founding, a testament to Rexhep Rexhepi’s drive to create and leave his mark on watchmaking. The young watchmaker embraced ambition with his inaugural creation, the AK-01 Tourbillon Chronographe Monopoussoir. Developed with the support of former colleagues, the AK-01 featured a flying tourbillon, a single-button chronograph and a four-day power reserve ; an exceptionally complex watch for a fledgling watchmaker, offering an early glimpse of what ATELIER AKRIVIA would go on to achieve.
The AK-01 calibre was housed in a bold, sculptural case, that reflected Rexhep Rexhepi's creative spirit. While the brand’s aesthetic would later evolve toward a more classical style, the quality of the AK-01, with its intricate construction and artisanal finishing, became a defining hallmark of ATELIER AKRIVIA.
AMBITION REVEALED | AK-02 & AK-03
The scale of Rexhep Rexhepi’s ambition and his unwavering commitment to traditional watchmaking, became evident two years after ATELIER AKRIVIA was founded.
In 2014, he introduced two complicated timepieces, the AK-02 Tourbillon Hour Minute and the AK-03 Tourbillon Chiming Jump Hour.
Though the simpler of the two, the AK-02 was still equipped with a flying one-minute tourbillon and a hand-finished movement adorned with details such as a black-polished steel cock for the center wheel and hand-engraved lettering on the bridges.
The AK-03, on the other hand, combined complications in an entire novel way, arranged linearly on the dial to reflect Rexhep Rexhepi’s aesthetic vision of symmetry. Once an hour, in perfect synchrony with the jumping hours, the hammer visible at 12 o’clock strikes a single note to mark the passage of time.
BASELWORLD DEBUT | AK-04
ATELIER AKRIVIA continued its streak of highly complicated watches in 2015, when it exhibited for the first time at Baselworld, then the world’s most important watch fair. The event marked the global debut of the AK-04 Tourbillon Regulateur, a timepiece inspired by the precision regulator clocks of the early 20th century. With hours and minutes displayed on separate axes for enhanced legibility, the AK-04 featured a one-minute tourbillon at six o’clock.
The AK-04 put ATELIER AKRIVIA firmly on the map, drawing the attention of connoisseurs to the craftsmanship behind it. The watch soon found its way into some of the world’s most prestigious collections. While ATELIER AKRIVIA remained a niche brand known only to an exclusive circle of discerning aficionados, Rexhep Rexhepi had already made his mark on the world of fine watchmaking.
FINE FINISHING | AK-05
A year later after ATELIER AKRIVIA’s Baselworld debut, the AK-05 Tourbillon Barrette Miroir emerged: a tribute to hand-finished artistry, its movement distinguished by an elegant steel bridge and a polished cap over the barrel’s pivot jewel.
Originally conceived as the successor to the AK-02, centered around Rexhep’s in-house tourbillon, the design gradually evolved in response to feedback from collectors and retailers: Arabic numerals, subtle variations.
The AK-05 quickly became one of his most sought-after creations. Born from dialogue and compromise, it strikes a balance between the purity of a dream and the need to bring that dream to life.
THE FIRST WATCH WITHOUT A TOURBILLON | AK-06
The AK-06, introduced in 2017, was the first timepiece without a tourbillon and also the brand’s first, and so far only, watch without a dial. The AK-06 embodies the fundamental principles of ATELIER AKRIVIA on both its face and its reverse.
Perfectly balanced in its symmetry, the face of the AK-06 reveals the finely executed mechanics of each complication: a hacking, zero-reset seconds and a power reserve indicator, each designed to be robust, concise, and elegant. The reverse of the movement mirrors the front in its harmony and detail. The calibre is replete with exceptional decorative elements, including a tubular steel bridge for the fourth and centre wheels.
EXPANSION IN GENEVA’S OLD TOWN
Having earned recognition for its haute horlogerie creations, ATELIER AKRIVIA undertook its fifth relocation in 2017, moving into historic premises in Geneva’s Old Town. This storied district, with roots stretching back millennia, became the home of ATELIER AKRIVIA, which now comprises few workshops within the same neighborhood, each dedicated to a distinct métier d'art of watchmaking.
The Old Town atelier marked a pivotal step toward realizing Rexhep Rexhepi’s vision of an independent manufacture, mastering every stage of the craft: from development and construction to hand-finishing movements, crafting enamel dials and hand-sewing straps, all executed with an unwavering commitment to precision, accuracy, and quality.
A NEW DIRECTION | RRCC I
2018 was a landmark year for REXHEP REXHEPI. It marked the debut of the Chronomètre Contemporain I (RRCC I), the first timepiece in the collection to bear the name of its founding watchmaker. More importantly, the RRCC I was the creation that propelled Rexhep Rexhepi into the top tier of independent watchmaking.
Winner of the Men's Watch prize at the GPHG 2018, the RRCC I introduced a new design language for the independent watchmaker, one deeply rooted in Geneva's historical traditions yet made distinctive by Rexhep Rexhepi. Its fired enamel dial is executed in an “alternating sector” style, inspired by historical “scientific” watches, while the calibre retains the workshop's hallmark symmetrical construction.
LEGEND | JEAN-PIERRE HAGMANN
In 2019, ATELIER AKRIVIA achieved a key milestone as a manufacture: REXHEP REXHEPI established its micromechanics and conventional machining workshop, a crucial step on his path toward vertical integration. This workshop not only enables the production of its own watch cases, but also brings to life Rexhep Rexhepi's vision of an independent, vertically integrated atelier in the historic heart of Geneva. This milestone also signaled a new level of autonomy, one that REXHEP REXHEPI would continue to strengthen in the years ahead.
The art of case-making is a rare craft, made even more exceptional when executed by hand, as it is at ATELIER AKRIVIA. The workshop had the privilege of welcoming the legendary master case maker Jean-Pierre Hagmann (1940-2025). Over the years, he has created exceptional cases for the world's most prestigious maisons, housing some of the most sophisticated horological complications. Jean-Pierre Hagmann shared his decades of expertise with the atelier, and bestowed upon his famed hallmark, “JHP.”
Rexhep Rexhepi sought out Jean-Pierre Hagmann not only for his storied case-making skills, but also to ensure that the priceless knowledge accumulated by artisans like him is passed on to future generations. This desire to build a lasting legacy remains a cornerstone of Rexhep Rexhepi’s philosophy and resonates throughout his other workshops.
REFINING THE VISION | RRCC II
In 2022, REXHEP REXHEPI premiered the second watch in his collection: the Chronomètre Contemporain II (RRCC II). Carefully preserving the style and details that made the RRCC I a modern-day classic, the RRCC II retained its predecessor's aesthetic hallmarks while introducing an entirely new calibre featuring twin barrels and an independently driven dead-beat seconds hand. These innovations earned it the Men’s Watch Prize at the GPHG 2022.
A TRIBUTE TO HISTORICAL EXPLORER’S WATCHES | RRCA
In 2023, REXHEP REXHEPI unveiled new timepieces, each powered by an entirely new movement, underscoring the atelier's unmatched ability to design and manufacture in-house.
The Chronomètre Antimagnétique (RRCA), a unique creation for Only Watch 2023. Conceived as a tribute to the precision chronometers that once guided explorers to the Earth’s poles, the RRCA features a soft-iron cage surrounding the movement to shield it from magnetic fields. Notably, this calibre is the brand’s first to incorporate centre seconds, a detail that recalls the historical precision pocket watches of bygone era.
A COLLABORATION TO CELEBRATE INDEPENDENT WATCHMAKING | lvrr-01
The other launch of 2023 was the Louis Vuitton Rexhep Rexhepi Chronographe à Sonnerie (LVRR-01), a collaborative project developed by ATELIER AKRIVIA for the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives.
Inspired by Louis Vuitton's aesthetic codes, most notably the Tambour watch case and the brand’s iconic trunks, the LVRR-01 marked the first, and perhaps only, collaboration ever undertaken by Rexhep Rexhepi.
Powered by an entirely new calibre developed and manufactured by the independent watchmaker, the LVRR-01 showcases a world-first combination of complications: a single-button chronograph linked to a chiming mechanism that strikes once every elapsed minute, driven by its own constant-force gear train, alongside a five-minute tourbillon. These complications are artfully displayed on two faces, with the front dial of tinted sapphire revealing the tourbillon, while the chronograph is presented in white grand feu enamel on the reverse.
Reflecting Louis Vuitton’s profound respect for ATELIER AKRIVIA and Rexhep Rexhepi, the LVRR-01 marked the first time Louis Vuitton altered its iconic logo, subtly integrating “LV” into “AKRIVIA”, a gesture underscoring this unprecedented and harmonious collaboration between the two.
FINE LEATHER AND BESPOKE STRAPS
Eleven years after its founding, REXHEP REXHEPI continued at asteady pace, progressively mastering the many crafts of watchmaking to bring the dreamer’s vision to life. In the summer 2023, he inaugurated his own leather workshop in Geneva’s Old Town, BRACELETIERS AKRIVIA, adding the refined art of leatherwork to the manufacture’s growing repertoire of artisanal expertise.
Helmed by skilled artisans working with a variety of fine and exotic leathers, the workshop produces all REXHEP REXHEPI watch straps and also caters to clients who wish to commission a bespoke or custom watch strap.
MASTERING THE ARTS | GRAND FEU ENAMEL
In spring 2024, REXHEP REXHEPI embraced a new chapter in its dream, mastering the art of grand feu enamel with a dedicated workshop in Geneva’s historic Old Town. Home to skilled artisan enamellers who craft dials using traditional techniques, this atelier lays the foundation for in-house dial production, an endeavor that may, in time expand to encompass other artisanal crafts.
A Journey Full Circle | From Apprentice to Mentor
Twenty years after completing his own apprenticeship, Rexhep Rexhepi felt a quiet calling: the desire to give back what time and experience had so generously offered him. With the opening of his apprenticeship workshop, a dream took shape: to guide young future artisans and curious minds in the delicate art of watchmaking. It is a milestone rich with emotion and meaning, where the past meets the promise of the future. On August 18th, 2025, we welcomed our very first apprentice, a moment that marked not just a beginning, but the continuation of a story written in patience, precision, and passion.