AkriviA — Rexhep Rexhepi
Born in Kosovo, Rexhep Rexhepi arrived in Switzerland at age 11 as war unfolded in his home country, joining his father in Geneva. Already deeply fascinated by watches, his passion quickly became an all-consuming obsession in a city where watchmaking is omnipresent. At just 15 he began a five-year apprenticeship at Patek Philippe — one of the youngest ever accepted — where he gained a profound understanding of haute horlogerie's traditions of decoration and refined engineering. He spent subsequent years with other leading Geneva watchmakers before striking out alone at 25.
In 2012 he founded ATELIER AKRIVIA — from the Greek ακρίβεια (akrivia), meaning precision or accuracy. It was a demanding and uncertain path: his first creations did not immediately find collectors, and recognition came slowly. Yet driven by unshakable belief, he continued relentlessly, refining his craft at the bench, perfecting every detail, dedicating himself entirely to his vision. Eight in-house calibres later, he is considered one of the most important watchmakers in the world.
Complete collection: AK-01 Tourbillon Chronographe Monopoussoir (2013, debut — flying tourbillon, single-button chronograph, 4-day power reserve); AK-02 Tourbillon Hour Minute (2014, flying tourbillon, hand-engraved bridges); AK-03 Tourbillon Chiming Jump Hour (2014, linear complication layout, a hammer strikes once per hour in synchrony with the jumping hour); AK-04 Tourbillon Régulateur (2015, Baselworld debut — regulator display, tourbillon at 6 o'clock, entered prestigious collections worldwide); AK-05 Tourbillon Barrette Miroir (2016, steel bridge, black-polished pivot cap, his most sought-after early creation); AK-06 (2017, first watch without a tourbillon, first without a dial — symmetrical skeletonized face revealing hacking seconds and power reserve, tubular steel bridge); RRCC I Chronomètre Contemporain (2018, GPHG Men's Watch Prize — grand feu enamel alternating sector dial inspired by historical scientific watches, new design language rooted in Geneva tradition); RRCC II Chronomètre Contemporain II (2022, GPHG Men's Watch Prize — twin barrels, independently driven dead-beat seconds); RRCA Chronomètre Antimagnétique (2023, Only Watch — tribute to polar explorer chronometers, soft-iron cage, first centre seconds); LVRR-01 Louis Vuitton × Rexhep Rexhepi Chronographe à Sonnerie (2023, world-first: single-button chronograph linked to a chiming mechanism striking once per elapsed minute, constant-force gear train, five-minute tourbillon, tinted sapphire front/enamel reverse — Louis Vuitton subtly merged their 'LV' logo into 'AKRIVIA' for the first time ever).
The manufacture in Geneva's Old Town now encompasses several dedicated workshops: movements, micromechanics and case-making (with the blessing of legendary case-maker Jean-Pierre Hagmann, 1940–2025, who bestowed his JHP hallmark), grand feu enamel dials (in-house since spring 2024), and BRACELETIERS AKRIVIA — the brand's own leather workshop producing all straps and bespoke commissions (opened 2023). On 18 August 2025, the atelier welcomed its first watchmaking apprentice — a circle completing itself twenty years after Rexhep's own apprenticeship. 'Through perseverance, discipline, and countless hours of work, he built not only watches, but credibility, trust, and a name synonymous with excellence.'