Xhevdet Rexhepi

Pronounced 'Djèvdette Redjepi.' Born in Kosovo in 1990, Xhevdet Rexhepi was forced to leave his country at age 8 when war broke out, and emigrated to Switzerland with his family to join his father. Skilled with his hands and an artist at heart who has drawn since childhood, he first trained as a cabinetmaker before discovering watchmaking at 21 during an internship at a small manufacture.

He then completed his watchmaking apprenticeship at Patek Philippe, earning his CFC, before joining MHC (Manufacture Haute Complication) as a complications watchmaker. From 2015 to 2022, he worked alongside his brother — Rexhep Rexhepi, founder of AkriviA — until launching his own brand in 2023.

His mission: 'Inspired by the past to build the present.' For his creative process, he immersed himself in the world of a 19th-century watchmaker, designing his first wristwatch as that craftsman would have.

The debut Minute Inerte (MI1, 30 January 2023, limited to 50 pieces, CHF 89,391) is classic, innovative, and timeless. Its breakthrough complication: the second hand turns in 58 seconds, then pauses for 2 seconds at the 60-second position before restarting — while the minute hand remains inert during the seconds' travel, then jumps instantly by exactly one minute when the second hand begins its next rotation. The result: time that can be read precisely to the minute, with the mechanism visible through an opening at 6 o'clock. Stop-balance for precision setting. 38mm platinum case, 8.5mm thick, manual-winding, 69-hour power reserve, 18,000vph. Velvety dial with applied indices, inspired by pocket watches; movement architecture inspired by architectural straight classical shapes. 'This piece is my way of speaking to the world and enduring in time.'