Introducing the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Antimagnétique for Only Watch 2023

There’s always excitement in the watch community whenever Rexhep Rexhepi releases a new timepiece. The young maestro is one of the industry’s brightest stars, ushering in a new era of traditional watchmaking at his atelier in the heart of Geneva. Teased with the release of the Only Watch 2023 catalog some weeks ago, the full release for Rexhep’s new model is finally here – the Chronomètre Antimagnétique. 

Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Antimagnétique

With the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain I & II, chronometry became the core focus. Those are both precision timepieces handcrafted with sublime finishing. This new release is a continuation of the same focus, brought to the next level of rugged functionality. The Chronomètre Antimagnétique is a precision timekeeper featuring an all-new, hand-finished movement protected from magnetism by a Faraday cage. 

The “scientific” dial

Aesthetically, this timepiece is heavily inspired by the historic anti-magnetic watches of the post-war period, 1950’s onward. With its “scientific” dial, commonly found on historical chronometers, its design is also a subtle nod to the basis of the watch: the alternating blocks along the hour scale are an abstract representation of the opposite polarities of a magnetic field. 

Functional to an extreme degree, this was the type of timepiece worn by nuclear scientists and polar explorers in regions where the planet’s magnetic fields are strongest. While nodding to the past, the Chronomètre Antimagnétique remains exceptionally modern. You will be hard-pressed to find a more luxuriously designed and finished anti-magnetic watch in history. One glance at the new, in-house movement and collectors understand that this is an elevated explorer’s watch. 

The Chronomètre Antimagnétique is instantly recognizable as a Rexhep Rexhepi movement

The Chronomètre Antimagnétique’s movement

With its symmetry and sublime finish, the Chronomètre Antimagnétique caliber is instantly recognizable as a Rexhep Rexhepi movement. The caliber is distinguished by its centrally-located balance wheel and gear train. Also present is the zero-reset mechanism, as a heart-shaped cam is visible just above the central gear and operates in a similar manner as the reset cam in a chronograph. This heart-shaped cam is responsible for the instant return of the seconds hand to 12 o’clock as soon as the crown is pulled out to set the time.

The zero-reset mechanism in the Chronomètre Antimagnétique is unlike those in the RRCC I and RRCC II. Instead, it incorporates an “all-or-nothing” system that stops the balance wheel and resets the seconds hand in a single, crisp motion. Pulling the crown triggers a hammer that pushes the heart-shaped cam, which resets the seconds hand to 12 o’clock. Pushing the crown back in returns the clutch lever, freeing the balance to oscillate and consequently allowing the movement to run. This system enables the seconds hand to start instantly and without any lag when the crown is pushed back in, ensuring a precise setting and synchronization of the time.

In typical Rexhep Rexhepi style, the entire movement is executed with finesse and skill, particularly in respect to the decoration. The seconds reset hammer, for example, is crafted in steel and then black polished to a perfect mirror finish. Despite the difficulty in finishing stainless steel, all components in this movement are decorated to the same standard as conventional steel parts on other Rexhep Rexhepi timepieces. The masterful decoration of the stainless steel components is exemplified by the black-polished bridge for the central wheel that drives the seconds hand.

The beating heart of the movement, on the other hand, is the metallurgical opposite of stainless steel. The escapement is equipped with a 14-carat gold anchor, another reference to historical timekeepers, since the metal was often used for the escapement in haute horlogerie chronometers. This tiny but crucial component encapsulates the philosophy of Rexhep Rexhepi: functional yet precious, and always exceptionally finished.

The Chronomètre Antimagnétique features a non-magnetic stainless steel case

The Chronomètre Antimagnétique’s “JPH” Case

Like the great historical chronometers that emphasized function over form, the Chronomètre Antimagnétique features a non-magnetic stainless steel case – one of the rare handful of cases in the resilient metal made in the workshop of legendary casemaker, Jean-Pierre Hagmann.

The case back is an outer screw-down back that can be removed

True to historical form, the case back is actually an outer screw-down back that can be removed by the wearer to reveal a second, sapphire back underneath. A discreet flourish known only to the owner, this double-case back construction protects the movement from magnetism, while allowing the beauty of the movement to be admired. Also on the back is a hand-engraved lightning bolt, a universal symbol for magnetism that functions as the reference point for the correct alignment of the case back. Within the stainless steel case is a Faraday cage formed by a movement ring and dial made of ferritic stainless steel. The cage protects the movement from magnetic fields that a wristwatch is often exposed to in daily life.

As far as Only Watch 2023 goes, we anticipate that this will be one of the highest hammer prices at the auction in November. We are keeping our fingers crossed that some version of a future Chronomètre Antimagnétique finds its way into regular production beyond Only Watch. The movement, case, and concept is simply too good to remain singular.