We loved the new Akrivia Chronometre Contemporain as soon as we laid eyes on it. The beautiful time-only watch from Akrivia and 31-year-old watchmaker Rexhap Rexhepi is about as perfect as a time-only watch gets. Simplicity, elegance, superior hand finishing, all wrapped in an unassuming 38mm case. We loved it so much we thought it might take the prize in the men’s category at the 2018 Grand Prix d’Horologerie de Geneve (GPHG), even as it squared off against more complicated timepieces. So, we were thrilled to see the timepiece take home the men’s prize this past week in Geneva.

Just a few weeks before GPHG, WatchTime published a comprehensive profile of Akrivia’s founder and genius-in-chief, Rexhap Rexhepi. It takes us through Rexhepi’s journey through the watch industry – his schooling, time at Patek Phillipe, before going out on his own to start Akrivia –  and leaves us excited about what is in store for the young horologist. Rexhepi spent his first five years at Akrivia mastering contemporary craftsmanship: his first four watches sported exposed tourbillons, followed by a dial-exposed movement with a hacking-second/ zero-reset mechanism.

But 2018 saw Rexhepi exploring classic watchmaking with the release of the Chronmetre Contemporain. It was the first watch he signed with his name on the dial (as opposed to the Akrivia name), meant to signify a distinction between his workshop’s classic and contemporary efforts.

Click here to read WatchTime’s full profile and interview. It’s the of profile of an independent watchmaker any watch enthusiast will enjoy.