Like many of us gearheads, Vincent Repoux was drawn to the sites, sounds, and smells of the sport of auto racing. Inspired by the likes of Jacques Laffite in Formula 1 and Michele Mouton in World Rally, and working as a team manager for the racing branch of Opel in Europe for 10 years Vincent decided to enter the world of watch micro brands with The Repoux Arpiem collection.
The Arpiem collection consists of four chronographs, all powered by a Rhonda quartz movement. With seconds and minutes chronograph sub-dials designed to resemble automotive dash gauges and an overall dial design looking similar to a tachometer, the Arpiem is most definitely inspired by automobiles and racing.
The dial itself consists of a base layer presented in either white, blue, red, or yellow, with the top layer in black, green, or blue. The upper layer consists of cutouts revealing the sub-dials in the base color, as well as a section of the dial between 1:00 and 4:00 made to resemble the “redline” portion of a tachometer. This is commonly referred to as a sandwich dial, and appears to be executed quite nicely on the Arpiem.
The TJW Arpiem pays tribute to John Wyer, the legendary endurancing racing team manager of the 60s and 70s most famously known for inking the Gulf Oil sponsorship deal for Ford’s GT40s which gave the world that iconic orange and light blue paint scheme still popular today. As is appropriate for a tribute watch of this nature, the TJW’s dial consists of a light blue lower layer, a black upper lay, and orange accents. All four Arpiem editions have an inner 60-minute scale, with the TJW’s in light blue, save for an orange “24” to signify Wyer’s involvement in both the Lemans 24 Hour race, as well as the Daytona 24 Hour. The words “Daytona Beach”, “LeMans”, and “Sebring” (another famous endurance race, but only 12 hours in length) are printed on the bottom of the dial, also in orange.
Moving on we find the Arpiem TBML, which pays tribute to the famous Kiwi racer and team owner Bruce McLaren. McLaren’s famous orange liveried cars are represented by an orange lower layer on the dial, along with an orange “32” on the inner 60-minute scale which, sadly, represents the very young age that the dangerous sport of racing took the legend from us. We also find an orange kiwi bird just underneath the 12 o’clock index, the symbol of New Zealand.
The final two offerings are the Arpiem TJC and the Arpiem TGH, tributes to Jimmy Clark and Graham Hill respectively, both legendary British Formula 1 drivers. The TJC is offered with a yellow lower layer and British Racing Green upper dial. Clark was famously know for being a humble farmer prior to becoming a racing great, so the words “Farmer” and “Racer” are printed in yellow at the bottom of the dial. The TGH comes in white and dark blue, colors matching the livery used by Hill on his helmet. The TGH is the only one of the four offerings that has applied indices, while the red 5 on the inner scale represents Hill’s five victories at the Monaco Formula 1 race.
Repoux’s Kickstarter campaign will be live through November 14th and has already reached its funding goal, so the Arpiem will happen. The early bird price is set at $204 USD.
Watch Specifications From Repoux
- Case Diameter: 41mm
- Thickness: 12.5mm
- Case & Clasp Material: 316 Stainless Steel
- Lug Width: 20
- Movement: Ronda Z50 Quartz Chronograph
- Water Resistant: 50m
- Crystal Material: Sapphire Glass
- Strap: Leather and Silicone
- Buckle: Deployant
