Arcus Exos

Late 2021, we began thinking about how we can manufacture all of the parts of our case with our machines. In the beginning, as a proof of concept we started with a bezel. It gave us a good idea of the tolerances we needed to maintain while also being simple enough that we could turn it on a manual lathe. Satisfied with the results we plowed further ahead annd worked our way through the various stages of manufacturing and finishing. Everything from cutting the 55mm 904L stainless bar, all the way to the final finish was an intense but rewarding experience. In the end, it was amazing to see it all come together in the form of a finished case.

Work on the AW210 began early January 2022. The first step was to create all our models and drawings to bring our concept to life. By late February, the first brass prototype was ready and tested. At that point we started working on our stainless steel bridge prototypes with further improvements. 

It was only by the end of April that the first steel prototype was finished and working properly. From that point on we focussed on final refinements and finishing of the movement, resulting in the production model. The differences in finishing are very evident between our prototype (left) and final model (right).

Althought this process was a bit simpler for us than the casemaking and movement, since we felt quite at home with micro-machining,  nonetheless it presented us with quite a few new challenges. Noteably, it was one of our first attempts at pad printing and Titanium anodizing. Looking forward, we're exctied to see the remaining three dials come to life with their exotic colour ways.