ARC Deco — A Century In The Making

Some projects arrive quickly. Others take years to manifest.

ARC Deco belongs firmly in the latter category.

Since 2024, we've been quietly exploring a simple but surprisingly difficult question: What would an Arcanaut watch look like if it had been created a century earlier?

Not inspired by vintage watches. Not a reinterpretation of a specific reference. Something more ambitious.

What if Arcanaut had existed in 1924?

That question led us into the heart of the Art Deco movement, a design era defined by optimism, modernity, and a fascination with the future. Emerging in the years between the First and Second World Wars, Art Deco rejected the flowing natural forms of Art Nouveau and embraced geometry, symmetry, architecture, industry, and progress.

It was the age of skyscrapers, ocean liners, jazz clubs, streamlined locomotives, and technological acceleration. Designers celebrated sharp lines, stepped forms, contrasting materials, and bold proportions. The future wasn't feared. It was embraced.

For watchmaking, the period produced some of the most enduring forms ever created. Rectangular cases became icons. Dials were governed by balance and proportion. Every line served a purpose. Every surface contributed to a larger composition.

The challenge for us was obvious.

How do you remain faithful to the principles of Art Deco while still creating something unmistakably Arcanaut?

The answer wasn't to recreate the past.

It was to continue the conversation.

ARC Deco adopts the proportions, visual discipline, and architectural character that defined the period. The dimensions feel authentic to the era. The geometry is deliberate. The silhouette could plausibly have existed one hundred years ago.

And yet, everywhere you look, the watch belongs firmly to the present.

Luminous materials transform the watch after dark. Unexpected colourways challenge traditional expectations. Material experimentation pushes beyond what would have been possible in the 1920s. Familiar Art Deco forms become a foundation upon which we can build something distinctly forward-looking.

The result is a watch that feels simultaneously familiar and fresh. Historical and futuristic. Respectful and rebellious.

In many ways, that tension sits at the centre of Arcanaut.

ARC Deco also marks several important firsts for our brand.

For the first time, we are introducing a hand-wound watch powered by a Swiss mechanical movement from Sellita. The daily ritual of winding creates a more intimate relationship with the object, connecting wearer and machine through a simple gesture that has largely disappeared from modern life.

The project also establishes a new entry point into the Arcanaut universe. With a retail price below €3,500, ARC Deco brings our approach to design, materials, and storytelling to a broader audience without compromising the principles that define our work.

The inaugural collection will consist of four distinct references.

Each model will be limited to just 24 pieces.

Ninety-six watches in total.

A century after the height of the Art Deco movement, ARC Deco asks a different question than the one that started this project.

Not what a watch from 1924 would look like today.

But what the future looked like from 1924.

We hope you enjoy the view...