The Arche By Laps Bridges The Gap Between Architecture And Watchmaking
When you’re into watches, you sometimes come across new brands on Instagram that spark your interest. The recently introduced Arche by French watch design studio Laps is a great example of this phenomenon. Somehow, the bold case design and asymmetric dial design caught my eye. However, I do not always reach out to these brands as there are simply so many new brands and new watches popping up every day. Luckily, though, a little while after I saw the Arche in my feed, the folks from Laps reached out and asked if I wanted to check out the watch in person. I’m glad they did, because the Arche is a watch right up my alley.
Laps is not a new brand; it actually celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. However, the Arche is the first watch in the brand’s new Studio collection. This collection is more focused on the overall design of a watch, while the earlier Editions collection focused solely on graphic design on the dials. The Arche is also the brand’s first mechanical timepiece, while the watches in the Editions collection are all powered by a quartz movement. It also means the brand is moving up in price, as the quartz watches cost between €140 and €205, while the Arche costs €860. All right, enough introduction, let’s take a look at the all-new Arche by Laps.
The Laps Arche
As noted, the Arche’s design is inspired by architecture, specifically bridges; “arche” in French actually means “arch” or “bridge.” This inspiration is directly visible when you look at the Arche from the side. The vertically brushed lugs hold on to the 37.5mm case like a bridge. They mirror the contours of your wrist, but their edges are as sharp as a knife. The case itself is round and also features a vertically brushed finish.
The bezel up top is slightly smaller than the case, giving it a stepped design, while the bezel itself features a polished bevel and vertical brushing. All these sharp edges and different finishes give the Arche’s case a strong appearance.
At the same time, the 44mm lug span and the thickness of just under 10mm make it a rather compact watch on your wrist. The Arche comes with a calf leather strap in your choice of color and a pin buckle that matches the case.
As Laps’s focus is more on design than on actual watchmaking, the choice of the reliable Japanese Miyota 9015 movement is a logical one. It runs at a frequency of 28,800vph, features 24 jewels, and has a power reserve of 42 hours. It’s visible through the semi-transparent case back. Notice how this side of the Arche also features a brushed and polished finish, while this part of the watch is often neglected by other brands. The Arche is water-resistant to 50 meters, making it perfectly suitable for daily wear.
A very original and asymmetric dial design
On to the dial, which was actually what caught my eye when I first saw the Arche online, especially those asymmetrical, applied markers and hands. At each hour, there are three-dimensional bricks except at the 4 o’clock position, where there’s a diamond-shaped date window. The asymmetric design suggests you’re looking at the dial from a certain angle, or maybe even from multiple angles at once. As in the case, the anamorphic hour and minute hands are sharp as knives, with their brushed tops and polished bevels. Even the cover of the pinion features the same brushed finish and polished bevel.
Instead of a minute track, there’s a steel flange with a radially brushed top and a polished bevel. It perfectly integrates the dial design into that of the case. In terms of colors, you can choose between textured ivory or green, or glossy black or blue. It’s hard to choose, but I think the sculptural design might work best with a darker dial tone. The textured ivory dial did look great in person, but I think the contrast of the glossy black makes the sharp dial and case design stand out even more.
The Laps Arche on the wrist
I’ve tried to stay quite objective up to now, but it’s been hard because I’m really charmed by the Arche, and I was not the only one at Fratello HQ to be. Its 37.5mm case is a dream to wear on my 17cm wrist. It’s not too big, not too small, slim, and has a very sturdy look on the wrist. In the end, the case design reminds me the most of classic field watches, but with a contemporary architectural twist. The finishing is also impressive, especially for a watch at this price point.
But what I like most about the Arche is how original its design feels and how well the dial and case integrate. You can clearly see that someone looked at this watch as a whole, and not just as a watch and a dial separately. Asymmetric indexes and hands like these are something I haven’t seen before, and the date-window execution is something many brands can learn from. Laps decided to keep the date window visible rather than hide it, and to make it an integral part of the dial layout. There’s even a little easter egg hidden on the horizontally printed date disc. I mean, bravo!
Sure, the Miyota movement isn’t anything special, but, on the other hand, it also keeps the price down. All the rest is top-notch at this price point, including that very thoughtful pin buckle, something a lot of brands forget to think about when they finish designing their watches.
Order now, delivery in September
So, yes, I’m quite fond of the new Arche. I think this is a splendid mechanical watch debut by Laps, and I can’t wait to see what else the studio has in store for us. I’m sure that I’ll be keeping an eye on them. For now, you can order the Arche, which costs €860, and it’ll start to ship after the first of September. If you’d like to know more, check out the brand’s official website.
Let me know in the comments below if you’re just as excited about the Laps Arche as I am.
