Milano AfterTime once again affirms its status as a leading venue that brings together enthusiasts and watchmakers to celebrate the enduring arts of horology and craftsmanship. Among the exhibitors, the stand of Dries and Alberto stood out for its refined blend of traditional codes and contemporary ease. After a brief exchange, the team presented the full range, including limited editions and several unreleased pieces.
Brand History and the Visionario Collection
Arsène Lippens was founded in 2023 by Dries Lippens and Alberto Boccaletti, two friends who decided to revamp the most renowned features of 20th-century watchmaking by blending vintage-inspired craftsmanship and modern aesthetics.
The name Arsène Lippens pays tribute to Dries’ grandfather, a devoted collector and true enthusiast, who instilled in him from an early age the belief that sharing matters more than just collecting.
After Arsène’s passing in 2011, Dries came into possession of his vast and precious collection, made up of several timepieces, such as Patek Philippe, Breguet, and Vacheron Constantin, and this allowed him to prize out the most relevant traits of 70s and 80s wristwatches.
Their first mechanical watch, the Visionario, precisely shows how they managed to merge such historical traits, like the Breguet numerals, with today’s taste and wearability standards, such as the 39.5 mm case in stainless steel and the dodecagonal see-through caseback.
The design of this chronograph is influenced by the iconic front grille of the 1941 Pontiac Streamliner, translating its flowing, slick geometry into a refined case architecture and dial composition.
Arsène Lippens website: https://www.arsenelippens.com/products/terracotta?variant=51137744208213
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1941-pontiac-deluxe-sedan/
Arsène Lippens website: https://www.arsenelippens.com/products/terracotta?variant=51137744208213
The exhibition caseback allows you to admire the La Joux-Perret L113 automatic movement, featuring a bespoke AL rotor that provides a 60-hour power reserve.
Despite its Swiss caliber and captivating design, what truly makes this watch special is that both the case material and dial color can be tailored to the client’s individual specifications, allowing each customer to create a genuine pièce unique.
This feature represents a distinctive departure from traditional watchmaking standards: while most brands reserve customization for a small inner circle of loyal clients, and only on minor details, Arsène Lippens has chosen to break down this barrier.
As mentioned, the sense of community is one of the core values that Alberto and Dries promote through their neo-vintage creations. In response, collectors from around the world have asked them to produce small batches of watches as a way to feel rooted in their local communities.
Their collaboration with Marina di Bogliaco, an iconic boat club located on Lake Garda, shows that a watch is more of a symbol of identity and a celebration of a mutual passion, rather than a simple accessory.
Born from the desire to strengthen the bond between the club and its members, this timepiece features a turquoise dial, which recalls the iconic color of the legendary Riva boat, while the wooden details pay tribute to the timeless lines of the boat’s hull.
Arsène Lippens website: https://www.arsenelippens.com/products/terracotta?variant=51137744208213
Their other collaboration with Collector’s Guide Club in Hong Kong demonstrates how the brand’s resonance has echoed across the globe, connecting enthusiasts through a shared passion for vintage chronographs.
Only 10 pieces have been produced for this private group of vintage watch collectors in Asia, featuring a matte blue dial and the signature CGC logo at 6 o’clock.
Arsène Lippens website: https://www.arsenelippens.com/products/terracotta?variant=51137744208213
The Scheletrato Collection
Following the success of the Visionario, the two co-founders set themselves an even more ambitious and demanding challenge: to design and create a fully skeletonized timepiece that blends vintage aesthetics and high-end streetwear influences.
The Scheletrato shares with the Visionario the same 39.5 mm stainless-steel case, which makes it suitable for everyday wear, but houses a Valjoux 7750 skeleton Swiss movement, whose design was inspired by the distinctive “spider” pattern of body warmers by the Italian brand Forget About Me.
Owing to the technical complexity of this project, production was limited to just 30 pieces, all of which sold out within a week of its debut.
Arsène Lippens website: https://www.arsenelippens.com/products/terracotta?variant=51137744208213
The Artigiano Collection
On the 30th of September, just a few days before Milano AfterTime, Arsène Lippens unveiled its third collection called The Artigiano, which embodies the union of different worlds of expertise: watchmaking and textiles.
The collection consists of three different timepieces, named after Italy’s most evocative landscapes, manufactured in collaboration with Italian textile artisans from Lake Como, renowned for their fabric tradition.
As Alberto explained, they took inspiration from vintage stone-dial watches and decided to give them a modern twist while honoring their timeless heritage.
The 37.5 mm case brings a sleeker line to the watch, further streamlined by the Swiss Sellita SW210-1B manual-winding caliber.
The Artigiano Chianti was inspired by the earthy tones of the Chianti hills, showcasing a brown textile dial that echoes leather and oak, infusing the composition with a quiet, organic warmth.
The ode to Italy moves from the Tuscan countryside to the Ligurian Riviera, which inspired the Artigiano Portofino and its turquoise cotton-bamboo dial.
Finally, the homage reaches Lake Como’s inky waters, just a few kilometers from the Swiss border, where the deep blue denim dial of the Artigiano Como pays tribute to the relaxed and effortless Italian elegance.
Arsène Lippens website: https://www.arsenelippens.com/products/terracotta?variant=51137744208213
