APR 2023

The Case Takes Centre Stage

Anders turned our attention towards the case and, specifically, its material for the first time. If we weren't going to experiment with the dial, what could we do with the case instead?

We love titanium, but that wasn't quite wild enough (and far too easy to guarantee). James (Head of Materials Development) is never more than 28 metres away from Damascus Steel, so that was on the table but felt a little overdone.

But what about something that was both and neither? What about Timascus? That would be weird enough, right?

MAY 2023

The Materials Man Steps Up To The Plate

Unsurprisingly, James knew a thing or two about creating new composite metals with titanium, having worked with a few in his ring-producing days as Black Badger.

He told us there was a particular blend we could modify that would yield a subtle, irregular wave pattern that could be finished to look like the skin of a tiger shark, with the pattern seeming to lurk just beneath the surface of the material.

A moment after the word "shark" escaped his lips, a smile broke out across them: that's what we'd call it. The Tiger Sh'arc. With that established, the journey began in earnest.

AUG 2023

Mixing it up

The first thing we needed to do when it came to the development of the Tiger Sh'arc model was figure out exactly what the case material was going to look like (and how much it was going to cost us).

The short answers to both questions? "Awesome" and "a lot."

We were lucky to have the right contacts in the alloy industry, but still, finding the right mix that would be machinable, stable, and give us the right visual effect we had in mind was not easy.

Luckily, with watchmaking's foremost materials alchemist on board, we found a way.

OCT 2023

Let it Glow, Let it Glow, Let it Glow

The Glowpatch case back concept was one thing, but figuring out how to get a deeply engraved, lume-filled medallion, into the case back of a case that was already less than 11 mm, protect the design behind a crystal, and ensure the whole thing was still water resistant to 100 m was... a memorable experience.

But the best thing about this task is that we've now worked out how to do it safely and reliably without sacrificing the WOW factor. That means, thanks to the Experimental line and all the people that supported it with their deposits, Glowpatch case backs will join the regular collection soon.

DEC 2023

Release the Sh'arc

The Tiger Sh'arc is and the Bonehead are our most ambitious models yet. We can't wait to see them in real life, next to one another, so that the community can give us their honest feedback on their favourite.

Experimenting with a new case and dial material, while also developing new hand treatments and the Glowpatch case back is a lot for a single release, but it has been rewarding and enriching, and we're thrilled to be able to send it out into the world.

JAN 2024

A Model of Depth

Currently, all of our models are powered by the Soprod A10/M100. This Swiss-made movement is just 3.6 mm thick, which makes it an ideal base calibre for us to work with because we need a lot of space for our experimental dials and now also for the Glowpatch case back.

Because of Arcanaut's unique Pentablock crown, which locates in place against the case, we can't rely on manual movements, making the effective use of space and the manipulation of the materials we use of paramount importance. In that regard, the Tiger Sh'arc case construction, both internally and externally, is our greatest achievement yet.

FEB 2024

Don't Sleep on the Pantones!

While we design everything to work without colour (as many product designers do), its effective and sensitive application adds a finishing touch that can make or break a project.

We studied Pantone charts and RAL swatches for what felt like days, pinpointing a harmonious blend of colours for the Tiger Sh'arc case back design, which, as soon as we'd finished it, felt like a very important insignia for the brand. Given how seminal this model is for us (as the first model with a non-steel case), we have the feeling we're going to be looking at this Glowpatch for many, many years to come, so it had to work!

MAR 2024

Hands up!

We've had more than one handset in the past (we started with our "classic" pointer hands but quickly moved on to our current "Grand Paw" set), but for the Experimental line, we wanted to try something new.

Even though our hands are made from laser-cut steel, we decided not to heat blue them, but rather PVD coat them in an ethereal shade of "Ocean blue" that would be impossible to achieve via traditional means.

We think this colour will look great against the lume, which presents as white during the daytime but glows a marine-inspired teal at night.

APR 2024

The Prints Roll In

A lot of what we do behind the scenes isn't obvious when you have the finished watch on your wrist. The rounds and rounds of prototyping can be a lot of fun, but also intense, draining, catastrophic, and, ultimately (when it does go well) euphoric.

What you see here are some of the 3D prints for the Tiger Sh'arc Glowpatch case back. The deeply engraved medallion will be hand filled with colourful Super Luminova, and protected from harm by a gasketed crystal. Once it's sealed up, it's sealed for good, so nothing can damage your glowing case back display!