ALTO ART 02: a watch that leaves its mark

I discovered ALTO at Geneva Watch Days 2026, when the brand unveiled its latest creation, the ART 02, the first piece in its permanent collection. It was presented by its designer, Raphaël Abeillon. Intrigued on paper, I was captivated the moment I held the watch in my hands. Like all good things, the encounter felt far too short. From then on, all I wanted was to spend time with this watch again, even if only for a few hours.  

Six weeks later, I was having coffee with Raphaël, who kindly entrusted me with the ART 02 for the day. As I got to know the piece, the way I looked at my surroundings began to shift, and I found myself noticing brutalist architectural forms that echoed the ART 02, as if I were now seeing Neuchâtel through the lens of this watch. Spoiler alert: you don’t come away from a watch like this unchanged.

Mesmerising

No photograph can capture what strikes you first: the movement of the seconds hand. It does complete one revolution of the dial every minute, only anticlockwise. It might seem a mere detail, even a gimmick, yet there is something poetic about it, almost philosophical, as if this watch allowed you to turn back time and return to happy memories. This anticlockwise sweep is disconcerting at first, then quickly feels natural, so much so that going back to a ‘normal’ watch feels strange, as if you could no longer bear to watch time slip away, lost forever.

The ART 02’s dial is just as arresting. It takes up the original idea of the ART 01, but with a different finish. Anthracite in colour, it is made of bead-blasted brass. Its architecture draws the eye towards the centre of the watch through successive tiers, like an endless staircase.

Several white elements dress the flange, all in contrast. At 12 o’clock sits the brand’s logo, a stylised A, itself tiered as if to echo the dial.

The Swiss Made inscription sits, as is customary, at 6 o’clock, understated and free of any ostentation.

Hour markers punctuate the flange, again with contrast and elegance. A minute track cleverly reveals itself as you play with the light: invisible one moment, clearly present the next.

The skeletonised hour and minute hands also play on contrast, their polished finish catching and reflecting the light.

There is no date on the ALTO ART 02. Some will certainly miss such a useful everyday complication. That said, the dial would probably not be what it is with a date window, even though I have no doubt Raphaël would have integrated one harmoniously.

Finally, the curved, bevelled sapphire crystal plays its full part in this mesmerising effect. Depending on the angle, it breaks up the lines of the dial, sometimes sharply, sometimes in fluid motion. 

A case of many inspirations

The octagonal case, in grade 5 titanium and satin-brushed throughout, follows the same logic as the dial and the sapphire crystal. It breaks down into facets that catch the light differently depending on the angle.

Its design seems to draw on several sources of inspiration. Brutalism comes to mind straight away, with its surfaces of concrete and steel. It also evokes the concept cars of the 1970s and 1980s, recalling their daring with something close to nostalgia, though without any hint of regret. As a science-fiction fan, I also see in it a spaceship ready to catch up with light and travel back in time, as if extending the gesture of the seconds hand.

I find the proportions of the case excellent. At 42.3 mm long and 36 mm wide, the ART 02 is more compact than the ART 01. Its 10.2 mm thickness, which includes both the front crystal and the sapphire caseback, feels even slimmer on the wrist, as the transparency on either side visually lightens the profile. The result: the ART 02 slips easily under a cuff.

On the wrist, the watch is very light and easy to forget. That is the beauty of titanium, although those who like to feel the weight of their watch will see it as a drawback. For me, it is one of the ART 02’s greatest strengths.

Faceted like a machined nut, the crown allows itself a small departure from the case’s all-over satin finish with a subtle polished bevel, as does the brand’s A that signs it: the resulting play of light is elegant.

Operating it is a pleasure. It is not a screw-down crown, however, and water resistance is limited to 5 ATM. As someone who values the peace of mind of a screw-down crown and serious water resistance, I could have seen this as a flaw, but that is simply not what the ART 02 is about. It was never meant to join you for demanding water sports.

Not just a bracelet

The ART 02 introduces the brand’s first metal bracelet, one of Raphaël’s major contributions to this piece. Designed as one with the case, it complements it perfectly, yet would deserve to exist in its own right.

Like the case, the bracelet is made entirely of grade 5 titanium.

Its links, too, are cut into crisp facets that create a superb play of light, without a single polished surface, preserving a certain restraint and that brutalist edge.

In daily wear, it is very comfortable and supple, thanks to its narrow, slender links. 

Increasingly common without yet being standard, the folding clasp features a micro-adjustment system that lets you gain two millimetres on either side in the blink of an eye.

Another practical touch: the bracelet can be swapped without tools, thanks to integrated push-buttons.

My only minor reservation, and a purely subjective one: I would have been curious to see a more pronounced taper between the case and the clasp. Nevertheless, the current proportions give the bracelet room to express itself fully, without upsetting the overall balance of the watch in the slightest.

Bespoke

Turning the watch over reveals another show, or rather two. The first is the sapphire caseback. It is more than a window onto the movement: it received the same design attention as the front crystal. Cut into nine facets, it extends the geometric, brutalist inspiration of the case.

The second is the A02 movement, developed and manufactured with Le Cercle des Horlogers. A new case called for a new movement. Rather than adapting an existing calibre, ALTO designed it alongside the case, so that it follows the same lines. No other watch, not even another current model from the brand, could house it. It fills the space like a creature that has taken possession of every corner of the case.

It is built around a grade 5 titanium mainplate, paired with brushed brass bridges with polished bevels, while the Reconit 18 micro-rotor receives bead-blasted, circular-grained and engraved finishes.

This self-winding calibre beats at 5 Hz, or 36,000 vibrations per hour, where most modern watches settle for 4 Hz. A higher frequency should, in principle, improve rate stability, and therefore precision, while making the sweep of the seconds hand smoother. The drawback is higher energy consumption. Even so, the A02 manages to retain a comfortable 50-hour power reserve.

ALTO ART 02: a lasting imprint

I did warn you: you don’t come away from this watch unchanged. The ALTO ART 02 has reshaped the way I see my surroundings for good. Its philosophy is carried by a second that runs backwards, and every surface of the watch becomes a canvas for a design drawing on many influences, all in proportions and materials that guarantee excellent comfort.

When evening came, I returned the ART 02. Its seconds hand was still turning back time, but the day itself had slipped away like any other.