It’s been a rollercoaster three years for Aventi, a brand still in its infancy by horological standards, but already with a DNA as strong as any two-hundred-year-old Maison. A highly distinctive case shape, an embracing of unique materials and a distribution policy more akin to a matchmaking service than a commercial enterprise are the hallmarks of this watchmaker, making its flights of high-end horological fantasy even more elusive and fascinating. With so many of watchmaking’s standards turned topsy-turvy in Aventi’s world, it’s little wonder that their newest release follows its predecessors’ trend towards something we’ve never seen before – and completely hits the ball out of the park.It looks different. It feels different. And, oh boy, is this watch truly something different. Like a pulsating celestial body that’s fallen to Earth, the Aventi Enygma Opal PMT has to be beheld to be believed, turned from side to side to truly appreciate the ever-changing and completely captivating opalescence of its case.
Using a proprietary never-seen-before-in-horology material that’s as rare as it is stunning, a composite using an 80 per cent silica base painstakingly combined with 20 per cent premium polymer forms the Opal PMT – polymer matrix technology – that the case is carved from. Mimicking the tens of millions of years-long process that creates natural opal, Opal PMT can be formed to make the 250-carat stone the case is hollowed out from in just one year. A perfect recreation of opal’s exquisite and fascinating many-levelled beauty, this case material nevertheless overcomes the mined stone’s various limitations – strength and durability are a given, depth and variety of colours is astounding and the luminous, iridescent opalesque case gives the impression of staring into a never-ending universe.
“With the Enygma, we’ve not only continued to break the traditions of haute horology but also blended it with a piece of the cosmos,” an Aventi spokesperson told GMT GCC. “The Enygma is the culmination of years of research and dedication, representing a major leap in our pursuit of pushing the boundaries of material innovation.”
But the clarity, radiance and sheer eye-catching vibrancy of the Enygma’s case is just the beginning of this timepiece’s fascinating story. Its skeletonised ‘stardust’ dial has the highest concentration of Swiss lume ever seen in horology, lighting the translucent Opal PMT from the inside and bathing the timepiece in its otherworldly glow. It takes two years to craft each Enygma, and due to the painstakingly precise process needed to perfect every part of its creation only 10 pieces can be made per year. Powered by Aventi’s proprietary hand-wound tourbillon calibre GT-01S, with a power reserve of 105 hours and all the bevelled and polished edges that a lover of horology could ever desire, a very serious and complex heart beats at the centre of this wildly avant garde timepiece.
AVENTI ENYGMA OPAL PMT
CASE: Aventi’s unique design, crafted from Opal PMT️, featuring 124 edges and 92 facets, with sapphire crystal glass and 14 layers of anti-reflective coating. SIZE: 44mm x 49mm. MOVEMENT: GT-01S Swiss tourbillon movement, +/- 4 secs/day, 105-hour power reserve, manual winding. 2000 gauss magnetic resistant, 5000G shock resistant. FUNCTIONS: Hours, minutes, seconds. DIAL: Stardust Dial️ with Swiss BGW9 Super-LumiNova applied using Atomosis, silk-printed red minute markers. HANDS: Sapphire crystal, 0.3mm thick, bordered with Swiss BGW9 Super-LumiNova. CROWN: Grade 5 titanium with Tyamine️ coating and Swiss BGW9 lume. STRAP: Polar white FCR rubber with Grade 5 titanium DLC-coated butterfly clasp, featuring BGW9 lume. PRICE: CHF 88,000 (Dhs 359,850 approx.)
And then there are the hands. In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-them stroke of genius, they are crafted entirely from sapphire crystal, a near-impossible task that can only be performed by the most specialised of craftsmen. And so they don’t get lost against the complexity of the dial? A precise border of lume is applied, using a microscope to ensure even this minutest of details is perfectly spick and span. It’s all set on the latest iteration of Aventi’s soft-touch rubber strap, now with added vents to increase wearability and comfort, as well as a cavity to fit the brand’s distinctive 12 o’ clock crown. Twice as dense as natural rubber and prized for its durability, nevertheless Aventi wanted to give its wearers a sense of softness and suppleness with this strap – which delivers on all fronts.
When Aventi says that it wants to be the watch brand ‘for those who want more’, they aren’t kidding. From more exotic and innovative materials and more daring, appealing design, to more impressive movements and even more desirable rubber on the strap, the Maison is finding ways to keep pushing what’s possible and what’s ‘done’ in horology to the max. This brand may be young, but its integrity and recognition of the power of its distinctive designs and continued experimentation demonstrates a maturity well beyond its short years. So where’s the limit? If this intergalactic new timepiece is anything to go by, Aventi is a Maison without limits – and only time will tell how far it will go. We can’t wait to see the next trick they have up their sleeves
