Featherlight through the bends: ArtyA puts on a show with the Purity Curvy HMS Mirror Titanium
Andrew O'ConnorOne of the first appointments the Time+Tide team had at Geneva Watch Days this year was with ArtyA – and that was by design, as this small independent brand is making some of the most technically and aesthetically daring Swiss watches on the market. Run by creative and life partners Yvan Arpa and Dominique Arpa-Cirpka, Yvan started ArtyA in 2009, bringing his 30-plus years of industry experience to bring his vision of creative watches to market. Combining watchmaking knowledge with unrestricted creative freedom, ArtyA timepieces display a cornucopia of personality and do not shy away from making a statement.
When it comes to contemporary watch making featuring sporty designs, skeletonised movements, and creative timekeeping displays, this usually equates to very large cases that facilitate admiration of the technical movements inside, but make for a compromised wearing experience. At Geneva Watch Days 2025, we had the chance to get hands-on with the Purity Curvy HMS Mirror Titanium, which combines these attributes with a wearable case size.
The case
Measuring 38.5mm across and 43mm in length (lug-to-lug is about 48mm), the Purity Curvy HMS Mirror Titanium’s case is curved with lugs that angle downward, making it a watch with presence that still remains wearable for a large range of people. While the lug-to-lug might appear to be approaching the large side, the case design will likely pleasantly surprise those with small wrists looking for a wearable timepiece of this style. The 12mm-thick titanium case is manually polished and then sandblasted to achieve the matte finish. A polished edge remains on the outer edge of the bezel, providing visual contrast to the case.
Both the titanium and black titanium versions of the Purity Curvy HMS Mirror Titanium are DLC-coated, improving the scratch resistance and durability of the case, while also making the case more resistant to ugly fingerprints. It’s also water-resistant to 50 meters.
A very cool feature of the watch is that you have the option of either a transparent case back or a solid case back with a mirror finish on both sides. The transparent case back allows for a full view of the movement, and the wearer can expectably see through the case to their own wrist… However, if like me, you have hairy arms and do not want your primate-like appearance distracting from the open-worked movement, the mirrored finish titanium case back allows for the rear of the movement to be reflected, allowing the wearer to appreciate both sides of the movement while on the wrist, keeping those pesky arm hairs hidden below.
While the new titanium versions are the main focus of this review, ArtyA also offers transparent sapphire and coloured NanoSapphire versions of the case. The dimensions remain the same, but the sapphire versions are water resistant to 30 meters. If you need a sapphire-cased watch for aquatic duty, ArtyA does have you covered, however…
The dial
For a fully skeletonised movement, the distinct lack of a traditional dial is clearly the point. That being said, the layout of the watch features the hours and minutes on the upper half of the dial, with the seconds sub-dial located below. On the 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock sides of the dial, the twin skeletonised mainspring barrels are visible, with a view of the mainsprings acting as an unconventional power-reserve indicator. Below the seconds sub-dial at 6 o’clock is the balance mechanism. While the time is legible, reading the time is seemingly secondary to admiring the movement, with the choice of case back allowing the wearer to choose how they prefer to do so.
The time display features sword-style hands, with a brushed surface and polished bevelled edges. The chapter ring has baton applied indices for the hour markers and printed markings for the minutes. The seconds sub-dial display has the same style of hand as the hours and minutes, with printed indices for the sub-dial. There are a few colour options, depending on the outer case chosen, including blue, gold, and silver chapter rings for the time display.
The straps
For all of the various options, the Artya Purity Curvy HMS Mirror Titanium comes standard with a nubuck leather strap, with different colours and materials available upon request. The straps utilise curved spring bars and are secured to the wrist with a titanium pin buckle.
The Movement
The star of the show here is the movement. The Purity Curvy Stairway to Heaven is an evolution of ArtyA’s Purity Stairway to Heaven movement, reconfigured to a vertical display to fit within the Curvy case. The hand-wound movement features a media-blasted finish that is then bevelled and polished by hand. The escapement beats away at 4 Hz and is regulated using the traditional method of peripheral weights, ensuring that balance oscillates consistently, making for an accurate and stable movement.
The twin barrels utilise a longer and thinner mainspring, allowing for a large 3-day power reserve. The blades are polished to reduce friction, and these elements culminate in a linear power delivery to the balance. ArtyA proudly states that their movements are entirely conceived and crafted in Switzerland, relying on various suppliers in different regions to produce their movements.
The verdict
My soft spot for modern skeletonised watches is largely won over by this ArtyA release. A wearable and attractive design that is not overly flashy, while still making it unique and interesting, makes it easy to imagine living with such a watch. When reading about and seeing the details of this watch, I was expecting to see an eye-watering price tag that would make it rarefied unobtainium, but I was pleasantly surprised (relative to other high-end independent Swiss watchmakers). Taking a look at the ArtyA website, if you avoid the sapphire cases and high complications, you may be surprised as well…
ArtyA Purity Curvy HMS Mirror Titanium pricing and availability
The titanium versions of the ArtyA Purity Curvy HMS Mirror are limited to 99 pieces, while the sapphire-cased models are all piece uniques. Price: from CHF 27,900/€29,900/US$35,900 (titanium), from CHF 47,900/€51,900/US$60,900 (clear sapphire), from CHF 77,900/€83,900/US$98,900 (coloured NanoSapphire)
| Brand | ArtyA |
| Model | Purity Curvy HMS Mirror |
| Case Dimensions | 38.5mm (W) x 43mm (L) x 12mm (T) |
| Case Material | DLC-coated titanium with transparent or black finish Transparent sapphire or coloured NanoSapphire also available |
| Water Resistance | 50 metres (titanium) 30 metres (sapphire) |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and rear, optional mirrored finish titanium case back |
| Dial | Skeletonised dial with silver, blue, black, or gold chapter rings for the time displaying registers |
| Strap | Nubuck leather with titanium pin-buckle Other materials available on request |
| Movement | PUR-HMS2, in-house, manual-winding |
| Power reserve | 72 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds |
| Availability | Now |
| Price | From CHF 27,900/€29,900/US$35,900 (titanium) From CHF 47,900/€51,900/US$60,900 (clear sapphire) From CHF 77,900/€83,900/US$98,900 (coloured NanoSapphire) |