The New Krayon Anywhere Arborea, with a Dial Inspired by Henri Rousseau’s Masterpiece

Krayon, a watch design and engineering studio led by Remi Maillat and based in Neuchatel, caught the world’s attention in 2017 with the release of Everywhere, the first super-complicated wristwatch capable of calculating and displaying sunrise and sunset times anywhere on the globe. In 2020, the company followed up with the Anywhere – a seemingly simpler yet also highly complex timepiece offering sunrise and sunset times for a specific location once a watchmaker has set the date, latitude, longitude, and time zone. Today, Krayon presents the Krayon Anywhere Arborea, a timepiece that reimagines Henri Rousseau’s famous painting The Virgin Forest at Sunset, in continuity with previous mosaic-themed models from the brand. 

Since the brand’s creation, Krayon has introduced several remarkable Anywhere variants, including breathtaking pieces for the Only Watch events in 2021 and 2023, the lavish Métier d’Art Azur, and more recently, the Anywhere Aurora and a unique edition created for Jean Todt, a prominent figure in Formula One. The Todt edition featured a métiers d’art dial inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night. The new edition follows suit and brings another famous painting on its dial. 

Despite the complexity of the underlying calibre, consisting of 432 components, the case that houses this mechanism measures just 39mm in diameter and a slim 9.5mm in thickness. The design remains consistent with previous Krayon Anywhere editions, featuring short, tiered and curved lugs, a thin bezel, sapphire crystals on both the front and back and the fluted crown, decorated with a globe image on top, used for all settings and winding. Krayon has chosen platinum for the Arborea’s case, further elevating the watch’s exclusivity. The wearing comfort is undeniable, and the dial’s artistry truly makes the experience. Krayon merges its signature complication with an interpretation of a nature scene, evoking the solar cycle’s eternal influence. This artistic fusion makes the Anywhere Arborea as much a tribute to nature and Henri Rousseau as it is a marvel of mechanical ingenuity.

The central section of the dial features 575 miniature, uniquely sized and shaped cavities, each meticulously hand-painted by a Swiss artist. This mosaic-like surface brings to life Rousseau’s nature-inspired colours at sunset, creating an abstract interpretation of The Virgin Forest at Sunset. The dial captures the essence of Rousseau’s organic tones, blending shades of brown, green, yellow, and blue, with a vibrant orange spot representing the sun, just as in the original painting. 

At the centre of the dial, polished hour and minute hands take their place, while a small yet highly legible recessed subdial at 6 o’clock displays the month and date, with the shorter hand indicating the month and the longer hand for the date. This central section, giving the impression that it floats above the lower level of the dial, is elegantly framed by a shiny metal ring. The outermost black ring with white markings is dedicated to the sunrise and sunset time markers, with the border between the “starry night” and white segments serving as the indicators. A sun pointer acts as a 24-hour hand, blending poetic design with functionality.

The caseback offers a generous view of the hand-wound calibre C030, adorned with an elegant wave pattern and featuring polished angles and sinks – the decoration of the movement is extremely refined. Operating at 21,600 vibrations per hour, it holds enough energy to power the watch for 72 hours. At the bottom, you’ll notice the mechanism with a long screw used to adjust latitude for sunrise and sunset. To the upper right, there’s a screw for setting the longitude and time zone for sunrise, while on the upper left, another screw adjusts the same parameters for sunset. A watchmaker must make these settings, and if you’re seeking a similar timepiece with the ability to make these adjustments yourself, consider the Krayon Everywhere – though it comes at a significantly higher price point.

Regarding price, Krayon Anywhere Arborea is CHF 178,000. It is a limited edition of 15 pieces, and it comes with a black alligator leather strap with a platinum pin buckle. Lucky are the people who will own one of these truly magical timepieces. For more, visit krayon.ch.