An Atelier Custom client had worn an Apple Watch for years. Recently, he replaced it with a Garmin fitness band—the kind that handles the tracking while almost disappearing onto the wrist. That left him with a surprisingly simple problem: he still needed an actual watch.
After following Persa’s development for some time, he asked me to make him one. He gave me plenty of room to do my thing, which meant I could start with what I already knew about how he would actually use the watch rather than work from a fixed design brief.
A complication with a purpose
My first thought was to build him an automatic watch. That would have been the obvious introduction to traditional watches, but it didn’t take long to realize that a chronograph made far more sense.
He works in a field where timing people is a regular part of the job. A chronograph would give him something genuinely useful rather than simply adding complexity for its own sake. It became the idea that shaped the entire watch and made this the first chronograph ever built under the Persa name.
Inside is the Seiko VK63 meca-quartz movement. It combines the accuracy and convenience of quartz timekeeping with the more tactile operation and instant reset of a mechanical-style chronograph. For someone coming from an Apple Watch and planning to wear this every day, it felt like the right balance of reliability, function and character.
Designed as a one-watch watch
The rest of the design was intentionally restrained. I wanted something neutral, comfortable and easy to wear—one watch that could move between work, weekends and more formal settings without feeling out of place.
The stainless-steel case has the shape and proportions of a vintage chronograph, measuring approximately 38mm across. Although he could easily carry a much larger watch, the smaller case sits beautifully on his wrist. The size also keeps the dial balanced and allows the pushers, bezel and lugs to feel like part of one cohesive design.
The grey dial and steel details give the watch a quiet foundation. It works naturally with the tan suede strap shown here, but it could just as easily move onto black leather, smooth brown leather or something more casual. That versatility was important from the beginning. The watch needed enough character to stand on its own without becoming tied to one outfit or one setting.
The red chronograph hand was one of the few decisions we worked through together. We wanted a small accent that would make the timing function immediately visible and bring some life to an otherwise neutral watch. The final red was enough to change the personality of the dial without overwhelming it, and the smaller red details bring everything together.
The first of its kind
This watch began as a practical answer for a client moving away from his Apple Watch, but it became something more interesting along the way. It is the first Persa chronograph, a one-off Atelier Custom piece and a watch designed around the person who will actually wear it.
Maybe this is where wristwear is heading: fitness tracking quietly in the background, with a proper watch back where it belongs.
For me, the best custom watches come from this kind of process. They begin with the person, the way they live and the details that matter to them. Everything else follows from there.
Interested in creating something of your own? Start your custom watch with Atelier Custom.