This year, Revolution turns 20. Two decades of chronicling watches, people and ideas have given us a front-row seat to a remarkable story: how an age-old craft has both preserved its soul and reinvented itself for the 21st century. To celebrate, we’ve chosen over 100 names and milestones that, for us, define the era so far. From leaders to watches, you can see the whole list here.

The Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain I (RRCC I), unveiled in 2018, is a horological tour de force that redefines elegance through restraint, cementing its place as one of the most revolutionary watches of the past two decades. Crafted by the Kosovan-born Swiss watchmaker under his Akrivia banner, this time-only masterpiece blends classical serenity with cutting-edge artistry, earning the 2018 GPHG Men’s Watch Prize and a cult following among collectors.

At 38mm and a svelte 9.5mm thick, the RRCC I’s case — available in 25 pieces each of pink gold with a black grand feu enamel dial, or platinum with a white dial — marries vintage-inspired teardrop lugs and a concave bezel with surgical modernity. The dial, a nod to mid-century observatory chronometers, balances Roman numerals, a chemin-de-fer minute track, and a recessed small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock, framed by a gilded 18K gold ring. Asymmetrical Art Deco-inspired lines fracture the enamel’s glassy sheen. The result is a poem of harmony and tension.

The RRCC I in pink gold with a black grand feu enamel dial

The RRCC I in platinum with a white dial

The hand-wound Caliber RR-01 is where Rexhepi’s genius shines. Its symmetrical architecture, with twin mainspring barrels and a butterfly bridge cradling a 10.5mm free-sprung balance wheel, is a masterclass in proportion. The movement’s 19 jewels and 100-hour power reserve are complemented by exquisite finishing. The entire movement’s visible and non-visible parts have been hand finished to the highest standards: anglage, black polishing, perlage, Côtes de Genève, hand graining and polishing, and hand engraving with rhodium treatment, all of which dazzle under scrutiny. A zero-reset mechanism, inspired by grande sonnerie repeaters, snaps the blued seconds hand to 12 when the crown is pulled, ensuring chronometer-grade precision. The click of the crown echoes pocket watch timbre, a nod to Rexhepi’s essential apprenticeship at Patek Philippe.

Caliber RR-01

Limited to 50 pieces in total, each accompanied by a Besançon Observatory chronometry certificate upon request, the RRCC I’s scarcity fuels its legend. Auction prices, like the staggering USD 924,000 for a pink gold model in 2023, reflect its meteoric rise. Rexhepi’s creation isn’t just a watch: it’s a sincere love letter in an era of horological excess. By distilling centuries of craft into a timepiece that feels both timeless and urgently modern, the RRCC I redefines contemporary watchmaking — proof that quiet beauty can be the loudest revolution of all.

Tech Specs: Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain I

Movement: Manual winding Caliber RR-01; 100-hour power reserve
Functions: Hours, minutes and small seconds
Case: 38mm × 9.5mm; 18K pink gold or platinum; water resistant to 30m
Dial: Grand feu enamel (black for pink gold, white for platinum), with symmetrical Art Deco gold or blue lines
Strap: Calf leather with pin buckle