Russian Roulette Glasnost G1Time at point blank range
Ideas change, as do fashions, and technology moves on. And some watchmaking concepts are out there in the collective
unconscious, simply waiting to be brought to life through the use of new technology. With the unveiling of the Son of a Gun‘Glasnost G1’, one such major development has now emerged – a completely new creation made possible thanks to recent
industrial progress.

Two real bullets – right next to your skin
The Son of a Gun concept remains unchanged. Originally the brainchild of ArtyA’s
CEO and designer Yvan Arpa, it brings together the concepts of life and time –urging us to make the most of both, reminding us that we’re not here for long, andkeeping us aware of how fragile we are. By capturing bullets and diverting themaway from their intended purpose, ArtyA neutralizes them. By associating themwith time and with a timepiece, ArtyA stops their otherwise fleeting trajectory in
mid-flight. The bullet is halted, even as time marches on: Son of a Gun is thus aninvitation to everyone to think about how they approach life.
With the Russian Roulette Glasnost G1, ArtyA is holding unswervingly to its
creative course. Two bullets are located inside the main body of the watch, so thatthey really are worn on the wrist. A new process – never before used inwatchmaking – has made it possible to encase two Flobert 6 mm bullets within theframe of the ITR2 case, placing them in virtually direct contact with the skin. Thebullets are suspended, motionless, as though frozen mid-shot, but their apparent
trajectory brings them closer than ever to the wearer – as though they’ve been fired at point-blank range.
“The idea of locating bullets outside the main body of the watch had been around for some years, but the relevant technology
was not yet sufficiently mature,” says Yvan Arpa. “We had to be able to work on sapphire crystal outside the case, fixing it there
without the case itself being made from it. Creating the materials used was every bit as complex as the work done on them.”
This particular material has been dubbed itr2, standing for Innovative, Technical, Resin and Revolutionary. Developed andperfected in Switzerland over the course of more than two years of research, itr2® emerged from a desire to create a new,unique, material that is ultra-light – and sufficiently tough to be used to manufacture a watch case four times lighter than atitanium one. This means that the watch can be made with just as much precision and geometry as for metal.
Already used for its ultra-light properties by another Brand for a tennis player, ArtyA went further including as a first worldwide
the possibility to include any suspended object inside the case in ITR2.
And for the Glasnost G1, using bullets as the suspended object was pretty much a foregone conclusion.

A fully skeletonized design
By the way, the name of Glasnost G1 is derived from the old open-door policy in the Soviet Union, Glasnost. Glasnost meaningtransparency in Russian was a policy that called for increased openness and transparency in government institutions andactivities in the Soviet Union. Introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985 to reform the country.
The theme of transparency, so evident in the case, extends to the fast spinning dial of the Russian Roulette Glasnost G1, too,with ArtyA opting for its own exclusive mechanical movement. Extensive skeletonizing has been carried out to allow as muchlight as possible to pass through. All the excess material has been painstakingly removed from the bridges, gears and plate.
This minutely detailed work has resulted in significant weight reduction for the Russian Roulette Glasnost G1, and gives its
components the appearance of being suspended in a vacuum. The watch is enclosed with a special ITR2 transparent back,offering an in-depth view of each working part – and every beat of the balance wheel.
To round off the ballistic theme, ArtyA has again used its now legendary six-chamber dial. Also present on the Son of a Gun
Russian Roulette models, this dial has gradually become established as one of the brand’s style hallmarks. This incarnation isfaithful to the original concept: five empty chambers, with the sixth housing a real, legendary-caliber bullet. Gun connoisseurs
will instantly recognize it thanks to the inscription engraved on the casing – “MAG 357”, for instance.
Mounted on ball bearings, the fast spinning dial is lightning quick on the draw, spinning into life at the slightest movement. Thevisual effect is stunning. With five of the six chambers empty, the skeletonized movement and the transparent back, theGlasnost G1 appears to disappear almost completely for a few seconds. It’s as if time has been brought to a standstill by abullet, embodying what could well be the best horlogo-ballistic metaphor yet delivered by a Son of a Gun.
The 43 mm diameter watch will be on offer in a limited edition of 9 pieces or in a series of unique pieces including suspendedhistorical bullets, from February 2015.

ArtyA Asia / Pacific Director & Distributor

GLOBAL BRANDING CO.,LTD.

Arrow Building 1F 3-12-11 Higashi-Nihonbashi Chuo-ku Tokyo, Japan☎ 81-(0)3-3666-7871 http://www.artya.jp