The ALTO ART 02 is a maturation of the ideas seen in the ART 01. It features an updated case, bracelet and movement but the overall shape language and brutalist architectural concepts are the same. Which is exactly what we want to see from a creative team as exciting as the brains behind ALTO.
There are plenty of micro and independent brands out there founded by creative individuals who want to produce the type of wristwatch they would personally want to wear. However, there aren’t many where that founder is a former marketing manager for Audemars Piguet and the creative director is a former watch designer at Cartier. Yet that’s the case for ALTO, established by Thibaud Guittard in 2024 after he left AP with Raphaël Abeillon as creative director.
It has a strong 1970s sports watch influence in the octagonal shape of its heavily facetted titanium case. One of the key updates compared to the ART 01 is its proportions, with the case now measuring 42.3mm length x 36mm width x 10.2mm thickness. The 01 had a similar length but was wider and flatter at a 40mm width and 8mm thickness. That change in thickness likely won’t have too much impact because of angular nature of the design the begin with, which exaggerates the height regardless. Whereas the change in width does do a lot for making the watch seem sleeker on the wrist.
A second key update is the brand new integrated bracelet, which takes that 1970s influence to the next level. It’s designed to lead in almost seamlessly to the flat surfaces of the ART 02’s case and continue the visual arc that follows across the bevelled crystal. The bracelet itself follows a single-link design with a brushed finish and raised facets on each link. It feels as bold and brutalist as the case.
It’s a similar story for the dial, which is familiar to the ART 01 but refined and cleaner. It uses the same pattern of concentric rings with engraved grooves between them, but with clearer definition between each section. The flange-mounted time scale around the peripheral edge of the display has been completely redesigned to be significantly more readable thanks to larger markings and the addition of discrete minute markers between the hours. The hands have also been skeletonised, which doubles down on the architectural vibe.
Arguably the single biggest difference between the ART 02 and the ART 01 is the movement, upgrading from the A01 to the A02. Both movements were built specifically for ALTO by Le Cercle des Horlogers – a movement manufacture that produces calibres for independent brands like ALTO and Speake-Marin. Both movements follow a similar architecture with a large A-shaped bridge holding a micro-rotor, plus the seconds hand rotates anticlockwise (an ALTO signature), but the specs are significantly different.
The A02 increases the power reserve to 50 hours, and its balance spring beats at a higher frequency of 36,000 vph (5 Hz), akin to Zenith’s El Primero or Grand Seiko’s Hi-beat. Up from 48-hours and 4Hz respectively. That’s quite a glow up, pushing ALTO into the realms of high prestige watchmaking. Which is definitely a good thing because the ART 02 has a price tag to match that prestige.
It’s priced at €13,100 excl. VAT (approx. £11,200) meaning it falls into that same category of high end steel sports watch as the Royal Oak. Though even with its five figure price, the ALTO ART 02 is less than half the cost of a steel RO at retail.
Price and Specs:
More details at ALTO.
