Levantia

Ārdâsh Watchmaking

The logo of Ārdâsh, featuring the Shahada in Islamic calligraphy in the center
The corporate offices in Sur-Sec, Main-Barœul Governorate
Native name	آتلیه ساعت سازی اردش
Romanized name	Ārdâsh Watchmaking
Type	Private
Industry	Watchmaking
Founded	1789; 237 years ago
Founder	Tümet Şad-Din Ārdâsh
Headquarters	Sur-Sec, Main-Barœul Governorate , Zaclaria
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Şektawad Şad-Din Ārdâsh (Master Watchmaker) Musran Kayrahtar Tal-Mawi (CEO)
Products	Wristwatches
Production output	1,000 watches per year
Owner	Ārdâsh family
Number of employees	600

Ārdâsh Watchmaking (Zaclaric Audonian:آتلیه ساعت سازی اردش), or simply Ārdâsh, is a Zaclarian luxury watchmaking and clock designer and manufacturer based in Sur-Sec, Main-Barœul Governorate, which specializes in ultra-high-end luxury manual-winding and automatic mechanical watches. Founded over 200 years ago by Tümet Şad-Din Ārdâsh, Ārdâsh is one of the oldest watch manufacturers in the world with an uninterrupted watchmaking history since its founding. It designs and manufactures timepieces as well as movements, including some of the most complicated mechanical watches.

Ārdâsh is widely considered to be one of the most prestigious watch manufacturers in the world, in part because it manufactures its own watch components and builds each watch by hand assembly and because since its founding, the company has adhered to extremely small production batches - it currently produces 1,000 watches per year. Over the years, notable Ārdâsh customers and owners have included various world leaders, politicians, and royalty. As a result, Ārdâsh watches are coveted items and are among the world's most expensive watches ever sold at auction. Ārdâsh has hundreds of inventions, patents, and more than one thousand movements to its name, including the world's smallest movement, one of the world's most complicated wristwatches (Komāndāl), and a timepiece of near-perpetual movement (Alaterāh clock)

History

Tümet Şad-Din Ārdâsh was an Audonian jeweller, goldsmith and entrepreneur who founded his eponymous atelier in 1879. Tümet's career as a jeweler began as early as 1751, and though he proclaimed himself a goldsmith, he employed a number of jewelers and manufacturers who may have done much of the work; that he was never a member of the goldsmith's guild further substantiates the claim that he subcontracted his work. Tümet specialized in intricate clockwork curios encrusted with gold, silver, and jewels, referred to as "sing-songs." His primary market was the Far East, especially Corumm and Duamacia.

Corummese emperor Lei Shen of the Zhong dynasty commissioned Tümet to build a large automaton featuring three life-sized mechanical birds - dubbed the Tawus Clock - to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the colonization of Stenza.

Little of his early life and education are recorded, but he was considered to be more than an artist, an engraver, a highly qualified craftsman, and a metal worker. He certainly had scientific education, especially in mathematics. Tümet was the only son of a prominent Audonian goldsmith (sayigh) and so the family was comfortably middle-class. Tümet left school at twelve to work as an apprentice under his father and learn the art of goldsmithing and metalwork, however he generally neglected his work, and at one point was evicted by his father, only to be later allowed back after apologizing for his poor behavior. At the time, pocket watches were commonly unreliable for timekeeping and were worn more as fashion accessories. In response to this, Tümet spent nearly a year researching improvements. In July 1753, at the age of twenty-one, he invented an escapement for watches that allowed them to be made substantially more accurate and compact.

Watch manufacturing

Production records

The company began keeping detailed records for each watch that has left the atelier since 1885. Since 1885, details of the caliber, materials used and cases have been entered into the records. In the case of later models, these also include the reference number, delivery date, and the name of the authorized dealer. For a small fee, the owner can obtain precise information about their watch, as long as the watch is at least ten years old.

The company claims that its service department has the parts and is capable of repairing and maintaining watches from every era since Ārdâsh's founding in the late 18th century.

Notable products

Watches

Image	Watch model	Reference number	Price	Notes
	Khazaan	KZNWST-019190599	$7,290	Steel case with a cabochon-shaped ruby crown silvered dial and handpainted red sword-shaped hands Interchangeable black grained calfskin strap & steel ardillon buckle Available in 31mm, 34mm, 39mm, and 41mm
	Mishā́l	MHLWST-020200003	$152,900	Yellow gold 750/1000 case, crown, and bracelet Set with 581 brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 10 carats Gold-finish steel sword-shaped hands, black lacquer dial, case edge, and chains 17mm size
	Kāblo	KBLWST-019470661	$10,900	Mechanical movement with automatic winding Steel case, 7-sided crown set with a faceted synthetic spinel, silvered opaline dial, steel sword-shaped hands, sapphire crystal Available in 31mm, 35mm, and 41mm
	Kāblo Eazim (Magnifique)	KBLEZWST-099990999	$99,999	Exclusive variant of Kāblo watch Rhodiumized white gold case and bezel set with brilliant-cut diamonds Rhodiumized white gold 7-sided crown set with a faceted sapphire, sunray-effect dial, blued-steel sword-shaped hands, sapphire crystal. Available in 35mm, 38mm, 40mm, and 42mm

Tawus Clock

The Tawus clock was commissioned by Corummese emperor Lei Shen of the Zhong dynasty to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the colonization of Stenza.

The clock is an impressive feat of engineering even by contemporary standards: four separate mechanisms are combined in the Tawus Clock - three of them set the figures of birds in motion, while the fourth is the actual clock movement. These mechanisms are linked by a system of levers that ensures their operation in the correct sequence. At the end of each hour the owl begins working: its cage rotates, little bells ring, the owl turns its head to right and left, blinking its eyes and tapping its right foot. The cage makes twelve rotations and stops. Roughly ninety seconds after the owl starts moving its mechanism starts up the peacock. It spreads its tail, stretches its neck, turns and throws back its head, opening its beak. When its tail is fully spread, the bird freezes for a second. Then it smoothly turns its tail to the viewers, again freezes for a moment, returns to its starting position, folds its tail and lowers its head. At the end of its cycle the peacock mechanism starts the cockerel. After shaking its head several times, the cockerel crows. The clock mechanism incorporates three trains (each with a driving spring, fusees and chains): an eight-day movement with spindle escapement; the quarter-chiming train (for eight little bells) and the striking train. Distinctive features of this particular clock mechanism are the dial in the form of a mushroom with a slot to show the hour and minute disks as they rotate relative to a fixed pointer and the second hand in the form of a dragonfly.

Namir collection

Since the early 19th century, Ārdâsh has had a warrant of appointment from several Caphirian Imperial Estates, most notably with the Panther Estate. Since 1915, Ārdâsh has produced the exclusive Namir collection of watches for the Panther family. The Namir watches were originally designed for Dionia Alcyna Panthera - wife of patriarch Oveslazăr Cortan Fabacci Panthera, and eventually it became synonymous with the family. As a result, it became a tradition for all women of the Panther Estate to be gifted a custom Namir watch on their 16th birthday. Today, only the wife of the patriarch and her daughters are able to design their own unique Namir watch, with distant female relatives only able to use older designs.

Image	Watch name	Est. price	Notes
	Decuro Namir	$110,000	White gold case set with 234 brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 2.5 carats Black lacquer dial with rhodiumized white gold panther motif set with 225 brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 0.5 carats, black lacquer spots, pear-shaped emerald eye, rhodiumized steel sword-shaped hands Strap in shiny black alligator leather with rhodiumized white gold ardillon buckle set with 21 brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 0.25 carats 36mm size
	Claera Namir	$179,000	Self-winding mechanical movement 18K white gold case set with 395 brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 6 carats White gold oscillating weight with Panther motif set with 288 brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 0.75 carats, marquise-cut emerald eyes, black lacquer spots, mother-of-pearl dial, two-tone hands in rhodiumized steel and black Black semi-matte alligator-skin strap with double adjustable folding buckle in 18K white gold set with 43 brilliant-cut diamonds 42mm size
	Dieralis Namir	$320,900	Self-winding mechanical movement 24K white gold case set with 315 brilliant-cut diamonds and a beaded crown set with a brilliant-cut diamond totaling 7 carats 20K white gold dial set with 279 brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 2 carats 20K white gold panthers, black lacquer spots, blued-steel sword-shaped hands, shiny blue alligator-skin strap and 18K white gold double adjustable folding buckle set with 43 brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 0.42 carats Day/Night complication with individually numbered movement consisting of 248 parts including 36 jewels Sapphire case back 42mm size