Russell Sheldrake Young Independent Brand Alto adds a limited edition Falcon’s Eye dial to its catalog. The semi-precious sections are cut out and placed in the darkest to the brightest in the center, representing the actual eyes. It is limited to just 12 units and costs 61,500 euros.
As for the esoteric young brand, Alto sets a benchmark on how much it can push the boundaries of traditional watchmaking circles without technically breaking the rules. The precocious startup entered the market last year with ART 01 and its incredibly complicated cases, dials, crystals and other industry questions. In other words, there is a lot to turn my head when it comes to Alto. And now the destroyer has pulled out a third watch.
This new watch reinterprets two novel features from the original ART 01. First, its unique slat dial is made entirely from the eyes of the semi-valuable Stone Falcon. This deep green stone can carry many different colors and shades through it, and when cut normally, tilts towards an incredibly complicated pattern, but Alto decided to go through a few more steps to apply the stone to the design of the slat dial, and place these slats to fade so that the gradient of color fades like real eyes.
In my opinion, not only is it a very impressive level of these details from these creative director Raphael Aveyon, but the skill of the dialmakers who create these dials is almost unparalleled. There are many other stone dials now (the number seems to increase daily), but this takes the concept of stone markets and feels like it’s rising to a level where other brands don’t think they’ll go before.
The next change from the original is the case material, which has been replaced with a gorgeous 3N yellow gold. The satin finish remains the same, giving a sense of continuous design language, but the addition of yellow gold not only helps to enhance the stone dial, but also gives the rich green a warm tone for playing without overwhelming it thanks to the satin brush finish.
Everything else in this watch remains the same. The A01 caliber is still sitting inside, with a second hand running backwards. The movement was developed for ALTO by expert Le Cercle des Horlogers and has an attractive architecture that speaks to the inspiration of the classic car behind the watch. It has a 48-hour power reserve with a bridge made of gold-plated titanium, equipped with thick micro-rotors.
Overall, the watch moves Alto forward in the direction it intended last year by founder Thibaud Guitard. They continue to make watches that feel more like concept cars than everyday drivers you pick up from a lot, so now they’re starting to play with great crafts with this very well-thought stone dial. There may still be one at the beginning of this year, but I say this is the best stone dial of 2025.
Alto Art 01 Falcon Eye Prices and Availability
The Alto Art 01 Falcon Eye is now limited to 12 pre-orders open. Price: 61,500 euros
Brand Alto Model Art 01 Falcon Eye Case Dimensions 41mm (d) Case Material 3n Yellow Gold Water Resistance 50m Crystal Crystal Crystal and Back Dial Falcon Eye Market Strap Strap Strap Green Buckle Movement Caliber A01, Russel Corde Hologgers Desperate, Micro Rotoll Automatic Art Negative Time, Reverse
