Introducing Anoma Is Back With The Hand-Chiselled A1 Prehistoric

When Matteo Violet-Vianello launched his watch brand Anoma at the end of 2024, his design language was one of sleek asymmetry, soft curves, and plenty of polish. That’s remained a focus of his over the last few years as he’s slowly expanded the offering with a range of different dial finishes, including recent arrivals like the A1 Optical with radially engraved patterns and the A1 Stone with a gravelly, matte finish. Now, Violet-Vianello is broadening his gaze beyond the dial with the A1 Prehistoric, which not only features a fresh dial finish but also one of the more impressively hand-chiselled cases we’ve seen in a minute.

The inspiration for the original A1 was Charlotte Perriand’s Mexique free-form table from the late 1930s, which Violet-Vianello fell in love with after seeing the design in an antiques gallery, and for the A1 Prehistoric, the founder was once again inspired by an object he saw in a gallery. Specifically, the Brancusi sculpture exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, where he saw a collection of primitive artefacts, including arrowheads and hand axes. He describes being struck by the importance of the objects due to their being some of the “earliest and purest forms of human creativity” and decided to take that same rough, intentional texture and translate it into a new design for his A1 watch.

The result takes the sculptural, triangular form of Anoma's A1 and finishes it with the force of the human hand, with each stainless-steel case and buckle hand-chiselled over roughly five hours by Steven Brunel, a traditional French engraver whose work has hung in the Louvre, and who cuts from a workshop in Mornand-en-Forez. The dial gets the same treatment, with around 600 lines individually cut by hand into a brass base, before being finished in a deep anthracite colour that is more than an appropriate nod to the monochrome of stone and flint. Unsurprisingly, no two pieces arrive the same.

Beyond the carefully created patterns on the dial and case, you’ll find a Swiss automatic Sellita SW100, 50 metres of water resistance, and a grained Italian leather strap. The case itself measures 39mm-by-38mm, but wears significantly closer to a 37mm case thanks to its triangular shape, the absent lugs, and a caseback that curves inward ever so slightly.

It is priced at £2,900 (~A$5,500) before taxes, with production capped at 100 pieces for 2026 and deliveries due in October. Orders open on 8 July.

As an owner of the original Anoma A1, I think there’s plenty to get excited about in Violet-Vianello’s latest release. He’s spent the last few years mastering what’s possible to achieve with dials, and now, it’s time to explore the limits of his triangular case. The memory of early human tools and their rough but beautifully utilitarian texture is one that we all probably share from childhoods spent poring over illustrated books on the beginnings of mankind, and Anoma’s latest release has faithfully executed their random placement and varied depths nicely. Plus, for anyone who’s owned a watch with a fully polished case before, you know it’s only a matter of time before you spot a hairline scratch, which this new reference removes the possibility of.

I also appreciate how much attention to detail has gone into the A1 Prehistoric (which is equal to, if not even better than, the original Anoma A1). The asymmetric buckle has been hand-chiselled with the same texture as the case, the crown is very cleanly hidden within the profile of the case (apart from a small opening at the rear to allow for winding), and the depth of texture of the sunburst pattern on the dial is beyond what any brushed finish could achieve. If you’ve been thinking of adding something truly unusual to the collection, this should be on your list of considerations.

Brand: Anoma
Model: A1 Prehistoric

Diameter: 39mm x 38mm
Thickness: 9.45mm
Case Material: Hand-chiselled 316L stainless steel
Water Resistance: 50m
Strap/Bracelet: Grey grained Italian leather strap

Calibre: Sellita SW100
Diameter: 17.2mm
Thickness: 4.8mm
Power Reserve: 38 hours
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour
Jewels: 25

Price: £2,900 (~A$5,500)
Available: Orders open July 8 at 14:00 BST, deliveries scheduled for October 2026
Limited Edition: Yes, 100 pieces

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