A limitation we typically accept when it comes to affordable watches from small-scale independent brands is that they seldom offer anything unique or noteworthy when it comes to their internal movements. For the most part, buyers simply hope for a known-quantity caliber from one of the industry’s big-name suppliers, and the functionality of one microbrand watch will be virtually identical to countless others that all run on the same third-party movement. However, the Arken Alterum represents a mechanical departure from what is offered by other small-scale independent brands, and it is a titanium dual-time watch with a proprietary movement module that is positioned significantly below the thousand-dollar price point.

The Arken Alterum first debuted in 2023 as the second model from the UK-based independent brand. The specific example featured here is the Year of the Dragon version, which we first covered last year when it was launched to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Although this 60-piece limited edition is now completely sold out, the standard Alterum models are still available (which you can see in our initial news story about the collection), and they offer a noticeably more conventional appearance with black or gray dials and matching textile straps. Aside from their dials, colorways, and caseback engravings, the various Arken Alterum models are otherwise identical, and while I’m personally a big fan of the scale-textured dial fitted to the Year of the Dragon version, the primary reasons why I enjoy the Alterum are inherent to the collection as a whole, and they are not limited to any one specific model.

Crafted from brushed grade 2 titanium with a hardened surface coating, the case of the Arken Alterum measures 40mm in diameter by 13mm thick, with short integrated lugs that extend to create a compact lug-to-lug profile of 46mm. Sitting within the brushed titanium bezel is a flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on its interior surface, while the reverse side of the watch receives a solid screw-down caseback, and water resistance for the Alterum comes in at an ample 200 meters, which should be more than enough to contend with any real-world conditions you might encounter. Just as you would expect, accessing the movement is achieved with a signed screw-down crown that sits between two rounded guards at the 3 o’clock location, although an additional screw-down pusher protrudes from the side of the case at 4 o’clock, and it serves as a dedicated corrector for the date display.

The flowing sculptural lines of the Arken Alterum’s case provide it with a definitively modern yet refined appearance, and certain design elements like its date-corrector button and the gap between its integrated lugs are slightly reminiscent of what exists on the Vacheron Constantin Dual Time models. However, without even the slightest whiff of mirror polishing anywhere on the watch, the Alterum adheres to a distinctly more utilitarian design ethos, and its fully brushed surfaces help to accentuate the tool-oriented spirit of the model. Additionally, despite not being an especially thin timepiece, the Arken Alterum’s short curved lugs create a highly ergonomic package that naturally hugs the top of the wrist, and with a total weight of just 72 grams (including its strap and buckle), I doubt anyone will have major complaints when it comes to case proportions or overall comfort.

Unlike the Year of the Dragon version, which showcases a dark red/brown dial with a prominent dragon scale texture across its surface, the standard Arken Alterum models receive black or gray grain-textured dials; however, all of them share the same fundamental design and layout. Rather than adhering to the blueprint of a traditional GMT watch with one 12-hour hand and one 24-hour hand, the Alterum’s display is much more closely related to something like one of Patek Philippe’s Travel time models, and its centrally-mounted handset includes two different 12-hour hands, with a pair of dedicated day/night indicators appearing on either side of the dial (left for local, right for home). Meanwhile, the date is displayed by the sub-dial at 6 o’clock, and it is tethered to the local hand to ensure that it corresponds with your current timezone.

Luminescence on affordable microbrand watches can often be either surprisingly good or entirely underwhelming, although Arken has clearly put quite a lot of effort and consideration into the use of lume on the Alterum. The applied hour markers are 3D-printed from solid blocks of BGW9 Super-LumiNova, while the three time-telling hands, minute track, and even the ring running through the indexes are all finished with matching blue-glowing lume to create a highly legible display in low-light conditions. Additionally, unlike many watches with solid Super-LumiNova hour markers that exhibit an asymmetric amount of light emission (their indexes typically glow noticeably more brightly than their hands), all of the luminous elements on the Arken Alterum are rendered in BGW9 Super-LumiNova that emits an even aqua blue-colored glow in the dark.

Arguably the single most noteworthy feature of the Arken Alterum is its Caliber ARK-9015DT automatic movement, which is based upon the popular Miyota 9015 with a proprietary module to provide it with its signature dual-time functionality. Just like the ubiquitous Miyota caliber that serves as its foundation, the Arken ARK-9015DT runs at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 42 hours, and along with separating the quickset date operation from the crown, Arken’s proprietary module adds an additional independently adjustable 12-hour hand, plus two dedicated day/night indicators. Arken developed the Cal. ARK-9015DT shortly before Miyota launched the Cal. 9075 GMT movement, and while Arken’s design is objectively less intuitive, its unique operation ultimately provides the Alterum with a significant amount of intrigue and charm.

Pulling the crown out allows you to advance all of the time-telling hands; however, when you rotate the crown in the opposite direction, only the local hour hand and the minute hand move backwards (the secondary hour hand stays in place), and this allows you to independently set the two different timezones. The dedicated day/night indicators help provide a reference for AM/PM hours, and once the time-tellings hands have been set, the date can quickly be adjusted to the current value by using the additional screw-down pusher located on the side of the case at 4 o’clock. Since the quickset date function has been relocated to a separate button, the crown exhibits a vestigial ghost position, and since the two hour hands are able to move entirely independent from each other (rather than jumping forward or backward in one-hour increments) a bit of care is required to properly align the hands during the setting process.

Unlike a flier-style GMT watch or one of Patek Philippe’s Travel Time models, the Arken Alterum doesn’t allow owners to quickly change timezones without stopping the movement, and the standard Miyota 9075 objectively offers a more practical approach for those who frequently need to reset their watch to correspond with their changing location. That said, the Alterum’s twin-timezone capabilities still make it a rather competent travel companion, and the model is very much a dual timezone watch, rather than a timepiece solely designed for travel applications. In all honesty, I initially wasn’t a huge fan of the Alterum’s quirky and unconventional setting process. However, with an abundance of affordable GMT watches now available throughout the industry, I cannot help but appreciate a novel user experience, and I have ultimately started to find a certain degree of charm in the Alterum’s slightly atypical setting process.

Completing the Arken Alterum is a two-piece nylon strap that tapers from 20mm at the case down to 16mm where it connects to a signed tang-style buckle made from brushed titanium. On the Year of the Dragon version, the strap is a deep shade of red, although the two standard Alterum models receive black or gray straps to match their dials, and all of the nylon straps feature white contrast stitching running down their sides. The straps connect to the Alterum’s case with an integrated quick-release system that consists of two small levers located on the underside surfaces of their end pieces, and they offer a slightly rigid cuff-like structure that naturally curves around the wrist. While integrated lugs limit the range of compatible straps, Arken sells both rubber straps and lug adaptors separately on its website, and the brand’s lug adaptors are titanium pieces that mount to the Alterum’s case to provide it with standard lugs that can accept any 18mm strap.

As someone with a strong passion for affordable timepieces, I will be the first to say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with a reliable and ubiquitous third-party movement. However, once you have been in this hobby for more than a few years and own numerous different watches that all rely on the same handful of known-quantity calibers, it’s only natural to desire something different, and the Arken Alterum represents a tangible departure from what usually exists within this firmly accessible segment of the industry. With an official retail price of £600 GBP (or approximately $730 USD, at the time of writing), the Arken Alterum is less expensive than many watches that use standard off-the-shelf versions of the Miyota 9015, and it ultimately represents a highly compelling option for those who want a mechanically different experience without paying the steep premiums that accompany in-house movements. For more information on the Arken Alterum, please visit the brand’s website.