Certain watches make us feel certain ways, remind us of specific places, ambiances, people, and propulse us back then or somewhere else entirely. Similarly to how we can travel through time and space by way of books and movies, we can project ourselves in other lives, at other moments, and in different places thanks to watches. Small mechanical or quartz machines with tremendous altering powers. Putting the Arcange AS06 Salmon on the wrist for the first time brought me back to my college years, learning about art history and archeology, spending countless hours inside museums to study all sorts of things, feeling engulfed into the classicism of these types of places and of the people who frequent them—the old and lost souls as I used to see them—which I now have a deeper and fonder appreciation of. Am I an art historian? A researcher? 

Who knows but for sure I know this: the Arcange makes me feel more intellectual, discerning—ah, that fucking adjective—, and poised. See what I was talking about? I may just feel like I am those things but perhaps I may not be them, and for now I will fake it until I make it but this is the power that certain watches have on us: they make us feel different and make us aspire to be different, better if you will. But the Arcange AS06 Salmon is also a classical looking timekeeping device which belongs to a collection—a first for the brand—of six models, some more sporty than others, some more sectory than others, but all made with the same case, movement, strap, and willingness to infuse a new interest for this type of watch. Is this review going to sound as written by a discerning watch collector thanks to the AS06 Salmon on my wrist? We will see. 

Specifications

Before we get into the heart of the subject of what this watch (and collection) is, let us see what the AS06 Salmon is made out of. First, a 316L stainless steel case measuring 37.2mm in diameter, 46mm lug-to-lug, 9.50mm including the domed sapphire crystal, and coming with a 20mm lug width. These dimensions are excellent on account of being on the smaller side of things but not on the too small side of things for most watch folks. In other words, being good for a modern dress watch. And I would point out the relative thinness of the case which is to be celebrated on further account of having a see-through case-back and 100 meters of water resistance with a screw-down rear metal apparatus and a push/pull crown. The latter is very small—5.2mm in diameter—but cleverly designed for having a serrated (saw-like) knurking where each divot is separated by peak-like sections. (Look at the micro shots later on to better grasp how nice the crown is.) 

The case also displays a beautiful alternation of fine horizontal brushing on the case flanks and mirror-polished surfaces everywhere else. (A fully polished step bezel makes for quite the spectacle.) In terms of movement we find a premium and universally appreciated Miyota 9039 caliber (4Hz/42 hours of power reserve) which is regulated during assembly to run at +/- 10 seconds per day. The 9039 has become ubiquitous in the past 2/3 years for being reliable, accurate out-of-the-box, and easily serviceable anywhere in the world. At least that’s what folks say but I know for a fact that I will always choose a Miyota over a Seiko, Sellita, or Soprod caliber anyday. And if you were curious about the superb strap photographed here, it’s made of veal leather, tapers from 20mm to 16mm to a branded and dual-finished buckle. What’s the price of the AS06 you ask? $426 USD on Kickstarter* and $604 USD full retail. 

*The Kickstarter campaign is live through April 19, 2025. 

Design

The entire first collection from Arcange orbits around the classical sector dial design in which circles of various circumferences frame the different information we must read and process on the dial. I don’t know if there is supposed to be a certain number of circles on sector dials or not, but on the AS06 there are four of them (and fewer on other versions of the AS) which indeed serve to compartmentalize the information. First at the center of the dial we find a beautiful salmon-copper section with a sunburst effect within which fits the hour hand. Then a narrower sector encompasses the hour markers, applied, where those at the cardinal points are highlighted by Roman numerals, set against a matte and gray background. Then an even narrower section repeats the center color which is repeated again at the periphery of the dial, and a last section in which we find a fully graduated minute track where the five-minute increments are highlighted by bright blue batons. 

There are indeed a lot of things to look at here. 

But what is fascinating about this dial is how well-balanced it is, visually, despite all of what one has to look at. This is where the design acumen of the brand’s creator shines through for having found ways to organize everything in such a neat manner. Moreover, I appreciate the design of the hands which err more on the side of Alpha hands than anything else, showcasing a fine bevel in the middle of the hour and minute ones, and being coated with an anthracite PVD compound giving them a distinct luxurious character. Those hands put together with the applied hour markers make the Arcange AS06 Salmon look like a million-buck horological creation and not one, as we saw earlier, which will set you back $426 USD during the Kickstarter campaign. (Again, what do the major brands have on the micros? Nothing if you ask me.) And another point to showcase the delicacy of the dial appears when observing up close the narrowness of the applied markers and how well they match the printed blue ones. 

And then there is the case. I’m already a big fan of the small crown on account of how easy it is to operate despite its meager size (thanks to a great design and manufacturing work on the knurling) but also on account of being partially recessed within the case. More specifically, it is so within the mid-section of the metal body where we find the fine horizontal brushing, whilst the upper and lower sections of the crown are free from the case, especially at the bottom thanks to the angled case-back. The latter is see-through and has a decagone (10 facets) sculpted portion (I suppose to screw it in and out.) But my favorite feature of the case are the lugs which have a step and fully polished construction. This both reduces their visual footprint by appearing narrower and adds a touch of extra elegance to the whole package. I haven’t seen it all but I haven’t seen this before. 

The Heart of the Matter

At the heart of the matter is the fact that Arcange is a daring horological project for having made for its debut collection a series of six watches of various visual characters and made with different materials. (The most singular of them for me being the AS03 Field as it is the first time I see a dressy watch being endowed with such a dial layout.) I opted to review the AS06 Salmon because it is more of a classic creation although one which offers a different take on the indeed classic and elegant sector dial. Not only is the contrast between the copper-salmon and grey colors quite striking—and perhaps novel, but don’t quote me on that—but so was the choice to PVD coat the hands and design the crown in this way because many not discerning (self-powered pun) watch enthusiasts and collectors would grab their signs and immediately go take to the streets because Arcange made a small crown. Oh horror. 

In other words, Arcange is one of these brands which came up with a clear vision for what a modern sector dial collection would look like and stuck to its guns no matter what people said about it. I had the pleasure of meeting the brand owner a couple of times and he did relate some of the comments he had received or was expecting to receive about his first collection. If you know what you want, then make it what you get. 

Conclusion 

Sector dial watches have been around since the 1940s, so for more time than the pre-Explorer 1 Rolex Oyster Perpetual which did or did not make it to the summit of Mount Everest. By all commonly agreed upon rules of the Watch Wisdom, sector dials are darn elegant and classic looking—yes I know I’ve been using this adjective a lot because hey, that’s what we’re dealing with here—and so it is bold or stupid or both or neither to create yet another version of this type of watch. But I do appreciate the willingness of any watch entrepreneur to revisit something that has been around for a long time. And unlike what many say, there is nothing wrong with doing so because it is by revisiting something that already exists and by adapting it to the personal preferences of contemporary watch enthusiasts that we help it continue 

to exist and be relevant. 

For $426 USD and even $604 USD, the Arcange AS06 Salmon (and its siblings) has a lot to offer. So please take a moment to check out the brand’s website and the Kickstarter campaign. 

Thanks for reading.