he story begins in Albania, at the heart of one of Europe’s harshest dictatorships. Pirro Ruço lived with his family, who were staunchly anti-regime, in Kucova, a small village near Berat. He remembers a childhood that was “tough. Persecutions were frequent. I had to find ways to overcome many challenges.”

Fortunately for Ruço, he was raised in an environment where you were expected to find solutions with what you had. “My father was a man of many talents,” he says. “Anything mechanical, he could fix it.” Watching his father would spark Ruço’s own interest in mechanics, yet despite good grades in high school, “the regime banned me from studying engineering.”

For the next three years Ruço would apply to university, to no avail. Once again, the young man poured his determination and energy into finding a solution and, despite his daytime factory job, enrolled in evening classes. However, many were jealous of his entrepreneurial drive and reputation for being a good worker… and he was banned from studying again.

Pirro Ruço, founder of Artistic Pirro Jewellery and self-taught creator of the Primordial Passion watch.

self-taught craftsmanship

“I shed a lot of tears and had many sleepless nights trying to figure out how to pull myself out of this misery,” he confides. “I decided I could use wire from my parents’ bed frame to make a pantograph. I taught myself how to do it by reading books on aviation and other industries. The idea was to design a medal with the portrait of the previous dictator.” This was the first time such a medal had been produced using a machine rather than by hand. The level of artistic detail convinced the government and Ruço’s project was approved. “It was a huge victory,” he recalls. “I had managed to pull through the hard times…but it stirred jealousy once again. I started to get anonymous threats through the post. It was another very difficult period.”

Primordial Passion’s dial. Hand-sculpted in 18k gold, the figurines measure 10mm high and wear traditional Albanian regional dress.

Twenty-three thousand medals were made for the Albanian Congress. Now “officially approved”, Pirro Ruço could fulfil his dream and move to Tirana where he would follow his passion: to create jewellery. He had found his niche and relentlessly worked on mastering jewellery-making techniques, studying from books and practicing on old stamping machines.

In February 1991 the regime fell. Everyone around him was leaving Albania but he stayed. It was an emotional moment; one Pirro Ruço describes as “winning my battle like Pyrrhus of Epirus.” He eventually moved to neighbouring Greece, where he worked as an engineer for FaCad’oro, one of the region’s largest jewellery manufacturers. “It was a great experience and I learned a lot, but a year later my father passed away and so I returned to Albania.”

The finely wrought case was made by Pirro Ruço himself.

Driven by his usual passion and determination, Ruço continued to single-handedly craft his jewellery. He invested the little money he could get in machines that would help him perfect his skills. As he explains, Albania was extremely poor at the time: “Only three loans were given to business entrepreneurs. One was for flour, one was for meat and the third was for me, to buy modern equipment. It was 250,000 Deutsch Marks. I was able to contact someone I had met from Schmalz [a manufacturer of machinery for the jewellery industry] in Pforzheim and in 1994 I bought the first jewellery laboratory line in Albania.”

One of the musicians in the dial centre, his emotions conveyed in the intricate and detailed carving.

In 1995 he did it again and bought the country’s first Japanese CNC machine as well as the first laser welder. He experimented with these tools; an engineer teaching himself the artistic crafts he needed to create the jewellery pictured in his mind. Artistic Jewellery Pirro was born, inspired by the cultural symbols of Albania. Since then, Pirro Ruço has pursued his vision to “create special and exclusive pieces, away from the mass market.” He is the main supplier of governmental gifts in Albania.

A closer look at the dial and case.

Driven by passion

Pirro Ruço had fought hard, mastered technologies such as laser engraving and 3D printing, and made a successful niche for himself. He could have rested on his laurels but passion rarely stands still. “I’d finally reached a high point in my life but I chose to follow my passion, not the market. I felt I needed to explore other artistic horizons.” The spark came during his first visit to Baselworld, in 2014. “It blew my mind. I’d never imagined there could be so many crazy people, so much creativity under one roof. We spoke with everyone at the fair and on the last day I remember sitting down with my daughter, Alba, and asking her ‘Have I done everything I can with jewellery so far?’ That’s when I started dreaming about creating a watch.”

Close-up of the micro-mosaic dial. 1,500 Murano glass rectangles in a warm red-black gradient intertwine in a maze-like pattern.

He was obsessed and began scouring every watch fair possible. “I wanted to make something that had never been done before. Once more, artistic crafts would be my niche.” He invested in the latest Swiss machinery and began experimenting again. He wanted everything he stood for to be embodied in one watch.

The concept began to take shape. “The twelve regional folk dancers in their traditional costumes represent the rich heritage of Albanian culture. In the centre, four musicians play music from the four corners of the country. They provide the energy and harmony to make people dance, as we always do in Albania.”

The emotions and expressions of these sixteen miniature sculptures are conveyed in minute detail. “This is what I am most proud of, because it captures the essence of both my identity and that of Albania.” Another remarkable feature is the watch’s micro-mosaic dial, composed of Murano glass rectangles in a warm red-black gradient, intertwined in a maze-like pattern. Ruço examined 20,000 of these rectangles under a microscope, selecting 1,500 of them…which he then set on the dial himself.

Overcoming the next challenge - to find the right movement – took seven years. A calibre by Agenhor drives the hour and minute hands, which are shaped like an eagle’s talons. Are we surprised to learn that Pirro Ruço tackled the 46mm case himself, lugs, crown and caseback included - even when this meant modifying machines to achieve the detail and precision his creative mind envisaged.

The future

With a hefty price tag of CHF 1,200,000, has the watch sold? Ruço replies with typical honesty: “We have had some enquiries but no buyer as yet. One of the biggest problems is that for me, it’s priceless!”

Will Pirro Artistic Jewellery evolve into a full-fledged watch brand? “The philosophy is to measure time with timeless beauty. I intend to create other timepieces featuring artistic crafts from different cultures. These will always be limited editions. I’m confident. Miniature works of art have become my comfort zone. More importantly, I never give up!” Coming from Pirro Ruço, we have no doubt about that!