Son of a Gun by ArtyA as a wrist tattoo
To give something of your own person to art is a must for contemporary artists. And they will not hesitate to use their body as a creative platform, often to provoke a reaction. For someone to get a watch tattooed, though, is definitely a first.
By Joel Grandjean
Editor-in-Chief
It had never happened before in the watch world. An ArtyA fan decided to offer himself an indelible, cutaneous Son Of A Gun watch for his wrist. This time, however, it was not bad boy Yvan Arpa – founder and CEO of the brand – pulling people’s chain. Rather, it was his brother-in-arms (to use a term dear to martial artists) Marco Garcia. He is not your typical groupie. Nevertheless, he is the founder of the Black Belt Spirit Academy and, as its main trainer, he is in charge of Krav-Maga, an Israeli martial art regarded by many as being the epitome of self-defense.
This is not Garcia’s first tattoo. Indeed, he has an XXL-sized Black Belt watch – another brand founded by master Arpa – etched onto his back.
In November 2013, Garcia had a Son Of A Gun tattooed onto his wrist in the very place where the watch would usually be worn. This watch, introduced as one rebellious salvo amongst the thousand-and-one ideas of its originator, became, almost by chance, Artya’s flagship model. And so, in the purest street culture spirit and happening mentality, one more icon has been added to the tattoo gallery that evolved on Marco Garcia’s body. Each tattoo tells its own story. It is a true subcutaneous gesture of friendship, the measures of his unfailing support of the ArtyA cause.
