Raymond Weil has always had a knack for making watches that have something different. They love to play with details and are not afraid to plot their own course. This is also clearly visible with the new Freelancer Automatic Bi-Compax Chronograph, which offers an exciting combination of materials and colors. The case has a titanium middle segment and a screw-down caseback, but the bezel is made from bronze, as are the crown and pushers. The color of the bronze details softens the technical look of the brushed titanium and sets the stage for the contemporary vintage look Raymond Weil is aiming for. I know that this is an oxymoron, but it is the best way to describe the Freelancer Automatic Bi-Compax Chronograph.

Raymond Weil fitted the bronze bezel with a ceramic insert showing a tachymeter scale. The flange on the inside, going towards the dial, has a pulsometer scale. This makes it quite a practical chronograph, although being bi-compax it means that an hour counter is missing. While some might miss this feature, the two subdials make for a less crowded and much more appealing design. Both the subdials are sunken in a bit and have the same color as the center of the dial. Raymond Weil opted to give it a gradient effect, moving to black on the rim of the dial, the same color as the ceramic bezel. The flange is, however, bronze colored. This is a clever move by Raymond Weil as it brings unity in the design in a more exciting way, yet also makes the pulsometer scale ve...