As anyone following the brand has noticed, Raymond Weil has for the past several years partnered with iconic musicians and their estates to release a slew of special timepieces devoted to trailblazers such as the Beatles, David Bowie, Buddy Holly, and Les Paul. Behind the scenes, however, the company’s R&D department has also pursued another goal: the development of Raymond Weil’s first in-house designed, exclusive movement, which makes its debut in the new Freelancer Calibre RW1212.
The new Raymond Weil Freelancer boasts an in-house designed movement.
Deriving its alphanumeric moniker from the postal code (1212) of Raymond Weil’s headquarters in the Geneva suburb of Grand-Lancy, Caliber RW1212 is the result of an 18-month collaboration between the 40-year-old brand’s R&D department and the designers at Sellita, the large movement manufacturer based in the Swiss Jura Mountains. The movement, which is self-winding and holds a 38-hour power reserve, is distinguished by the dial-side positioning of its regulating organ, whose balance-and-spring construction ? positioned above the mainplate and held by two bridges ? peeks out from an aperture at 6 o’clock on the watch’s partially openworked dial. The visual effect is akin to that of a tourbillon. All the elements relating to the regulating system, including the diamond-polished balance wheel and skeletonized bridges, were redesigned and pared down to aid in visibility. Raymond Weil...