Expanding on one of their most popular collections, Raymond Weil have recently announced two brand-new pieces to the Freelancer Calibre RW1212 family. The collection itself is refined, forward-thinking, idealistic but at the same time still very much in keeping with what we all liken to a sound watch.
The first piece is the Freelancer Calibre RW1212 Reference 2780-ST-50001. This model features a stainless-steel case measuring 42mm across and 10.60mm in depth. The case has been polished and satinated, and also features twisted lugs, a slim-line bezel and exposed screw-down fluted crown that has the Raymond Weil monogram. It has a Galvanic Blue dial, along with an opening at 6 o’clock showing the Calibre RW1212’s exposed balance wheel.
The second piece is the Freelancer Calibre RW1212 Reference 2780-TIR-60001. Raymond Weil’s second addition to the Freelancer family is my pick of the two. With the same case dimensions and structure of its blue brother, this model features a titanium PVD coating over the case, along with a Galvanic anthracite coated dial. The hands also feature a black matte galvanic coating, and it too has an opening at 6 o’clock, displaying the balance wheel.
Raymond Weil’s blue model comes on a polished stainless-steel case, while the darker model comes on a black rubber strap with contrasting grey stitching. Both pieces are water resistance up to 10 ATM, and both dials feature a Clous de Paris pattern in the centre, whilst surrounding the inner dial is either a centre-inclined brushed outer dial in the darker variant, while the blue model has a smooth outer dial.
Both pieces, as mentioned before, are powered by the Calibre RW1212. This is a movement that was developed in-house and cost-effectively produced with manufacturer Sellita. It’s an interesting step that Raymond Weil have taken, from a mechanical perspective. And it’s one that I think will fair well over the next decade, enabling them to produce a movement truly in-house while learning the ins and outs of a true manufacture mechanism.
The Freelancer Calibre RW1212 in Galvanic Blue is available now and is priced at $2,995 while the Titanium PVD costs a touch more at $3,495. The darker model is definitely my pick of the two, but both do offer similar experiences, and both are very well executed.
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