SpotlightThe Raymond Weil Beatles Maestro Limited Edition comes to India

It’s not easy to understate the popularity of The Beatles – a band that came together in 1960 and defined the style and culture of an entire decade. In fact, even today, in the millennial era, The Beatles official page has over 43 million fans (more than Coldplay, Justin Timberlake, Drake and One Direction).

By the same token, it’s also not easy to understate the significance of Raymond Weil, being the brand they are and announcing an association of such magnitude. There couldn’t have been a better way for Raymond Weil, an independent, family-owned brand to celebrate its 40th anniversary with a music partnership that beats all music partnerships.

And there couldn’t have been a better brand other than Raymond Weil, a company brimming with musical genes, to pull this off.

Raymond Weil & Music: When Passion and Precision “Come Together”:

Like the Fab four, Raymond Weil’s story began a decade later in 1976 in the midst of the Swiss watch industry crisis. But Mr Raymond Weil himself had other ideas. Passionate about music, he knew watchmaking, like music, was all about passion and precision and had a completely different take on a vision of what Swiss watchmaking should be. His vision resulted in the birth of timepieces that would eventually bring a completely new dimension to the industry.

His influence was major because the brand was (and still is) extremely influenced and inspired by the same passion, even reflected in some of their collection names dated as early as 1983 with the “Amadeus”, named after the classical Austrian composer – Mozart, “Fidelio” which was named after Beethoven’s only opera and the emblematic Othello.

“The Music that was yesterday’s source of inspiration, today becomes the vehicle of the values, the know-how, and enthusiasm of the watchmaker…”

So there’s really no surprise that this association came to being and quite frankly, I believe the challenge of respecting the monumental history and legacy of (arguably) the world’s greatest band could and should be done with a brand that has music in its DNA.

The Maestro “Beatles” Limited edition was revealed earlier this year at a very emotional time in the history of the band and its members, just days after the announcement of the death of the “Fifth Beatle”, Sir George Martin.

John, Paul, George, Ringo and Raymond:

Now that you’re familiar with Raymond Weil and their history of honouring musicians and composers, I can guarantee that The Beatles edition was never going to be an easy task for them, given how big a band they are. But they’ve managed to bring together a watch that not only the most avid Beatles fan will admire, but will please watch collectors as well.

The Dial – Journey of The Beatles:

What looks like a usual stainless steel Maestro at one glance, is distinguished with multiple references to the band. All 13 album titles are placed around the silver galvanic dial in an interesting way: Starting with “Please Please Me”, their first album, to the 4 o’clock indication reserved for the unforgettable semaphore interpretation of “Help”, the band’s fifth album released in 1965, it’s almost as if the dial is taking you on a journey through the band’s recording history.

But there’s another interesting take on the dial not many must have noticed. Raymond Weil’s choice of going with the shiny black hands and hour markers are inspired by the Beatles’s very own iconic black tie. A very personal touch to the tribute watch.

The Case:

The Maestro Beatles is an extremely comfortable watch to wear with its 39mm stainless steel case, which is just 9mm thick. The watch is also complemented with a polished stainless steel bracelet, which goes really well with the classic look of the galvanic dial.

Smoked see through sapphire caseback

The timeless Beatles logo is also found on the ‘smoked’ see-through sapphire case back where you can also discover which out of the 3000 pieces is yours. In terms of the movement, the watch is powered by an automatic 26-jewel RW4200 – a modified version of the ETA2824 and often found in the original Maestro family, having a simple date display complication and a good 38 hours of power reserve.

A Special Commemorative Box:

The Raymond Weil Maestro Beatles Limited Edition comes with a special commemorative box having the famous “drum” logo and the same 13 album titles inscribed inside. But what I’ve shared about the watch so far are just facts.

The very thought and emotion behind making this timepiece may be hard to understand for those who were not born and have lived through the “Beatlemania” of the 60’s, even hard for me who calls himself a Beatles fan.

I’m talking about the young ladies of the 60’s who would go hysterical every time their song played on the radio or when they came on black and white televisions, and parents who owned every single record released by them. Even our own parents who introduced us to “Hey Jude”. The 60’s was a colourful era and the Beatles were, without a doubt, the most exciting thing to have happened in those times. They set the tone for generations to come (including ours) and if you’re choosing to get this watch, you’re probably going to do so for the love rather than the “Specifications”.

Update 2017 – The ‘Abbey Road’ Raymond Weil Beatles watch has arrived!

Beatles lovers, rejoice again! Raymond Weil announced their continued association with Apple Corps at Baselworld this year. Along with the announcement, the brand unveiled the new Raymond Weil Beatles watch and this one pays tribute to its last and most successful album “Abbey Road”.   Back on popular demand, this new edition, like its predecessor, is also limited to just 3,000 pieces for the world.

While they share similar specs in terms of the case, movement, and overall design, the new version features a distinctly different black dial that mimics the look of a vinyl record engraved with microgrooves. And as we mentioned above, the new watch specifically pays homage to Abbey Road, the last album recorded by the Beatles.

While the dial is the only major difference, Raymond Weil has done a great job in offering two distinctly different watches for aficionados and Beatles lovers to treasure.

Both editions are made in limited quantities and are available for as long as stocks last at Ethos Watch Boutiques. You can reserve the watch here.

Do you like the watch? Let us know in the comments section below!