ReviewIntroducing : The Raymond Weil Maestro Beatles Collection

Back in 1964, Paul McCartney wore two timepieces on his wrist during the band’s Australian tour. One was set to the local Australian time, while the other was set to British Standard time, just so that he could stay in touch with his then-girlfriend, Jane Asher. Of course, we’re not going to ask you to do that today in a similar scenario, but now that I’ve shared one random fact about the Beatles to you, there are two more things you should know about if you’re a true Beatles fan (and a watch lover, of course).

Imagine Switzerland’s biggest music-inspired watchmaker, coming up with not one, but two special watches in the Band’s honour for its diehard fans, it’s unlikely that you will not want to have it. Raymond Weil, the musically inspired watchmaker, chose it’s most free-spirited and successful collection – The Maestro series, and made two limited edition Beatles watches in honour of the band. Released in mutual agreement with The Beatles record label – Apple Records, the Beatles collection has two references, both produced in a 3,000-piece numbered limited edition series. Both watches have two different stories, let’s find out more about both.

Two dials – Two different inspirations

While one watch (the silver dial) commemorates the musical story of the Beatles, the other pays tribute to their last album “Abbey Road”.  This was going to be a tough task for the watchmaker, given the weight of creating a collection for arguably the biggest rock band in the world. Add the expectations of fans and it becomes a mammoth task. But despite that, they’ve managed to bring together two watches that not only the most avid Beatles fan will admire, but will please watch collectors as well.

Raymond Weil’s biggest advantage in this situation is obviously their long lasting relationship with music – they’re a brand brimming with musical genes and just like their other musical tribute timepieces, they’ve done complete justice to the Fab Four’s legendary musical career with both these watches.

The ‘13 Album’ Maestro:

The ‘13 Album’ Maestro depicts the musical story and journey of the Beatles. All 13 of their album titles are placed around a silver galvanic dial – starting with “Please Please Me”, their first album between 12 and 1 o’clock to the 4 o’clock indication reserved for the unforgettable semaphore interpretation of “Help”, the dial takes you on a journey through the band’s recording history. Even the shiny black hands and hour markers are inspired by the black ties worn by the band!

The ‘Abbey Road’ Maestro:

The second watch features a distinctly different black dial that mimics the look of a vinyl record, and as the name suggests, this watch specifically pays homage to Abbey Road, the last album recorded by the Beatles.

This version is clearly for the one who has an eye for detail: featuring a shiny black ‘record’ dial with concentric circles. The official Beatles logo, like the silver version, is placed right above 6 o’clock. This watch has silver hands and silver hour & minute indexes instead of the ‘black tie’ ones and also features the band’s famous ‘Abbey Road’ crossing album cover – the outlined figures of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, engraved in silver between 3 and 4 o’clock.

Size of the watch, the Movement & Smoked see-through case back:

The exciting bit and in my opinion, the best part about both these watches is the beautiful case back that features the Beatles logo on a ‘smoked’ see-through sapphire case back. Faintly visible behind the smoke tinted logo is the automatic 26-jewel RW4200 – a modified version of the ETA282 which has a decent 38 hours of power reserve. The case back also features the engraved series number which tells the owner which out of the 3,000 limited pieces is theirs.

Both watches have the same dimensions, i.e., a stainless steel case sized at 39mm with just a 9mm thickness that’s complemented by a polished stainless steel bezel. The watch is without a shadow of doubt extremely comfortable to wear.

Two Different Commemorative Boxes:

Both Maestro Beatles Limited Editions come with their respective special commemorative boxes, The ’13 album’ Maestro box bears the band’s famous “drum” logo and the same 13 album titles inscribed inside.

The Abbey Road Maestro, just like it’s understated dial, features a simple commemorative box that says “Celebrating the Iconic Beatles”.

Final Thoughts:

While the dial is the only major difference between the two, Raymond Weil has done a great job in offering two distinctly different watches for aficionados and Beatles lovers to treasure. And not just different, Raymond Weil has created two must-have watches, giving the wearer the choice to chose the one they love.

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.

Raymond Weil – Where watchmaking and music ‘Come Together’

Raymond Weil is a brand deep rooted with music and musicians. From a Gibson guitar Chronograph to a Tourbillon inspired by a Cello, they’re essentially watchmakers influenced and driven by the sheer passion for music. Their passion is 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.

So it was only fair that the Geneva-based, family-owned brand would release two timepieces that celebrate the most iconic rock band of all time.

“The Beatles, as you know, are a “trans-generational” band. Your grandfather, your father, even you must be a Beatles fan! It’s a band that has been loved through generations and the same goes for Raymond Weil..”

“We could not feel more proud to associate our brand name with the exceptional Beatles,” said Raymond Weil Chief Executive – Elie Bernheim. “Raymond Weil has always been closely linked with music, our dear source of inspiration since our early days. We are overjoyed to once again honour great music legends with our timepieces.”

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Are you excited about these two watches? let us know in the comments section below!