FeatureRaymond Weil’s Music Icons Series: A Melodious Symphony Of Watchmaking
Let’s take a musical journey through some of Raymond Weil’s inspiring renditions that stand in utter deference to the sound of music
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Appreciators of music have so much going for them. Wielding headphones or AirPods, they are like time travellers—as soon as the music starts to play, their world becomes more colourful and they are truly transported to another dimension. So influential is music that, according to research, it has the ability to impact illness, depression and productivity, even going as far as influencing our perception of the world. Why wouldn’t, then, watchmakers also take heed of such a vastly powerful theme and translate it onto dials?
If there’s one watchmaker that’s been at the helm of this musical renaissance, it’s Raymond Weil. Their musical inspirations were obvious to the world just a few years after their inception (1976), when, in 1983, they introduced the Amadeus collection—named after the classical Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Even their succeeding collections had a bit of ‘do-re-mi’ to them, such as Fidelio (Beethoven’s only opera), Traviata (an opera by Giuseppe Verdi), Toccata (a fast piece of music for a keyboard instrument), Fantasia (an impromptu composition by a soloist), Nabucco (another opera by Verdi), and Maestro (a distinguished conductor or performer). Music is the heart and soul of many a Raymond Weil watch, so let’s explore what tunes they tap along to.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Never Sounded Better
It’s only fair that we flag off this list with an ensemble that’s considered the most influential band in the world—The Beatles. This English rock band first took to the stage in the 1960s, regaling the massive crowds gathered at their concerts with some hum-worthy tunes, quickly garnering an incredibly large fandom all over the world. The Raymond Weil Maestro ‘The Beatles Sgt Pepper’s’ watch is a golden homage to this very band whose tunes resonate ‘Across the universe’. It makes sense that this watch is part of the Maestro collection—The Beatles were, after all, considered to be vastly ahead of their time.
The stainless steel case of this beauty has been plated in yellow gold PVD, which will ensure all eyes remain on the wrist. The grey dial’s centre has the outline of the Pepper drum straight from the Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album from 1967, along with a special index at four o’clock dedicated to the Fab Four. The Beatles’ logo stands out in a gold hue at six o’clock. The logo also graces the caseback where one can see the RW4200 movement marching to the beat(les).
Another The Beatles timepiece worth mentioning, a past roaring success for the brand, was the Maestro ‘The Beatles Abbey Road Limited Edition’. A minimalist ode to their very last eponymous album, the black dial was reminiscent of a vinyl record, with the iconic imagery of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in silhouette walking down Abbey Road between three and five o’clock. This watch had the same caseback as the Sgt Pepper’s edition, showcasing the same RW4200 movement.
Rock ‘n’ roll legend Jimi Hendrix, too, has lent his free-spirited persona to Raymond Weil’s Freelancer collection in the form of the Freelancer Jimi Hendrix Limited Edition—a watch that sets the horological stage ablaze, as did Jimi Hendrix and his tunes.
This watch commemorates 50 years of an epic moment in musical history—when, in 1969, Jimi Hendrix took to the Woodstock stage and, on his white Fender Stratocaster, gave the world a spellbinding rendition of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ (the US national anthem). During this performance, he wore a guitar strapped with a colourful Aztec print. This is the theme that Raymond Weil picked up on to pay homage to the icon. This design has been embossed on a small part of the dial near the date and day window at three o’clock. Along with that, the counterweight of the central chronograph seconds hand is shaped like Hendrix’s guitar’s famous left-handed fender. The nine dotted hour markers mimic the frets on the guitar neck, while the circular border etched throughout the watch face represents his guitar’s six strings. It’s a subtle ode to this groovy artist, and one that you definitely want strapped to your wrist.
Click here to read more about this timepiece inspired by the rock ‘n’ roll legend, Jimi Hendrix
Ardent fans of hard rock have not been left behind by Raymond Weil, as evinced by this spectacular timepiece—the Freelancer AC/DC Limited Edition—and we’re truly ‘Thunderstruck’. The 12 o’clock position proudly exclaims the name of the band, as bold as can be. The six o’clock position shows the balance wheel of the RW1212 movement that thumps inside.
The watch’s dial has grooves that mimic the high voltage bolt graphic that AC/DC have always used on their album covers. The hours are marked with studded indexes. The black calf leather strap, with the band’s name etched on the surface, truly screams ‘Let there be rock’. If you want to take the highway to hell, then the Freelancer AC/DC Limited Edition would be the perfect companion.
Read more about the Freelancer AC/DC Limited Edition by clicking here
Known as the chameleon of music, a man whose ever-changing appearance, musical personas (from Ziggy Stardust to Thin White Duke) and mercurial soundscape brought fans from across the spectrum into his concert halls, David Bowie has also been honoured by Raymond Weil through another Freelancer timepiece. His 50-year career saw him releasing more than 400 genre-hopping songs—making him one of the world’s bestselling artists. Though not as vibrant as the man himself, the timepiece is a minimalist homage to the pioneer of ‘glam rock’.
Raymond Weil gives a nod Bowie’s most famous personas, Aladdin Sane, whose precursor was the zesty rock star Ziggy Stardust who had catapulted Bowie to stardom. The Aladdin Sane (1973) album art features one of Bowie’s most momentous images—where, with eyes closed, he wears a red lightning bolt on his face. This bolt is presented at 12 o’clock on the face of the dial. The same bolt reappears in his eighth studio album, Diamond Dogs (1974), as Bowie’s logo—and this very pop art graphic was designed by famed artist Andy Warhol. Presented above six o’clock in all its glam rock-glory, the face of the watch, then, has two shining stars behind it—the musical sorcery of Bowie and the artistic genius of Warhol. The caseback has a portrait of Bowie shot by famous photographer Terry O’Neill.
Roots, Rock, Reggae
Jamaica’s musical legend and the pioneer of reggae and ska music has not been forgotten in Raymond Weil’s musically sound horological journey, thanks to the Tango GMT Bob Marley watch. Designed in collaboration with the House of Marley, an eco-conscious corporation that works in tandem with the Marley family to carry on the superstar’s legacy, this iconoclastic watch is one for the ages. Decorated with the iconic lion that is often associated with Marley, the black dial has a colour palette inspired by the Ethiopian flag (the actual flagbearer of the Rastafarian movement). The caseback has his signature, along with lyrics embossed on the periphery—‘Time will tell’. With a GMT complication, this timepiece is highly functional as well as free-spirited.
Explore more about the Tango GMT Bob Marley timepiece by clicking here
Musical Masterstrokes
When musicians can be honoured, why not the iconic instruments that gave life to their songs and plucked the strings of our hearts? The Freelancer Gibson Les Paul gave us this and more. A huge success when the brand released it in 2018, this watch drew inspiration from the Gibson Les Paul guitar, which was designed with inputs from legendary guitarist Lester William Polsfuss (AKA Les Paul). This guitar was first released by Gibson in 1952. These axes have been widely used across the spectrum of music—from rock, country and pop to jazz, blues and even heavy metal. From Frank Sinatra, Cream and The Beatles to Jimi Hendrix, The Who and Eric Clapton, the Gibson Les Paul has made many an appearances in the hands of the stalwarts of the music industry.
The Freelancer timepiece was inspired in particular by a Les Paul guitar that was released in 1953, and lovingly dubbed ‘Black Beauty’. The colour could be seen on the dial and the tachymeter bezel. The guilloche motif close to the periphery resembled the six strings of a guitar and the hour markers were in the shape of guitar frets. At 12 o’clock was the Gibson brand logo and right below it, Les Paul’s signature. The brown leather strap had perforations that were reminsicent of the sound holes of a guitar, while the the sub-dials were designed almost like turntables. The Freelancer Gibson Les Paul showed us that it wasn’t just singers, songwriters and bands that were icons, but a humble instrument could achieve legendary status as well.
To find out more about the Freelancer Gibson Les Paul Limited Edition, follow this link
Another watch that’s worth mentioning among Raymond Weil’s musical interpretations of horology is the Tango Marshall Amplification Edition timepiece—where the brand pays tribute to an unsung hero of any concert performance, the amplifier and speaker cabinet. Marshall Amplification is a British manufacturer that has given a booming voice to many artists on stage over the years. The surface of the dial imitates the appearance of an amplifier’s external grille. The white ring around the circumference of the dial mirrors the finish of the Marshall amps, and the gold highlights on the sub-dial, which are reminiscent of the highlights on the speaker, complement the dial very well.
To read more about the Tango Marshall Amplification Edition timepiece, follow this link
Raymond Weil, with its iconic and subtle homages to the music industry as a whole, makes quite a comfortable niche for itself in the horological market. The timepieces it presents are perfect for those who have a thumping rhythm in their hearts, a delightful skip in their steps and a beautiful song on their lips.
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Raymond Weil Maestro
2237-PC-BEAT3
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Raymond Weil Freelancer
2780-STC-ACDC1
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Raymond Weil Freelancer
7730-STC-JHDX1
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Raymond Weil Tango
8570-BKC-MARS1
