Jamie Weiss
There is a new trend in the watch industry right now. It looks at a young challenger brand that has built a reputation and success for its solid entry-level luxury watches. Frederique Constant has an in-house tour bellon and a lasting calendar movement. Christopher Ward has performed open balance and Sonnyaupassage in Friesprung. And you have Raymond Weil. Raymond Weil has also won a GPHG award and is experimenting with world timers and flyback chronographs. Earlier this year, in the watch and the mysterious Geneva, Raymond Weil introduced one of the most interesting watches. The Freelancer’s Complete Calendar is not only the first complete calendar watch of RW, but also a new high watermark for Geneva brand money.
case
The Freelancer Family is one of Raymond Weil’s most extensive collections, covering a wide range of case shapes and clock formats. The complete Freelancer calendar has a simple dressy case, measuring 40mm in diameter, 10.15mm thick, and 10.15mm thick with lyre (ish) lugs and wide bezels. 10.15mm makes this one of the thinnest complete calendar clocks to bring this to the market at any price.
Two variations are available. Straight stainless steel and rose gold PVD treatment. Both have a polished surface dominance with a very light brush applied to the case side. A large crown with “RW” engraved will assist in fine adjustments to all calendar functions. If I had a nitopic, I probably prefer a small crown – it feels a bit of a tool watch Y – or maybe there are some crown guards to protect it and add visual details.
Dial
The Raymond Weil Freelancer Complete Calendar dial describes it as classic with a touch of modern talent. The layout is symmetrical and traditional, with windows and moon pinions above the 12 o’clock central pinion topped with the Raymond Weil logo, combined with a single sub-register at 6 o’clock with a moon phase indicator and date hand. The freelancer’s full calendar disc depicts a photorealistic moon inspired by real NASA photos, unlike the more conventional moon phase discs from Millesime Moon Phase, which features a cheerful, smiling moon. It’s neat.
A complete calendar is clearly something of old fashioned complexity, but I love how a complete calendar from a freelancer keeps things pretty modern. It’s a small thing like an easy-to-read but strict font choice for dating wheel numbers, or a slim minute track chapter ring. I think that big room points of the time index also age really well. Certainly, I think this whole watch will age well. The steel model gets a smart casual dark blue sunray dial, while the rose gold model is called the off-white silver RW call “Dune” with a sunray finish and pairs with a rose gold PVD index and hand.
strap
Each variant gets its own strap option. Steel gets a jubilee style 5-link bracelet, gold gets a brown Calfskin strap. The latter brushes the outer links with three small center links polished with three small center links pasted with butterfly clasps, while the gold leather straps have a case matching folding clasp. The bracelet is fully usable, but prefers the look and feel of the leather strap. If I owned a steel model, the first thing I do is to place it on a dark blue crocodile strap and dress it up a bit.
Movement
Like the Raymond Weil, the RW1212 movement was designed by the Geneva brand, but since it was produced by Sellita at the Le Cret-du-Locle facility, the new RW3281 with a full calendar of freelancers was produced in collaboration with a well-known athletic manufacturer. This is based on the popular Sellita SW300-1 (which Cluey Collectors may have guessed in its rotor hub design), but it features a complete calendar movement within the company. It also boasts Sellita’s RDM+ barrel. This will result in a power reserve of 56 hours (even with additional calendar complications).
The fact that RW3281 is based on the SW300-1 is not really a bad thing. On the contrary, I think that’s a big selling point. First of all, it helps to keep costs down. This was always Raymond Weil’s technique at the end of the day. Second, the SW300-1 is a known amount and is easily maintained. Adding the complexity of a complete calendar, these freelancers’ complete calendars won’t keep smashing the bank and running.
Most importantly, however, a complete calendar of freelancers helps achieve significant thinness. I commend the vast majority of collectors for this and always thinly monitor their internal movements for that. On the finish, it is decorated in a pleasant, if not spectacular way. A custom skeletonized vertically brushed Raymond Weil rotor swings over Zeneve and brain waves on a coat applied to the machine, with the balance facing 12 o’clock.
verdict
On the ground in Geneva in April, it was clear that the Raymond Weil team was truly proud of the full calendar of freelancers. Don’t mess with how lovely and relatively thin this watch is. Combining it with classic, handsome looks, great specs and sharp pricing, RW has a real winner. A complete Swiss-made calendar under 4K is unprecedented.
Sometimes we talk about making watches and the concept of “value for money” casting brands as affordable challengers. But that’s a label that RW has never feared. There’s nothing wrong with brands trying something new and expanding their value proposition. That’s a complete calendar of freelancers, a great value proposition in an increasingly competitive market.
Raymond Weil Freelancer completes calendar pricing and availability
The full Raymond Weil Freelancer calendar is available from Raymond Weil retailers. Price: US$3,650, $6,600, CHF 3,495, 3,775 Euro, £3,195
Brand Raymond Weil Model Freelancer Complete Calendar Reference Number 2766-ST-50001 (Stainless Steel)
2766-PC5-64001 (Rose Gold) Case Dimensions 40mm(d) x 10.15mm
