The latest watch from Raymond Weil pays tribute to the company’s founder with a newly developed pilot’s watch named the Freelancer Pilot Flyback Chronograph. The new timepiece is nod to Raymond Weil’s love of flying, which to this day lives on through his grandchildren Elie Bernheim, the current CEO of Raymond Weil, and Pierre Bernheim, Chairman of Geneva’s Airport board.
The new Freelancer Pilot Flyback Chronograph is housed in a 42mm stainless steel case, with the steel surfaces coated in grey PVD to give the watch an elegant and more adventurous aesthetic. The vintage aviation theme can also be seen on the onion-shaped crown, a design standard on pilot watches, as well as the brown leather strap with rivets, reminiscent of those you find on aeroplanes.
The design celebrates its exclusivity through a distinctive propeller motif engraved on the sapphire case back and is water resistant to 100 metres (330 feet).
The watch is powered by a RW5530 automatic movement, which is a flyback chronograph movement that allows a simultaneous reset and restart of the chronograph with a single pusher and has a 56 hour power reserve. The movement comes with perlage and Côtes de Genève motif.
The fully integrated movement features a column wheel and horizontal coupling, something aficionados like to see in a watch. Its column wheel controls the start, stop and reset functions which are thermally blued to help enhance corrosion resistance. Not only can you view the chronograph engaging and disengaging but you can also see the W-shaped oscillating weight, the new horological signature of RAYMOND WEIL, and the blued column wheel through the engraved case back.
The dial is deep green in colour and has Arabic numerals and baton style hour and minute hands. The arrow-shaped indexes at 3 and 9 o’clock are a tribute to pilots’ watches of the past, while the richly textured hour is meant to represent the tarmac. The hands and hour markers feature Super-LumiNova® to help with legibility in poor light. The central chronograph seconds hand is bright yellow, and the 2-counter design provides a symmetrical layout while the dial is encircled with a white track to make the watch easy to read at a glance.
CEO of Raymond Weil, Elie Bernheim commented:
“This timepiece holds a special place in my heart as it was designed with my grandfather in mind. The design of this watch has been inspired by his passion for flying and the aviation instruments of the past, with clear legibility and easy-to-read indicators.”
Limited to only 400 pieces, the Freelancer Pilot Flyback Chronograph is now available to buy at Raymond-weil.co.uk, priced at £3,695.
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is Editor of Our Man On The Ground, a former member of The British Guild of Travel Writers and professional photographer.
Photographs courtesy of Raymond Weil
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