The hours and minutes are read off on an off-centred 3 o’clock counter on the right-hand side of the dial. The openworked hands are red-lacquered, while the 42-hour power reserve is displayed by a lacquered red cursor appearing on a separate subdial between the lugs at 6 o’clock. Everything is designed to highlight the flying tourbillon enthroned at 9 o’clock, on the left-hand side of the dial. The case has been literally built around the movement in such a way that no detail goes unnoticed.

Representing a true technical feat, the off-centred flying tourbillon is maintained in orbit by a “3D” arm extending from the lower part of the movement and playing the role of a launch pad : it sweeps majestically over the dial like a space vessel. It is on this dial that moon dust has been incorporated in a nod to the intergalactic missions undertaken by RJ-Romain Jerome… Adorned with a “stellar-patterned” engraving, it echoes the brand’s signature satin-brushed cross-strut traverses. The entirely decorated back of the movement picks up the same constellation motif. Nestling between the lugs at 12 o’clock, another engraved subdial is stamped with the brand monogram. The five shaped sapphire crystals fitted all around the case provide a complete view of the unique architecture and geometry of this exclusive mechanical self-winding movement ; while the sapphire crystal set into the caseback provides a complete view of the understated oscillating weight and the gear trains.

The latest addition to the Moon-DNA collection, Moon Orbiter brings with it an aggressive and imposing design that highlights the complexity of the movement. This 25-piece limited edition will delight devotees of horological originality and complexity that are light-years away from traditional watchmaking

“We are particularly proud to be able to cooperate with Make-A-Wish and thus contribute to making dreams
come true for children who so much need these magical moments to brighten up their daily lives”, said Manuel
Emch, CEO of RJ-Romain Jerome.

Since 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted the most heartfelt wishes of more than 300,000 children, aged
between 3 and 18 living with a life-threatening medical condition, in over 48 countries. Thanks to this initiative,
even more ill children will be able to see their dream come true.

The pure lines and the apparent simplicity of the Spacecraft conceal a particularly complex movement – which is where the third mastermind behind the project comes into the picture: Jean-Marc Wiederrecht. It was in the latter’s Geneva-based manufacturing facility Agenhor that this mechanical self-winding movement was exclusively developed for RJ-Romain Jerome. “The combination of these four functions – lateral, linear, jumping and retrograde hours – is unprecedented”, says Jean-Marc Wiederrecht. The movement features a kind of spring-driven carriage that drives the hour display visible on the side of the watch by means of a red-lacquered cursor moving beneath the metallised sapphire crystal every 60 minutes. The dragging minutes, appearing on a black disc, are read off on the top of the case that also features beadblasted titanium plates. Time-setting is done via a screw-lock crown at 12 o’clock. The Spacecraft watch is fitted with a black polyamide mesh strap. This 99-piece limited edition will delight devotees of horological complexity and original products.

Manuel Emch sums it up in these terms: “The concept we have created with this collection reflects a new approach for the brand, meaning facilitating access to innovative, contemporary and offbeat watchmaking.”

With this exceptional creation, RJ-Romain Jerome offers a new way of reading the time, as the well-named Spacecraft carries you away to explore new planets at the speed of light.

By appointment only

Lina Bardie
l.bardie@romainjerome.ch

Joanna Budzik
j.budzik@romainjerome.ch

Still today, the “Día de los Muertos” is an occasion for the Mexicans to laugh at death with a certain degree of irony combined with a great deal of humour, derision and sarcasm. Music, sweeties, tequila, brightly coloured decorations and many caricatures of the dead enliven the streets across the country.
RJ-Romain Jerome has decided to take its turn celebrating the Day of the Dead with a timepiece available in two different versions, both issued in 25-piece limited editions. Calling upon its watchmaking skill, RJ’s inspiration for the dial of this watch dedicated to the “Día de los Muertos” was drawn from traditional Mexican decorations. A carefully hand-crafted colourful applique adorned with a champlevé decoration, cold enamelled in different colours, emulates the look of the “calaveras” – the skulls made of sugar given away by the Mexicans as good luck tokens during the entire festival.
The seven colours on the applique are a reminder of the seven stages through which the soul of the dead must pass before being able to rest in peace. The case is made of black PVD-coated steel, associated with a bezel and “paws” in black ceramic. The mirror-polished dial features an engraving of the brand’s emblematic X shape, along with the applied RJ logo. The watch is fitted with a black Hornback alligator strap. The sombre colours of these different elements evoke those of darkness and make a striking with the bright colours of the skull-shaped applique.

This way of perceiving death, tinged with light-hearted irony, is unique to the Mexican culture to which RJ-Romain Jerome is paying tribute. With this timepiece in homage to the “Día de los Muertos”, the watchmaking Maison can also claim to have tamed death and thus made it a playmate.

Every detail of the watch echoes the number eight, a hint to the number of legs of the animal and a lucky number in some cultures. There are eight octagon head screws on the 45mm case as well as on the back of the watch which is stamped by a hand-engraved octopus, symbol of the conquest of great depths successfully undertaken by RJ-Romain Jerome. The two screw-locked crowns are adorned with eight rivets and guarantee a water resistance of 888 feet (270 meters) for each model limited to 888 pieces.

Faithful to the Titanic-DNA collection, the notched bezel contains oxidised and stabilised steel from the Titanic – another maritime giant. The dial carries the large X-shaped intersection found on dials in the RJ-Romain Jerome collections, with its carefully satin-brushed traverse struts and paws. For underwater sports devotees, it is, without the colors, the cross of St. Andrew’s flag which indicates the presence of divers practicing. Another detail of this watch full of references, the interior of the black rubber strap features suction cups like the ones found on the arms of an octopus.

The Octopus boasts lines that are virile and expressive, in harmony with the RJ-Romain Jerome design codes. The rugged appearance of the Octopus style makes a striking contrast with the meticulous watchmaking care devoted to each detail. Destined to become a future pillar of the brand’s sports collections, the Octopus comes in three different versions: steel, black PVD-coated steel and black PVD-coated steel with red gold. It is already available at all RJ-Romain Jerome authorized retailers.

″I had since long wished to combine my twin passions for contemporary art and watchmaking, and to apply the principle of a unique work of art to a limited-edition watch″, explains Manuel Emch. ″Given the brand’s origins, it was important to me to work with a Swiss artist and my own admiration for John M Armleder’s work and his status as a role model for young artists meant that my choice was quickly made!″

Conceived like veritable works of art, these Art-DNA pieces are made of polished steel. The skull motif applique is raised and serves to decorate the hammered, polished dial. The underside of the applique is lacquered with a colour revealed by a subtle play of shimmering reflections on the dial. Each unique piece is a different colour. The back of the watch is numbered and bears an engraved medallion with the artist’s signature.

For John M Armleder, ″the skull evokes a memento mori and an allegory of the passing of time, which is an appropriate subject for a timepiece and which interests both art and watch collectors″. The artist adds: ″All these watches that give the impression of looking alike are ideally suited to death, which is basically the same for everyone, but which takes place differently each time.″

It was RJ-Romain Jerome’s wish that its DeLorean-DNA remains true to the car’s inimitable aesthetic appeal. Entirely made of brushed stainless steel, this chronograph uses the same materials as the original bodywork of the DeLorean car, of which certain elements have been melted together with the steel of the bezel. The dial is engraved with cross-strut traverses picking up the iconic X-shaped design that has become a RJ-Romain Jerome brand signature. The ring surrounding the minute counter at 3 o’clock evokes the original design of the wheel rims, while the hands are inspired by automobile dashboards. The small seconds dial has the same colours and look as the car’s tail-lights. A medallion engraved with a DeLorean adorns the case-back, along with the number of the watch, which is limited to 81 – a reference to the year the car was manufactured. In a final nod to the original model, the strap made of upholstery leather features anthracite grey stitching similar to the interior of the DeLorean car.

The DeLorean has remained engraved on collective memory due to its visionary concept and avant-garde design. There are only 6,500 left in the world and a very active community of fans and owners’ clubs has been built up around this famous car. Today, this tribe is joining that of watchmaking collectors for a watch that pays tribute to one of the major legends in the automative industry.

Are you ready for a journey of a lifetime with RJ-Romain Jerome?

LET’S PLAY … Having inherited the highly distinctive case of the Moon Invader collection, a circle in a cambered 46 mm square, the PAC-MAN watches also feature steel fused with fragments of Apollo 11. The four ball-and-socket joints at the corners of the case are functional and designed like the legs of the lunar landing module in American lunar expeditions. Boasting a highly sophisticated construction, and mounted on axles anchored in the case, these ball-and-socket joints hold the lugs of the rubber straps and their mobility make the watch easily adaptable to all wrist sizes. On the back of the watch, a disc made of Moon SilverRJ – a low-oxidation silver fused with moon rocks – reproduces the surface of the Moon. Each of the three dial levels is engraved with a pixelated matrix. The lower two levels are beadblasted, while the upper level features straight-grained edges. The characters and fruits adorning the dial stem from meticulous craftsmanship. Machined piece by piece, applied by hand and gem-set, they are subsequently lacquered with different colours or with black superluminova “green emission”, thus recreating actual game sequences. POWER UP!

HIGH SCORE! In June 2005, the Guinness Book of Records awarded PAC-MAN as the “most successful coin-operated game machine”. Today, more than 30 years after it came out, this game is still renowned and loved all over the world.

Get caught up in the “PAC-MANIA” and come to discover the four versions of the ultimate geek chic timepiece exclusively at colette, in Paris, from September 3 to 8. The pixelated characters will be on show at all RJ-Romain Jerome points of sale from September 10. YOU’LL EAT IT UP!

Manuel Emch, CEO of RJ-Romain Jerome, is himself a former game addict from the generation that first went wild about SPACE INVADERS, the game that has become a legend for all those who grew up in the 1980s: it was the first electronic game, the first “Killer Application” on a fixed console (arcade cabinet). The SPACE INVADERS craze sparked a shortage of 100-yen coins when the game was first launched in Japan. SPACE INVADERS and its pixel creatures were the first ever iconic form of entertainment: thousands of hours of TV footage and hundreds of cultural exhibitions have been devoted to this generational legend.

Having inherited the highly distinctive case of the Moon Invader collection (a round shape inside a cambered 46 mm square), the SPACE INVADERS watches have kept the same steel coalesced with fragments of Apollo 11. The four functional ball-and-socket joints on the corners of the case are shaped like the legs of the lunar landing modules of the American lunar missions. These extremely sophisticated components mounted on axles anchored in the case hold the lugs of the rubber straps and enable the watch to adjust to all kinds of wrist sizes.

Embodying another tangible token of the space age symbolised by the SPACE INVADERS collection, a dedicated plate made of Moon SilverRJ – a silver alloy with an extremely low oxidation rate incorporating moon rocks – appears on the stellar-patterned back of the watch and reproduces the lunar surface.

The dial is very complex and consists of three layers: the first two are beadblasted and the “straight graining” gives a pixelated aspect to the third layer. Measuring around 3.5 mm each, the SPACE INVADERS are meticulously machined one by one, applied by hand and lacquered in various colours. These pixel invaders are a playful nod that transforms watches into inspired “talking pieces” capable of creating a distinct sense of affinity with those who wear them, and who revel in the chance to thumb their noses at classic watchmaking conventions.

The SPACE INVADERS are available in four other colours (red, green, purple and yellow) and have started their incursion in all RJ-Romain Jerome points of sale worldwide. Limited editions of eight pieces per colour, five new colourful legends have made their entrance at RJ-Romain Jerome…

Loyal to the aesthetic of the Statue of Liberty, the bronze bezel of this 125-piece limited-edition timepiece is adorned with 12 spikes reminiscent of the statue’s famous crown. It will acquire a delightful patina as it ages over time, thereby adopting the colour of the original, whose precious DNA is featured on the dial. Particles of Miss Liberty have been incorporated into the verdigris dial which also evokes the colour of oxidised copper. The facetted hands are bronze coloured and the vintage brown alligator leather strap sets the perfect finishing touch. The medallion on the case-back of the watch depicts the flame of liberty lighting up the stars and stripes of the American flag.

The watchmaking Maison thus pays tribute to the most iconic of all emblems of liberty. In placing its watchmaking expertise at the service of Lady Liberty, RJ-Romain Jerome bears testimony to history and plays its part in striving to ensure that liberty continues to enlighten future generations.

Shortly after leaving the Harland & Wolff shipyards in Belfast, this powerful symbol of the industrial age became a legend. 296 metres long, 53 metres high and weighing over 46,000 tons, this gem of the White Star Line hit the headlines worldwide.
To mark the 100th anniversary of the launch of the Titanic, RJ-Romain Jerome pays tribute to this seagoing giant that inspired its very first collection, by creating two special limited series: Steampunk Auto 100th Anniversary and Steampunk Chrono 100th Anniversary.
Housed in a 50 mm-diameter case featuring distinctive rough and raw finishes, the Steampunk models in the Titanic-DNA collection embody the ship’s sheer power. They feature a bezel in oxidised and then stabilised steel stemming from a fusion between metal from the legendary wreck lying 3,840 metres under, and that provided by the Harland & Wolff shipyards where the Titanic was built. For this anniversary edition, the mobile propellers appearing on the dial of the Steampunk and reminiscent of those on the legendary ship, have been oxidised and stabilised by the same process as that used for the bezels of Titanic-DNA watches. A unique medallion, commemorating the launch date of this titan of the seas, adorns the caseback of these timepieces issued in two 100-piece limited series.
A century after its birth, the Titanic still embodies one of the most incredible challenges that humankind has ever undertaken.