Detailing on the Maestro Quantième à Aiguille

Musical watch aficionados will delight in Swiss luxury watch manufacturer Raymond Weil‘s new Maestro Quantième à Aiguille. The Maestro collection not only appeals to the exquisite eye of the music-loving watch connoisseur, but its connections with music symbolize the deep love and source of inspiration of the watchmaker’s founding family and owner.

The Maestro Quantième à Aiguille has indicators at 3 and 9 o’clock, with the small second hand at the former and date hand (quantième) at the latter. A 41.5 mm by 10.3 mm stainless steel case encloses the watch, which has a brown alligator strap and an AR-coated sapphire crystal. Equipped with 33 jewels, the watch is water resistant up to 50 meters and has a power reserve of 38 hours. Its movement is directed by the Swiss automatic RW caliber 4800 and runs at 28,800 vph. Vph stands for vibrations per hour and is the standard unit for representing how fast a watch ticks, with 28,800 vph equating a little over 4 Hz or 8 ticks per second.  A sunray guilloché decoration and a concentric musical staff image act as embellishments to the silver dial in the central zone, and black transfer Roman numerals denote the hours.

The word “Maestro” means “master” in Italian, and is used to designate an individual who excels at his or her artistic field. In the musical world, maestro is a title of extreme respect for a composer, conductor or renowned personality. Raymond Weil’s collection of the same name certainly reflects this mastery of an art in watchmaking itself, successfully merging patterns of both tradition and innovation. Created in 2010, these timepieces synthesized fine-tuned workmanship and knowledge handed down from generations before to truly befit the title of Maestro.

The Maestro collection and Raymond Weil have also helped fight the battle against cancer. The Swiss brand has been committed to helping many organizations throughout the years, and has been dedicated to combating cancer since 2010. The end of 2011 marked the sale of the Maestro Special Edition via the RW Club & Community, with 25% of the proceeds donated to three organizations related to fighting cancer.

Raymond Weil represents all that is superb about the Swiss watchmaking industry, from precision and quality to reliability and nobility. The brand’s distinct models combine ergonomics with modernity to truly depict aestheticism, one of the preoccupations of the prestigious watchmaker. The Maestro Quantième à Aiguille embodies all these qualities and more, bringing a decidedly musical overtone to the brand and its excellence.

Raymond Weil's watches display intricate machinery

The Swiss luxury watchmaker’s approach is driven by the successful turnout of September 2010 and 2011 sales, which also aimed to support cancer-fighting causes.

In partnership with the Union for International Cancer Control, Raymond Weil designed an exclusive watch — the Freelancer limited edition timekeeper, which featured a mechanical movement with automatic winding, stainless steel case and a white dial with two sub-dials. Only 34 timepieces were produced, symbolizing the 34th anniversary of the brand. The limited edition watch was sold online, through the company’s website, to the public community and RW club members. The first week of sales was reserved for RW club members only. The company donated 25 percent of proceeds from the sale of the timepiece to UICC.

The Maestro limited edition timepiece was sold during the months of September 2011 and December 2011 to benefit the fight against cancer.

Raymond Weil then offered the public and RW club members a second chance to support the struggle against cancer in September 2011, selling the Maestro special edition. Self-winding mechanical movement, a stainless steel case snapped with a sapphire crystal anti-glare treatment, an anthracite grey dial and brown leather strap were among the timepiece’s features. Like the Freelancer limited edition timekeeper sold in September 2010, the Maestro model was sold exclusively online to Internet users and RW club members. 25 percent of those proceeds were donated to one of three cancer-fighting associations chosen by the purchaser. The three institutions, in partnership with Raymond Weil, included the Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Unit of Geneva University Hospital, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the Singapore Cancer Society.

Raymond Weil decided to build on the success of the Maestro limited edition sales in September 2011 and offered a third chance to support the good cause in December 2011. Like the previous models, the special edition timepiece was sold online, under the RW Club & Community chapter. The Swiss luxury watchmaker donated 25 percent of those proceeds to one of the previously mentioned associations as well.

Cancer, one of the leading causes of death around the world, will presumably kill 84 million people between now and 2015. This deadly disease affects one of every 600 children. However, 30 to 40 percent of cancers can be avoided through prevention, and one third of cancer cases can be cured with an early diagnosis and appropriate treatment. For this reason, Raymond Weil has made strong efforts to become involved in the fight against cancer.

Raymond Weil, following suit as one of the few Swiss luxury watch brands that remains independently owned, did something quite unconventional this year—appropriately in line with the “indie” persuasion, the watchmaking company held an international photography competition for its fans, allowing anyone and everyone to enter, as well as vote for, photographs of their liking. The platform of the competition, Facebook, confirmed the relevance, and, in fact, necessity, of social media to promote brand awareness in any industry.

Posters for Raymond Weil

Holding a worldwide competition was easy to achieve using a global social networking website as a contest “location,” requiring only that contestants and voters “like” the Raymond Weil fan page on Facebook in order to participate. Though the International Grand Prize, awarded to Mathieu Bernard-Reymond for his stoic piece titled “Crude Oil Prices,” was selected by the International Jury (representatives of Raymond Weil), the contest also included three Public’s Choice Awards, voted on by Facebook fans. The competition divided international fans into three different regions: Europe & Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The three public winners, one from each region, were Silvia Pogoda, with 117 votes, Yuan Weifa, with 47 votes, and Omar Gamez, with 36 votes, respectively. All three winners’ claim to fame is owed to fellow Raymond Weil Facebook fans.

As stated in the official announcement, the winning picture was chosen due its effort “to put into question the solidity and permanence of our relationship to economics, landscape and history.” One might say the photograph corresponds with the watchmaker’s image of sleek beauty and purity. The company’s watches, after all, use nothing but the purest ingredients, ranging from stainless steel to 18 karat gold. Unfortunately, the photo has thus far inspired much less flattering remarks than Raymond Weil watches from Facebook fans, but it hangs proudly still on the website wall as 2011’s international winner. Congratulations, Mathieu!

The winning photograph of the International Photography Competition, by Mathieu Bernard-Reymond.

Any blogger or social networker knows that the digital world never stops spinning, and Raymond Weil isn’t following far behind. Since the announcement of the photography competition winners, another contest has already been announced—the Valentine’s Day Contest, held not by Raymond Weil but by Unicorn Jewelry & Watch Boutique, a designer bridal store that the watchmaker “likes.” In this new contest, which began on Jan. 15 and will accept submissions and votes until February 12, 2012, fans are called on to submit love letters of a three-sentence minimum. The winners will be those who attract the most “likes” for their submissions, and the three prizes offered will be gift certificates of $250, $150, and $100.

The BRIT Awards

This year, Raymond Weil watch company decided to continue its partnership with one of the most prominent music awards shows in the world. No, not the Grammys. The BRIT Awards!

The BRIT Awards takes place once per year in London and highlights musical talent in the UK and internationally. Among the many faces who will be present, English stars like Adele and and Jessie J. will surely be shoe-ins for awards.

Raymond Weil will be honoring these British musical talents by releasing a limited edition BRIT Awards timepiece series. All nominees and award winners will be given their own watches from this series.

For a short while, Raymond Weil will be making these limited editions available to the public as well. Some lucky watch fanatics will be wearing the same watches as Britain’s top stars, purchasable online at www.ernestjones.co.uk!

BRIT Awards limited edition timepiece

The timepieces are 42mm in size and made of stainless steel. They are chronograph movement watches with silver dials, sapphire crystals and chic leather straps. The British flag can be seen conspicuously on the watch’s dial and is complemented by its tasteful strap.

Raymond Weil has been consistently chosen as a partner in the BRIT Awards for the past 4 years because of its sophisticated, yet trendy, style. It is widely regarded as the watch of the music industry.

The company’s clientele is a reflection of its watches – chic and classy.

Some celebrities who will be wearing limited edition Raymond Weil watches in 2012 are Florence and the Machine, Coldplay, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and many more.

Last year, Raymond Weil awarded the cast of Les Miserables, Shirley Bassey and Il Divo the 2011 BRIT Awards timepiece collection. A celebration of Britain’s music scene across the spectrum of genres.

Raymond Weil has taken on an intricate role in the BRIT Awards short history. With its inception only twelve years ago, the BRIT Awards would not have been possible without Raymond Weil and other devoted partners of the gala event. Just one of the many ways this company shows support for the music industry.

As for the limited edition series – these items are clearly hot, and going quickly. The prices are steep. But, hey, they are made for celebrities.

Rihanna flashes her very own BRIT Award Raymond Weil watch

Although applauded by many, it was not a big surprise when earlier this year Raymond Weil announced he was launching a charity that would directly support the ‘VH1 Save The Music Foundation.’ VH1 with it’s continued quest to restore music enrichment programs that allow children to pursue an education augmented by the benefits of musical instruction, along with Raymond Weil’s internationally renowned support of the arts and presence in music, makes this the perfect partnership. The Director of Global Marketing and grandson of Raymond Weil, Elie Bernheim, said “Music has always been at the heart of my family, and we are proud to support an organization that selflessly devotes its resources to ensure that music education continues.”

Raymond Weil and Bernheim family members

Raymond Weil will be in Los Angeles September 22nd 2011, to support the VH1 ‘Save The Music Foundation’ by launching a sales promotion with a portion of the proceeds going to the organization. VH1 will co-host the event with a cocktail reception and has invited Grammy Award Winner Colbie Caillat to perform some of her hit songs. Raymond Weil also launched a new app on the company ‘Facebook’ page that allows the user to contribute by pressing the “Donate Now” tab. He pledged to personally add $1 for every donation that is made this way until the initial goal of 30k is reached.

Nabucco Inverso Chronograph

It is easy to see the musical influence that is responsible for Raymond Weil timepieces. His newest creation in 2011 the “Nabucco Inverso” that pays homage to Giuseppe Verdi’s famous opera, is an elegant chronograph that impresses with design and sophistication. It is a 46mm chronograph that houses an automatic winding, 46 hour power reserve, in a sanded titanium and steel polished case. It sports 27 rubies and is water resistant to 20 atmospheres. Although designing this chronograph with other notable attributes the ingenious replacement of the 12 with a Roman numeral counterpart conveys a grandeur rarely seen in any timepiece.

Since creating his own ‘brand’ in 1976 Raymond Weil has been on a steady march around the world, which he attributes to keeping the company a family affair. A feat that stands unique in a market of competitors mostly owned by corporations.

Nicolas Delaroche's "Novoprodon," The 2009 winning entry of Raymond Weil's International Photography Competition

Raymond Weil, Swiss luxury watch manufacturer, is currently holding the sixth edition of its International Photography Competition. Although the submission stage is now over, the online voting process is currently underway on Facebook.

The grand prize of the International Photography Competition is the opportunity to exhibit his or her work at the Baselworld 2012 Watch and Jewelry Show at the Raymond Weil booth, as well as a $10,000 award and an exhibition in an internationally recognized art gallery in a major metropolitan hub. The winner will also receive support and communication from Raymond Weil on future works.

The Public’s Choice awards, given to the winner of the online vote, are divided into three categories: Public’s Choice for the Americas, Public’s Choice for Europe and Africa, Public’s Choice for Asia and Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea and Micronesian Islands). These awards include a prize of $1,500, exhibition in a Raymond Weil boutique and continued support of and communication with the winning artist by Raymond Weil.

The jury for the International Photography Prize includes: Annette Booth, of the Aperture Gallery, New York; Radu Stern, of the Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne, Switzerland; Xie Mo, professional photographer and Elie Bernheim, Director of Raymond Weil.

"The Court," Elena Rendina's 2010 winning entry in Raymond Weil's International Photography Competition

Raymond Weil has always been an enthusiastic patron of the arts, and through its continued collaboration with The Aperture Gallery, has helped to expose the talents of numerous young photographers to the international art scene. According to the Aperture Gallery blog; “We believe an arts patron has a responsibility to provide young talent with meaningful support at the right moment, and the [Raymond Weil] Club young talent discovery program does just that.”

Additionally, Raymond Weil has sponsored music competitions and has partnered with VH1’s Save the Music Foundation, for the purpose of restoring music programs to American Public Schools. In service of that goal, Raymond Weil launched a Facebook application that will help to raise the profile of the foundation as well as gather funds for the organization. For every fan that uses the app and clicks the “Donate Now” button, Raymond Weil will donate $1 to Save The Music Foundation.

The International Photography Competition finalists’ entries are now posted on Raymond Weil’s Facebook page. Fans of Raymond Weil will be able to vote for their favorite entrant until January 17, 2012, 11:00 GMT. For each of the three regions, the photographer who wins the most votes will receive the Public’s Choice Award. The jury will announce the winner on January 18th 2012.

Featured here is the new generation of Raymond Weil advertising.

Written By: Kaelyn Harding

Apple iPhone users and fashionistas unite! Raymond Weil has just released a convenient and easy to use iPhone app for those who want to keep their thumb on the pulse of high-fashion accessories like the Raymond Weil line. These days it seems as if news is something that you have to hunt down as an individual – it is rare that a customer, especially a customer that follows the world of high-fashion and luxury watches, feels like the brands that they follow are genuinely reaching out to them. Watch brands rarely advertise on television or radio, newsprint or on the Yahoo and Google newsfeeds. Raymond Weil has taken a large step toward remedying this gap.

This new app allows users to have a portable catalog of all the watches currently in production and also allows them to select favorites out of the individual pieces so that they can page back to them for easy access and purchase later. There is also a store-locator feature that displays all retailers of the Raymond Weil line as well as interfaces with google maps to give clear and concise directions from your current location to the store. If there is not a store near you, the app will calculate the nearest by region and point you in the right direction. If you’ve ever felt lost in your pursuit of fashion, fret no longer – Raymond Weil has you covered.

The app has a brand section in addition, which will update regularly with news, feed, and whatever new models of watch become available almost the moment that the public press release can be seen. With the changing methods of communication and the ease of access to new information, it is clear that Raymond Weil is keeping with the times in an effort to update its services and reach out to all generations.

For those with the ability to use Quick Response codes, you can obtain this app quickly and easily on the Raymond Weil website at their news blog. For those of you subscribed to Raymond Weil’s Twitter, Facebook, or mailing list, this information, as well as more, is also available there.

It is always impressive to watch not only the march of progress in the design and construction of luxury watches, but the steps that their creators take to gain the ear and eye of the public.

Chris Wears a Raymond Weil Statement Watch to Grammy Awards

Raymond Weil hasn’t become one of the hottest watch designers in the industry by quietly sitting on the sidelines.  They are building an empire, by aligning themselves with high profile individuals, in all fields of celebrity.  Earlier this year, their designs showed up at one of the most high profile events of the year, the 2010 Grammy Awards. At this event, the some of the world’s most influential people in entertainment come together, and you can catch glimpses of many eye-catching pieces of jewelry, as well as watches.

Chris Harrison, host of the huge ABC hit, “The Bachelor and Bachelorette” was spotted walking the red carpet wearing a Raymond Weil Nabucco Chronograph men’s watch.  This watch is hard to miss.  It is large and commanding.  While it is set on a polished bracelet, the Nabucco Chronograph is definitely no one’s first choice for a dress event.  If it weren’t for the edginess of the Grammy’s, this watch may not have been a hit, but Chris matched it with a pinstriped suit and no tie…it worked.

The Raymond Weil Nabucco Chronograph is extremely contemporary and stylish.  It offers impressive technical performance, which can’t be beat.  It makes a strong statement, which may be why Chris chose it.

Raymond Weil's All Steel Don Giovanni

Today’s watch creations have become reflections of the men and women who wear them.  A choice in timepiece is important, because of the impact that piece will have on your wardrobe and the statement it makes to the world.  A watch is something you wear everyday, and it tells a bit of your personality.  Raymond Weil knows how important this decision is, and they offer some traditionally elegant watches to choose from.  One such timepiece for men is the steel Don Giovanni.  The Don Giovanni model 9975-ST-00659, is an irresistible watch, with stylish and sleek design.  This men’s watch features a stainless-steel theme, which is carried throughout the watch’s architecture.  The silver dial is adorned with silver arms and silver Roman numeral hour markings.  The bezel and case are crafted of polished steel, and have a water resistance to 30 meters.  The rectangular watch face is masculine and is the perfect pairing to the wide, linked steel bracelet.  The bracelet is fitted with a hidden folding clasp, for added safety.   This Raymond Weil men’s watch is a Swiss made and offers a Quartz movement.  It is impeccably finished and is a truly handsome and classic look.  This watch has long standing appeal, and will look great for years to come.

Raymond Weil Parsifal Mini Diamond

Raymond Weil was founded in 1976, and has since then been producing some of the most creative and beautiful watches for both men and women.  Their designs are classically elegant and offer timeless appeal.  Using only the finest materials and finishing them impeccably are a few of the reasons this watch maker has become so successful in such short order.  They are an independently owned and operated Swiss watch company and their motto is “independence is a state of mind”.  Running their business in such a fashion means they can keep a close eye on every aspect of production, and that has meant total quality control.  Raymond Weil watches are crafted with care and the end result is a really fin Swiss watch.  The women’s Parsifal Mini is an excellent example of Raymond Weil’s work.  This women’s watch comes with a luxurious Mother-of-Pearl dial in a small round shape.  The dial is accented by sparkling diamonds, which mark the hours.  The bezel, case, and bracelet are all in stainless-steel, which has a brushed finish.  The elegant look of this women’s watch doesn’t keep it from performing under pressure.  It is water resistant to 50 meters.  This watch maker aims to please…get to know them and enjoy the benefits of their hard work.