romain numberals

Romain Gauthier is an independent watchmaker based in La Vall��e de Joux. All of their movements are developed and manufactured in-house and feature exquisite hand finishing. In fact, their finishes are regarded as some of the best in the industry. Click "more", and you will see what I am talking about. The Romain Gauthier 2206 Hm is a hand-wound calibre with a highly-finished 22 jewel movement. It features an innovative crown located horizontally under the movement. The crown is designed to be easily wound while the watch is being worn.The movement features a bespoke balance wheel with four inertia screws with regulation indicators. This Romain Gauthier exclusive design enables more torque to be applied with less chance of slipping and damage. The case is 41 mm x 11.3 mm with a sapphire crystal on the front and back, both treated with anti-reflective coating.The dial features a controversial off-centered time display. Hour and minute hands are crafted in solid 18k gold, with a hand-guilloched finish. The dial is a three-piece design in solid 18k gold and hand-guilloched finish. The case and dial come in red gold with black dial (pictured), white gold with grey dial and platinum with charcoal dial. According to Kronosclub, "One of the most difficult things to produce in handmade movements are sharp angles on bridges and baseplates. There are basically two kinds; outward angle and inward angle. The second of these two being the hardest one. When looking at a movement the way to immediately see if it's handmade is to look for these sharp angles. To date these can only be made by hand. No machine, no mater how expensive, can properly execute such angles. Now, until now I have not seen anybody, I mean anybody, make such a deep inward "anglage" like the guys at Romain Gauthier." The dial is a question of personal preference. The build quality, however, is unquestionable. Made in the famed Vallee de Joux, the cradle of fine Swiss watch***, limited to under 50 examples, this watch has some very unique design features and clearly exemplifies the highest level of finishing in the industry. Retail is TBDSource: Romain Gauthier

From the same company that brought us a men’s watch made out of salvaged steel from the Titanic and another with real live moon dust comes perhaps the most timely horological release ever. The Eyjafjallajokull-DNA from Romain Jerome is a luxury timepiece that features actual ash and rock from that unpronounceable Icelandic troublemaker. Do we really need a men’s watch celebrating 10 days of disrupted ai***re, missed connections and botched travel plans? Clearly we do not, but you know what? We have to give it up to Romain Jerome for *** something so unique in such a short period of time. Has the ash even cooled yet? 98 Uniqueness Like the other Romain Jerome watches in the DNA collection, the Eyjafjallajokull is designed for the wearer who is looking for a wrist-bound conversation starter. We can all but guarantee this is the only timepiece on the planet to be made of Icelandic volcano ash. The dial is crafted to look like a molten volcano about to erupt, and Romain Jerome has done a tremendous job with that. The manufacturer claims this will be a unique piece, meaning there will be one in the world. Essentially, this watch was created to generate buzz around the brand, and at that it has certainly succeeded. The conception, a celebration of a natural occurrence that brought the airline industry and tourism in general to its knees, is as obscure as it comes in the world of watches. There is nothing like the Romain Jerome Eyjafjallajokull-DNA anywhere else in the world. Unless, of course, you count Romain Jerome Dark Side Of The Moon watch, in which case there are many watches like it, just using different dust. Read more 27 Durability Like all Romaine Jerome watches, the Eyjafjallajokull-DNA will benefit from world-class construction and a high-grade Swiss-made movement. However, what works for Romain Jerome in terms of hype works against it when it comes to longevity. Sure, this watch is funny and kitschy now, worthy of a blog post or two, but in 10 years who is even going to remember this third-rate natural disaster occurred? No one was injured, no buildings destroyed -- all it did was disrupt a few flights, forcing people to simply extend their vacations. It doesn’t sound too bad to us, really. The Romain Jerome Eyjafjallajokull-DNA is a collectible now and a novelty act in the future.