Basquiat collectors and watchmaking connoisseurs unite! RAYMOND WEIL, for its first-ever art themed timepiece, drops a special edition wristwatch inspired by the work of Basquiat. The blend of traditional watchmaking and contemporary art flair brought forth a gem that ticks over the vivid neo-expressionism spirit. Things are about to get artsy.
Since its creation in 1976, Geneva-based RAYMOND WEIL has been a fan of art and music. The brand tapped into iconic musicians, paying tribute to legends like David Bowie, AC/DC and The Beatles in its “Music Icons” series. As a music devotee himself, Basquiat once said: “Art is how we decorate space, music is how we decorate time.” This art-appreciation synergy laid exciting ground for a special edition wristwatch, and we’re here for it.
Imagine downtown New York. The 80s’ art scene. Young Jean-Michel Basquiat is drawing political-poetical graffiti through intuitive work, raw energy and social commentary. He became an international reference, represented by major blue-chip galleries in New York. Meanwhile, the Swiss family-run luxury watchmaker company has been under the radar since the late 70s. With Elie Bernheim, the Weil-Bernheim family’s third generation at the helm, it gained momentum in the watchmaking industry with its ‘Swiss-made’ expertise and savoir-faire—and it still continues to beat the zeitgeist clock with contemporary and horologically evolved timepieces.
Basquiat’s multi-layered and bold artistic style blends in with RAYMOND WEIL’S sophisticated design giving rise to a true gem. It features Basquiat's iconic three-peak crown and RAYMOND WEIL's refined titanium round case with intricate horological functions, amidst a myriad of many other creative features. The recipe behind the joint work is pretty straightforward. Basquiat’s works, take ‘A Panel of Experts’ (1982) and ‘Hannibal’ (1982) for example, meet RAYMOND WEIL’s detailed craftsmanship, and we end up with a real collector’s item.
The drop stayed faithful to the artist’s legendary ‘Pez Dispenser’ crown-wearing dinosaur, which you can see placed at the center of the dial. Next are the bold copyright and dollar signs for the sleek Cancel/Reset and Start/Stop pushers. The rest is a purely imaginative approach that sees Basquiat’s aesthetics and story poured into one high-craft timepiece. The watch is a reference to the artist’s three core themes: Life, Death and Humanity inked in a three-color palette: red, yellow, and blue. RAYMOND WEIL pushed the design further with precision and functionality, using the Super-LumiNova hour hands and indexes, glowing in dimness and automatic self-winding chronograph movement with a 56-hour power reserve.
RAYMOND WEIL has partnered with Hodinkee for the World Premiere launch on October 24th. Time is short. Here you can find more about the Special Edition drop.
