Maestro: the name conjures up mastery, skill, talent taken to the highest degree. It’s an honorific granted to those who reach the pinnacle of their art. In music, the maestro might be a conductor, a composer or a prestigious musician. As we know, music is the principal inspiration behind the collections of Geneva watchmaker Raymond Weil, two of which make reference to the works of Richard Wagner and Bach. And then there’s the Maestro collection, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2020.
The name suggests that this is Raymond Weil’s virtuoso collection – the most prestigious, the most eclectic and the richest. Indeed, the Maestro collection contains only timepieces with mechanical movements. This was the collection chosen in 2014 to welcome the brand’s most prestigious timepiece: a COSC-certified 100-piece limited-edition chronograph in 18K rose gold, a tribute to the life and work of Raymond Weil, who founded the brand in 1976. The Maestro palette is a rich one, containing 2-handed watches with small seconds, 3-handers with or without date, moon phases, apertures onto the balance wheel, chronographs, and even a skeletonised version.
The new Maestro Moon Phase combines a complication with another design element we have seen used individually on other Maestro models, but never before together: they are the moon phase display at 6 o’ clock, and a window through the dial at 12 o’clock to reveal the balance wheel. These two equally-sized circular apertures are symmetrically arranged down the vertical axis of the guilloché dial, breaking up the delicate lines of the Roman numerals. The combination of the silver dial with the blue hands and Roman numerals enhances the classical styling of the model, which is underpinned by the central wave motif and the railroad minute track. This classicism permeates every watch in the Maestro collection, as one would expect for a range dedicated to classical music. But it’s not just classical – let’s not forget that the two limited editions Raymond Weil dedicated to the Beatles and Buddy Holly were also part of the Maestro collection (while the AC/DC, David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix watches are part of the Freelancer collection).
The 40 mm polished stainless steel case is understated and elegant, with its short lugs and restrained 9.8 mm depth. The discreet case focuses all the attention on the beautifully legible dial. The hour functions and moon phase are orchestrated by the self-winding automatic RW4280 movement, which supplies the watch with a 38-hour power reserve and beats at a frequency of 28,800 vph.
The watch is fitted with a blue leather strap with white topstitching. It is available for the eminently reasonable price of CHF 1,690.
