"All Along The Watch(making) Tower"

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"All Along The Watch(making) Tower" - Raymond Weil
2 minutes read
Raymond Weil’s freelancer Jimi Hendrix Limited Edition pays tribute to the legendary musician.

Let’s play a game. Name a centuries-old creative domain which requires specialised sensibilities and training, which has its own vocabulary and conventions, which celebrates novelty but is rooted in traditional constructions, which is widely seen as an art but is fundamentally based on strict mathematical principles. 

The obvious answer here is, of course, watchmaking. (I mean, you’re on a horological website. If you had a different answer, I feel like I don’t really know what to say.) However, you may just be extremely wise and sharp — as can only be expected of a WorldTempus reader — and you may have realised that this description encompasses a wide range of answers. For the sake of moving this argument forwards I’m going to come straight out and say that I’m drawing a comparison between watchmaking and music.

All Along The Watch(making) Tower

On first glance, there may not be very much linking the two, but as initially observed, there are numerous parallels that can be observed. Lending credence to this affiliation is the fact that a number of places closely associated with fine watchmaking (the Vallée de Joux stands out as an example) also have strong musical traditions.

It’s not hard to make the leap from this observation to the conclusion that music and horology are natural partners. Seizing on this connection is Raymond Weil, a brand that launched its first Music Special Edition watches half a decade ago. Since then, the brand has commemorated iconic artists such as David Bowie, The Beatles, Bob Marley and AC/DC.

The latest artist to be celebrated by Raymond Weil in one of its watches is legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix, and the moment that many see as the apex of his professional life — his performance at Woodstock Festival.

All Along The Watch(making) Tower

The Raymond Weil freelancer Jimi Hendrix Limited Edition incorporates design cues taken from that epochal performance, such as the cyan blue hands that make reference to his concert outfit. The dial design also alludes to the famed left-handed Fender Stratocaster that Hendrix played at Woodstock, with hour markers and a six-grooved chapter ring that recall the pickups and strings of a guitar. 

Inked on the tachymetre scale are the artist’s name and his famous quote, “Music is my religion”. The Raymond Weil freelancer Jimi Hendrix Limited Edition automatic chronograph was created in partnership with the musician’s estate, with his sister Janie Hendrix signing off on the watch, which allows the watch to officially bear the Authentic Hendrix logo

All Along The Watch(making) Tower

The watch is produced in a limited series of 500 pieces, and comes in a blue and white commemorative presentation box lined with tie-dye patterned fabric, exemplifying the counterculture spirit that Jimi Hendrix embodied for an entire generation of youths.

All Along The Watch(making) Tower

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