Raymond Weil has demonstrated a knack for teaming up with British music legends who have succeeded in spanning numerous generations. After the latest “Abbey Road” Beatles limited edition presented earlier this year comes the Freelancer David Bowie limited edition, which distils five decades of an eclectic career into a relatively understated timepiece that nevertheless captures the essence of Bowie’s genius.
He was an artist who left few musical genres untouched and adapted to the decades of rock, glam rock, the New Romantics and electronic music as easily as he changed his persona from David Bowie to Ziggy Stardust and back. He also had an accomplished career as an actor. Producing a timepiece that represented all this was therefore a huge challenge for Raymond Weil.
Luckily the brand has prior experience, notably with its highly successful Beatles limited edition and has demonstrated its expertise by mimicking Bowie’s ability to produce music for the masses without losing any of his identity. The result is a classic watch in the Freelancer case with some overt Bowie touches, such as the lightning bolt at 12 o’clock, which he famously had painted across his face on the cover of his 1973 album Aladdin Sane, and the “Bowie” logo from the 1974 album Diamond Dogs, which was designed by Andy Warhol.
The vinyl record effect on the black dial is a more discreet musical reference on this watch, which was developed in collaboration with the David Bowie Estate to celebrate what would have been Bowie’s 70th anniversary this year. Turn the watch over and a photograph of Bowie by star photographer Terry O’Neill, which also dates from 1974, is etched on to the transparent sapphire crystal case back. Behind this you can see the self-winding RW4200 mechanical movement power the watch, which offers a 38-hour power reserve.
This limited edition of 3,000 comes with a black calf-leather strap with red stitching and, in its primary market of the United Kingdom, retails for £1,395.
