Music has always been a theme for Raymond Weil, in inspiration, in the naming of collections and in the company’s partnership efforts. This year, Raymond Weil took it a step further and introduced the Nabucco Cello Tourbillon.
Raymond Weil CEO Elie Bernheim, the founder's grandson and a cellist from an early age himself, conceived the project and it is certainly the first tourbillon ever to be inspired by the cello.
"My grandfather's lifelong love of music combined with my own passion for the cello are the two elements that inspired us to design and develop the Nabucco Cello Tourbillon, which is intended as an expression of our brand's imaginative approach to watch design," says Bernheim. "The Nabucco Cello Tourbillion reflects many of our brand's core values, notably by being entirely inspired by music and by featuring a number of haute horlogerie finishes. The result is a timepiece that is utterly unique.”
A skeletonized tourbillon, the Nabucco Cello Tourbillon has sapphire crystals on both sides to allow light to pass through the movement, its bridges and construction created to resemble a cello. The movement bridges supporting the tourbillon escapement and mainspring barrel, for example, take the form of the instrument's distinctive f-holes, while the slender hands are formed in the shape of a cello bow and the five lines of a musical stave are represented in the grooved bezel. In addition, four strings cross the watch between nine and three o’clock, which aids in the illusion of a miniature cello on your wrist.
The 46mm case is made from black PVD-coated steel and titanium, with carbon fiber on the sides of the case.
Each Nabucco Cello Tourbillon watch will be presented in a specially designed box that reflects the musical elements of the watch on a larger scale and echoes the quality and craftsmanship of a traditional, hand-made cello. The watch offers 105 hours of power reserve and is water resistant to 200 meters, which is highly unusual for a tourbillon, and is limited to 10 pieces. Raymond Weil worked with movement specialists Tec Ebauches SA to develop this tourbillon, which is unique and exclusive to the brand.
“The Cello Tourbillon was a fantastic development for everyone at the company,” says Bernheim. “As the third generation and now the head of the company, it was great to use my personal instrument as the inspiration of this very special piece.
“This project was important for us to develop something ‘out of the box,’ to showcase our Swiss watchmaking know-how and the creativity of the brand,” he adds. “This is the cherry on the cake, not the main course. It was very reasonably priced (under $40,000), which underscores our accessibility in price for our entire range.”
Raymond Weil will continue to develop products that fit the brand’s DNA – inspired by music, reasonably priced and true to the spirit of the brand’s founder, Raymond Weil himself.
