Sometimes, it’s not the big flashy pieces that capture your eye. There’s plenty of that at Watches and Wonders, with high-end brands introducing super-limited watches that no one will ever see in real life except for the five diehard collectors to whom they were pre-sold. Even among other brands that don’t officially limit their production, it can be impossible for the lay consumer to see some of these watches in person. So, when a watch just seems right, well done, and actually accessible, it alway strikes a chord. And Raymond Weil struck that chord perfectly this year with the Raymond Weil Freelancer Complete Calendar, a new model with a new movement and classic design.
Even when I first saw the renders in the press release, I knew this one was going to be a winner. It’s a classic design with a bit of Raymond Weil edge, so barring some ill-designed proportions, it was going to make me happy, and it did not disappoint. The proportions, in fact, were spot on, with a 40mm case that is just 10.15mm thick. That makes it one of the thinnest complete calendars on the market, and it wears accordingly, with a great presence on the wrist. ( It’s thinner than Vacheron’s and IWC’s complete calendars, which will set you back many multiples of this watch.) The Freelancer line’s signature faceted lugs tend to wear long, though, and while we didn’t get a measurement, I can see them overhanging smaller wrists. The watch comes in either rose-gold PVD-coated stainless steel or untreated stainless steel, the former on a curved-end leather strap with a matching folding buckle and the latter on RW’s five-link bracelet with a butterfly clasp. Both are comfortable enough, though I would’ve appreciated a quick-release mechanism. A screw-down crown and 100 meters of water resistance mean that, despite the refined look, this watch should be able to handle most lifestyles.
The dials make this watch, and it’s as much for what they aren’t as it is for what they are. What these aren’t are overcomplicated displays that involve needlessly illegible indicators or apertures. The base dials — silver on the gold case, blue on the steel — feature simple sunray brushing that doesn’t get in the way but rather serves as a blank canvas for the rest of the elements. The hands and markers all share a tonneau shape and feature Super-LumiNova, giving the dial cohesion at day and night. The polished finish to both provide contrast against the dials, which make legibility superb. The complete calendar display is refined and elegant. The balance it brings to the dial may seem obvious, but many brands mess this up, not because they throw things all over the place but because each element isn’t given enough care. Raymond Weil seems to have avoided that pitfall: The month and day apertures at the top of the dial are beveled and easy to read, and the date and moonphase register at 6 o’clock will keep pulling your eye away from the actual time. The blue moon disc truly pops against the silver dial but isn’t quite as impressive on the blue, where it blends in a bit too much. That’s really what draws one more to the rsoe gold than the steel: the steel is really just different shades of shiny silver and blue, while the rose gold has its case tone, the dial’s almost sand color (the brand calls it “Dune”), and then the standout color of the blue moon disc.
The Raymond Weil Freelancer Complete Calendar uses a new movement for the brand, the RW3281. As with all mechanical RWs, this uses a Sellita base, in this case, the SW300-1. That means it delivers a solid 56 hours of power at 28,800 vph. On top of the base caliber, RW puts a complete calendar module. Details beyond that are otherwise sparse, but I’m impressed that they’ve managed to keep the watch as thin as it is, and the Sellita base should keep this running reliably. Again, this watch is thinner than most complete calendars that cost many times as much, and it’s important to note that most of those don’t use modules but integrated movements.
These watches exude an elevated style that I think Raymond Weil is really focusing on. It’s still riding the high of the Millesime collection, but it’s encouraging to see that it hasn’t forgotten its other lines; the Freelancer, in my opinion, is its best and deserves every bit of attention it can get. What’s perhaps most interesting is the lack of other options at this price point. To be sure, the elegant dress watch has only recently been making a comeback, and the complicated elegant dress watch has long been a vestige of high-end Swiss brands. Perhaps the only competitor RW seems to have here for this particular complication is the Ball Engineer II Moon Calendar, which is thicker and, I think you’ll agree, far less well-designed. Say what you want about this one, but I’m sold. This is a sleeper hit through and through, but I doubt you’ll hear many talking about it in those terms or any others. The Raymond Weil Freelancer Complete Calendar in rose gold PVD (2766-PC5-64001) and steel (2766-ST-50001) are both priced at $3,650 USD. For more information, please visit the Raymond Weil website.
Source: Hands-On: Raymond Weil Freelancer Complete Calendar Watches | aBlogtoWatch
