HANDS-ON: Chase the blues away – 3 new models added to Raymond Weil’s classical Maestro family

Felix Scholz

One of the Raymond Weil’s great strengths has always been stylish, sharp, everyday dress pieces, something that’s really epitomised in the Maestro line. Well, at Basel that line got a little bigger, with the addition of three new, blue-dialled options. These watches, like many things in the world of Raymond Weil, take their inspiration from the world of music — remember, the collection is called ‘Maestro’. But the Maestros we’re talking here aren’t your Chopins or Shostakoviches — no, as you’d expect, these blue dials pay homage to that most American of genres: blues. And while it’s a broad church, incorporating the haunting vocals of Billie Holiday, the visceral chords of John Lee Hooker, and everything in between, it’s a genre that is, at its heart, about emotion. And really, aside from the obvious blue connotation, these three watches do pull on the heart strings just a little.

First of all, let’s look at the date version. Housed in a 40mm rose gold PVD case, the dial of this watch is a thing of beauty: the blue is dark and rich, caught somewhere between the deep sea and the sky at dusk. It’s made even more captivating by the mix of wave pattern at its heart and concentric rings on the hour track. It’s a finish that makes the watch light up, even more so given the rich tones of the case. The numerals are by definition classical, but Raymond Weil have opted to go with a slightly more modern version, sans-serif and with an almost deco-ish taper. Classy stuff.

Next up is the Maestro Blues open heart, a watch that displays the inner working of the RW 200 movement for all to see (the same movement as the date version, by the way). The teardrop-shaped open heart is framed in a silver window, and allows the wearer (or passing admirers) to see the ticking heart of the Maestro’s escapement. Aside from this proverbial window to the soul, the dial is the same rich, textured blue, and the case is a very wearable 40mm in steel, and looks great on the blue leather strap.

Finally, the Maestro Blues moon phase, which I’m just going to refer to as the Blue Moon. To my mind, this is the most classical and most romantic complication. The bottom of the dial displays a moonphase disc in the traditional style — the silvery moon on its starry midnight sky blends neatly into the larger dial — a pleasingly cohesive design, powered by the RW 4280. There’s something wonderful about a moonphase — tracking the phases of the moon in the sky is something that’s essentially useless in this modern age, but it serves as a very real reminder of the fundamentals of time and timekeeping. I’m always a sucker for a well-done moon, and this one fits the bill. I do think the watch would have looked more pure and symmetrical if the date aperture had been omitted. But overall the Blue Moon is a fitting final act in a very accomplished symphony of watches.

Raymond Weil Maestro Blues Australian pricing

Raymond Weil Maestro Blues date, gold PVD on leather, $1850; open heart on leather $1995; moonphase on leather $2100