HANDS-ON: Raymond Weil’s latest Freelancer Chronograph looks the business
Felix ScholzRaymond Weil’s latest take on their sporty Freelancer Chronograph is – to be blunt – really good-looking. Fundamentally, it’s the same as Freelancer chronos we’ve seen before: 42mm steel case, bulletproof RW500 movement, 12,6,9 subdial layout, day/date and screw-down crown and pushers. It’s a solid piece of kit.
What’s new, though, is the colour way. Silver and blue, and plenty of texture to tempt the eye. The panda-esque dial is predominantly silver, with a bright starburst centre and circular grained outer sections, contrasting beautifully with the recessed subdials (including that characteristic frame and single screw around the running seconds at nine). Add to this the blue tachymeter bezel and you’ve got a watch that offers a modern take on a classic, sporty chronograph design. Even the strap – blue calf with a little padding and contrasting white stitching, curved to fit the case – is a great fit, though I would have been just as happy with a tang buckle rather than the single-fold deployant that comes as stock.
On the wrist, this watch is everything you’d expect. Large, but not aggressively so — the diameter is fine, but it’s the height (just shy of 15mm by my measurements) that you notice. It’s legible, and operating the chrono is a cinch, though unscrewing the pushers requires a little bit of grip. The watch really strikes a nice balance between sports and classic, modern and retro.
All told, this Raymond Weil Freelancer Chronograph is a solid all-rounder that does the job and looks the part.
Raymond Weil Freelancer Chronograph Australian pricing
Raymond Weil Freelancer Chronograph, $3895