Editorial GTTP Ladies Watches New Releases New Watches New Watches 2021 Raymond Weil

The New Raymond Weil Maestro Ladies Collection Shines Bright With All The Majesty of The Clair de lune

Editor’s note: While Sydney remains in a Covid-19 related lockdown, we enjoyed the releases from the Geneva Watch Days 2021 like a breath of fresh air. We now present a preview of the new Raymond Weil Maestro Ladies Collection. For our standard detailed hands-on reviews, please head to our dedicated reviews section here.

‘Of victorious love, and the pleasant life’

The moon, surrounded by glimmering stars, seduces; underneath the clouds, stamped circular guilloche brings in an extra sense of mischievous flirtation of myriad surfaces on the dial. The choice of the gold plated case is well played, it beautifully framing the mother-of-pearl dial that seems to carelessly whisper with the subtle changing hues when met with light; the striking blued hands perform their dance of time on this backdrop.

Raymond Weil Maestro 10

The entire package is transformed from yet another diamond-studded ladies quartz watch release to a simple poetic expression of a budding romance between horology and its connoisseur. 

True there is diamond vision as well, but…  

First Claude Debussy’s famous Suite bergamasque takes inspiration, and now Raymond Weil it seems, from Paul Verlaine’s poem Clair de lune. ‘Of victorious love, and the pleasant life’ seems to be the mantra by which the wearers of the new Raymond Weil Maestro Ladies Collection may enjoy this beauty from the Swiss brand. 

Raymond Weil Maestro 3

What is it: The new Raymond Weil Maestro in two variations, the steel with rose gold PVD coating and moonphase complication ref. 2139-P53-05909 and the steel with rose gold PVD coating — set with 62 diamonds variant — and moonphase complication ref. 2139-P5S-00966. 

Raymond Weil Ladies Maestro

There are also other additions to this new collection (though we aren’t looking at them today: a smaller 31mm non-moonphase but still gold plated time-only version with Roman numerals ref. 2131-P53-05909, a fully stainless steel time-only 31mm version ref. 2131-ST-00966 and a stainless steel moonphase version ref. 2139-ST-00965. 

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When released: September 2021

Where: Available globally and thankfully not limited edition. Various retailers in Sydney and online, and also directly from Avstev Group here

Who is it for: Those ladies that would like a dainty powerhouse on their wrists; it’s for those who enjoy the finer things in life, value time, and don’t like to break the bank as well (cost of entry is only 2’450 AUD)

Raymond Weil Maestro 9

Basic Specifications

34mm diameter x 9.8mm thick polished steel with rose gold PVD coated case encasing a 5.4mm automatic movement powering central hours, minutes & seconds, date at 3’o clock and a moon phase indicator at 6, and providing 38 hours of power reserve. The case features a snapped display case-back and a lacquer in-filled crown. Beautifully framed is the white mother-of-pearl dial, and completing the package is the blue calf leather strap with alligator grain and blue sewn in-stitching that comes on a RW stainless steel folding clasp with rose gold PVD coating. The watches are water resistant to 50m. 

Raymond Weil Maestro 7
Thankfully features a quick-release strap as well

Some Context 

RW’s existing ladies catalogue had 6 collections: joining them is the feminine and poetic interpretation of the brand’s popular Maestro collection for mens. As the press release calls it, it is a “re-orchestration with an automatic movement radiating poetry and elegance”.

New Raymond Weil Maestro Ladies Collection

The brand’s Maestro collection was first launched in 2010 and not only shows what the brand is capable of, but also celebrates the world of classical music. This collection essentially oozes time only, date, moonphase and skeletonise timepieces, along with official ‘Beatles’ collaborations. They have also released a handsome limited edition chronograph in the past, the ‘Mr Raymond Weil Limited Edition Automatic Chronograph Watch’. 

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The new Raymond Weil Maestro Ladies Collection is an extension of the brand’s’ philosophy of integrating timepieces with the ideology of ‘Music and Art’, and offers a great dress watch value-for-money proposition for those seeking to adorn something special.

What Sings To Me The Most 

Circle after circle, line after line, curve after curve – as an architect, I admire the geometric shapes and clear-cut definition of empty vs occupied space on the dial of the new Raymond Weil Maestro Ladies Collection. But aesthetically, my favourite aspect has got to be the fairly raised appliqué Arabic numerals. They bring in a great deal of depth and 3D play on to the dial, which is even further accentuated by the sunken yet clearly framed date window at 3’o clock, and the sunken display of celestial romance occurring at 6’o clock on the dial. 

Raymond Weil Maestro 8

Talking about attention to detail, I love how the moonphase aperture sits and cuts into the numerals on the dial. Usually, there are half-eaten numerals that frankly to me, look odd. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes they work depending upon the overall execution of the dial, but more often than not, they don’t really sit well. 

But here, the brand has balanced out the symmetry by placing batons on either side; they mirror each other, fading into the backdrop, allowing the moon to enchant the wearer. 

Raymond Weil Maestro 11
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That’s All Folks!

Since RW’s Maestro collection is all about classic music meets watchmaking, and the new ladies version introduces the element of Clair de lune or moonlight, what better way to warp this quick preview up that with a befitting stanza: “With the sad and beautiful light of the moon, Which sets the birds in the trees dreaming”, wrote Paul Verlaine in the same poem Clair de lune.

Raymond Weil Maestro 12

Its night here in Sydney and the rain has soaked the streets, cleansed the roads of any sins. Melancholy lights bounce off, visible from a distance. Due to the virus there’s no one really on the empty streets. Suddenly a couple of cars appear, and their headlights start to play with the once lonely red and green signal lights. On this pretty cloudy night, like a child playing a game of hide-&-seek, there is this now a little bit of the moon peeking.

It is this kind of radiance that I feel when I look at the dial of the new  Raymond Weil Maestro Ladies Collection.

Raymond Weil Ladies Maestro

The new Raymond Weil Maestro Ladies Collection shines bright with all the majesty of the Clair de lune. It’s as if the white mother-of-pearl dial is the mysterious sky, ever changing with the way light falls; the raised golden appliqués are the lights, radiant; and on this radiant backdrop the complication at 6’o clock emerges, bringing the beautiful light of the moon, Which sets the wearer dreaming.

To find out more about the new Raymond Weil Maestro Ladies Collection and other RW watches, please head to their website here. All images unless otherwise specified are © 2021 RAYMOND WEIL GENÈVE. Make sure to check out our reviews of other 2021 novelties here.

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