Editor’s note: Here’s our preview & Gut Reaction Review (Grr…) of the new Raymond Weil Freelancer Chronograph 7741. For our detailed hands-on reviews, please head to our dedicated reviews section here. This is not a sponsored post.
In A Nutshell
Green is in. Two years and still champion. Unless you have been living under a rock, or if you are a normal person who isn’t exactly into watches, there is a zero chance that you aren’t aware of the green dial trend. From Rolex’s darker sombre green of the Oyster Perpetuals from 2020 to Breitling’s soft pistachio green of the Premier B09 Chronograph 40 to the likes of the anOrdain Model 1 with a green fume dial, the colour has been interpreted and re-interpreted in every possible shade.
Even Raymond Weil joined this popular trend, with their Freelancer Green from 2020.
So it’s no surprise that the star of the new Raymond Weil Freelancer Chronograph 7741 collection is the green dialled ref. 7741-SC7-52021. This trendy ruler’s kingdom also introduces two other siblings: a b/w panda-esque ref. 7741-SC1-30021 and a more upscale two-tone stainless steel version with rose gold PVD coated case and a silver dial ref. 7741-S51-65021.
Raymond Weil Freelancer Chronograph 7741 – The Basics
The new Raymond Weil Freelancer Chronograph 7741 is released exactly one year after the Raymond Weil Freelancer Skeleton and features a 43.5mm diameter and only 13.7mm thick brushed and polished stainless steel case with green ceramic tachometer bezel.
Inside ticks the calibre RW5030 — based on the existing RW5000 which in turn is most likely derived from ETA 7750 — which is a mechanical chronograph Tri-compax with automatic winding comprising 27 jewels. The watch face shows the functions of central hours & minutes, small seconds at 9’o clock, a 30-minute counter at 3’o clock and 12-hour counter at 6’o clock
Retailing for 5’695 AUD (on leather) — 5’795 AUD on bracelet and 5’895 AUD for the two-tone version — this non-limited edition new Raymond Weil Freelancer Chronograph 7741 was first announced on 6th May and you can check it out at various retailers in Sydney and online, and also directly from Avstev Group here.
Quotable
“Once again, RAYMOND WEIL creates a refined, luxury watch, ideally suited to modern-day life”.
Press release
Parting Thoughts On The Raymond Weil Freelancer Chronograph 7741
The new Freelancer Chronograph 7741 presents with a luxe chronograph offering for a decent price. The green version’s in-trend appearance aside, the dial itself is rather clear (and works well sans a day or date aperture and with the new tri-compax layout of 3,6 and 9). I like how they have avoided this looking similar to the quartz Tango Chronograph timepieces. The dial also features an appliqué logo that sits boldly at 12. Like I stated earlier, it is more geared towards those with larger wrists, and what with so many small sized offerings from other brands such as Tudor, those with larger wrists will find this to be a welcome addition to their watch collection.
I particularly like the three-dimensional aspects and the interplay of surfaces. While the highly polished appliqué indices and the silver steel barrel-shaped hands enhanced with white Super-Luminova®are a marvel from legibility point-of-view, it is the combination of the azurage track that frames the satin-brushed sunray almost fume green dial that takes the cake aesthetically.
Throw in 100m water-resistance, a ceramic bezel and sapphire crystal, 56-hour power reserve, a screwed-down display case-back (and screwed-down crown) and around 4K USD pricing, and what you get with the new Raymond Weil Freelancer Chronograph 7741 is a practical and handsome timepiece for those with larger wrists.
To find out more about the new Raymond Weil Freelancer and their other watches, please head to their website here. All images unless otherwise stated are courtesy are © 2022 RAYMOND WEIL GENÈVE.
