Luxury Swiss horologists RJ-Romaine Jerome not only creates some of the finest watches in the world; they also like to push boundaries. Their latest collaboration, with The Pokémon Company International, takes their passion for childhood icons a step further. Baroque Access finds out more
In recent years, luxury Swiss watchmakers RJ-Romaine Jerome have paid tribute to several iconic kids’ characters such as Super Mario and Pac-Man. Last year theyeven created a Pikachu watch because of kids’ obsession with Pokémon. But their 2017 project has upped the stakes quite considerably. Their latest creation, the Pokémon Tourbillon, is a unique, colourful masterpiece that is also a fine example of horology at its best.
The partnership between The Pokémon Company International and RJ-Romaine Jerome only began in 2016, with the $20,000 limited edition of 20 Pikachu watches. The follow-up version is far more prestigious – and pricey. For starters only one watch has been made. And yes, it is quite amazing!
The limited edition, once-off Tourbillon Pokémon boasts an extremely colourful dial that is handcrafted and filled by hand with enamel. It features the entire Pokémon community of characters on the dial as well as a spectacular centrepiece, a tourbillon shaped like a lightning bolt as well as an oscillating weight shaped like Pikachu. The dial features a captivating 3D effect; some of the characters look as if they are animated and ready to jump right out of the watch.The watch features an all-black 48mm case and is finished off with a black alligator strap that is adorned with blue and yellow stitching symbolic of the colors of the Pokémon logo.
Romaine Jerome was founded in Geneva in Switzerland 13 years ago and is famous for its use of natural materials in its timepieces. In fact, in May 2016, the company updated its iconic Skylab watches with two limited edition versions, each of which featured steel inside the bevels of the watches that was originally part of the Apollo II spacecraft.
Aside from being a spectacular watch, the Tourbillon Pokémon is also an exceptional piece of horology. The dial was created over hundreds of hours and the self-winding tourbillon was shaped by a laser to resemble a lightning bolt.