Independent Swiss luxury watchmaker Romain Gauthier expands its Freedom collection by presenting a new C by Romain Gauthier model with a titanium bracelet and Lever de Soleil color dial.
In 2021, Romain launched the first edition of C by Romain Gauthier. Dressed in a titanium case, it was then known as Romain Gauthier Continuum. One year later, the Maison announced the arrival of the brand’s first metal bracelet by expanding this line-up with a bracelet variant in titanium featuring a Grey sandblasted dial.
Romain Gauthier’s first metal bracelet is made entirely of natural Grade 5 titanium, light and comfortable. Each link is composed of hand-polished and satin-finished surfaces that play with the light and reflect the technical nature of the bracelet and the piece in general.
In addition to being light, it is also very thin thanks to the folding clasp integrated into the bracelet. The bracelet itself is integrated into the case by slightly curved lugs following the natural shape of the wrist. In this same objective, the links are articulated and assembled precisely to adapt to all types of wrists.
C by Romain Gauthier is all about modernity and continuity, both in terms of its movement architecture and dial design. The hour-minute hands are off-centred on the horizontal axis and the hour indices taper ever so slightly and are of varying lengths, while the 5-second intervals of the small seconds at 7 o’clock are also marked by tapered colored lines of differing lengths.
For enhanced legibility, the tapering, three-dimensional hands are made from 18k white gold and filled with Super-LumiNova. The numerals and indexes are made entirely of Super-LumiNova, improving visibility, and reinforcing the modern feel of this timepiece.
The dial plate itself is made from natural titanium that has been sand-blasted and treated with a special coating that protects it against UV rays.
Framing the dial is a titanium bezel with an eye-catching, geometric profile unlike anything previously seen on a Romain Gauthier timepiece. The bezel is first machined into a round shape featuring a circular bevel before six straight sides are cut into it to create 6 facets.
While these facets, which have been polished, reflect the light and bring the bezel to life, the rest of the bezel absorbs light thanks to its satin-finishing. The same facetted design is replicated around the sapphire crystal on the back of the watch.
In between the bezel and caseback, the one-piece caseband and lugs are geometrically sculpted, with satin and polished finishes as well as aesthetic grooves cleverly deployed to draw out the resulting shapes. Meanwhile, the titanium bracelet with the folding clasp follows the form of the curved lugs, which have been adjusted to fit any wrist, and rounded caseband so it appears as a continuous, organic extension of the case.
As with the other editions of C by Romain Gauthier, the winding and time setting crown has been placed at 2 o’clock, freeing up space for the wrist movement. The fluted crown also allows an easy handling and provides an additional eye-catching aesthetic element to the case.
Romain has endowed C by Romain Gauthier with a stop-seconds – or hacking seconds – mechanism, allowing the wearer to set the time exactly according to a reference time.
Like many stop-seconds mechanisms, a brake is placed on C by Romain Gauthier’s balance wheel when the crown is pulled out. But instead of using a straight or L-shaped balance stop lever to halt the balance, Romain has opted to employ a snail cam that performs a double function. It touches and stops the balance wheel when the crown is pulled out and, when the crown is pushed back in, the snail cam makes a turn, with its increasingly wide form giving the balance an impulse to help it start beating again.
Romain has used the snail cam’s unique shape in his past creations: It appears on the watchmaker’s acclaimed Logical One.
The themes of modernity and continuity carry over to the manual-winding, in-house movement, which can be admired through the display back.
This calibre boasts a number of finger bridges – historically typical of the Vallée de Joux, Romain’s birthplace – but reinterpreted here in a contemporary way. These bridges are horizontally configured and feature a ‘stepped’ shape that not only provides volume and depth, but also gives the sense that the bridges are literally flowing over the gears and balance wheel.
Like the case components and the dial plate, the bridges are made from lightweight, natural Grade 5 titanium and they boast contrasting tones and textures thanks to a variety of finishes. The outer edges of each bridge all feature a double bevel, while the flat bridge surfaces and rubies are each framed by a raised border that has been straight-grained.
Within these borders, the hand-finishing specialists at Manufacture Romain Gauthier have used a special hand-engraving technique to create a highly original dimpled texture. The movement mainplate beneath has been hand-frosted.
Romain’s trademark gears and ratchet wheel featuring circular, bevelled spokes have been circular-grained, while the click, snail cam and screws with S-slot heads – another signature of Romain – have been highly polished. Finally, the lid of the mainspring barrel has been embellished with a superb snailing decoration.
C by Romain Gauthier’s regulator features the Romain Gauthier balance wheel with curved arms and calibrated eccentric weights, plus hand-assembled pallet lever that is triangular for maximum rigidity.
Technical details
Model: C by Romain Gauthier Titanium Edition Bracelet with Lever de Soleil color dial, Reference MON00581
Indications
Off-centred hours and minutes
Small seconds at 7 o’clock
Dial
Lever de Soleil color dial in natural Grade 5 titanium with protective layer against UV rays
Off-centred hours and minutes
Small seconds at 7 o’clock with 5-second intervals marked by colored tapered lines
Super-LumiNova-filled 18k white gold hands
Numerals and index entirely in Super-LumiNova
Movement
In-house hand-wound movement featuring stop-seconds mechanism
Dimensions: 32.10 mm x 5.50 mm
Power reserve: 60 hours
Number of jewels: 24
Number of components: 154
Balance frequency: 28,800 vph / 4Hz
Components made from: Titanium, steel, stainless steel and German silver
Finishing: Superlative decoration by hand
Treatment: Natural titanium bridges and rhodium-treated gears.
Case
Material: Natural Grade 5 titanium
Dimensions: 41mm x 9.55mm, lugs to lugs: 47.8 mm
Water resistance: 50m/5atm/160ft
Fluted winding and setting crown at 2 o’clock.
Sapphire crystal with interior anti-reflection coating, front and display back
Bracelet
Grade 5 titanium, with an integrated folding clasp, also in Grade 5 titanium, is supplied with an additional half-link to perfectly fit all wrists.
Total weight of the watch
85g, including titanium bracelet and folding clasp
Edition
Non-limited edition in natural Grade 5 titanium
Retail price
CHF 42,000 without taxes
