Romain Gauthier launched the Logical One with its distinctive in-house movement back in 2013. It has since then be released in a number of precious metals. This year’s model, the Romain Gauthier Logical One Natural Titanium, makes use of titanium, a strong and light metal that is not as popular for high-end watches as gold and platinum.
“In my experience, most ultra high-end collectors enjoy their timepieces in gold, platinum or steel,” says Gauthier. “Titanium is still a step too far for many. I respect that, but I believe that in time high-end collectors will move over and eventually won’t think twice about acquiring an haute horlogerie timepiece in titanium. For Logical One Natural Titanium, my instinct was ‘build it, and they shall come’. Personally, I really wanted to see Logical One Natural Titanium become a reality, not least because I think Logical One and natural titanium were made to go together.”
Like other Logical One timepieces, this latest one uses a movement with snail cam, friction-minimising ruby-link chain and sapphire-lined mainspring barrel to deliver about two days worth of constant force and ensuring a more efficient energy transfer.
The movement is visible both from the front and back with two off-centre dials showing hours and minutes on the first and small seconds on the second. A pleasing contrast is achieved by using different finishes. For example, the mainplate, mainspring barrel bridge and lower bridge sport a deep anthracite ADLC finish. In contrast, the balance bridge, escape wheel bridge and power reserve indicator bridge are finished in a bright palladium-treated brass and the upper ‘bar’ bridge for the constant force system in light-hued natural titanium.
A 46-hour power reserve indicator is visible on the back.
Romain Gauthier Logical One Natural Titanium specifications:
- Movement: Romain Gauthier Logical One
- Case diameter: 43mm
- Case thickness: 15mm
- Case material: Grade 5 natural titanium
- Case back: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflection coating
- Glass material: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflection coating
- Dial: Oven-fired white or black enamel on 18k glod base or blackened brass dial featuring clous de Paris guilloche
- Battery/Power reserve: 46 hours
- Water resistance: 3 ATM (30 meters)
- Strap: Matte black alligator leather strap with light grey stitching and titanium pin buckle
- Other: Push-button winding
Three versions of the Romain Gauthier Logical One Natural Titanium will be offered. The first offers a whilte enamel dial with flame-blued steel hands, the second a black enamel dial with 18k gold hands and the third a black clous de Paris dial with 18k gold hands. The first two will sell for CHF102,000 (about US$103,000 or CA$137,000) and the third for CHF98,000 (about US$99,000 or CA$132,000). It will be on display at Baselworld 2016 when it opens in a few days.
Source : Romain Gauthier