ReviewA Tribute In Graffiti: Raymond Weil X Basquiat Freelancer Special Edition

“Art is how we decorate space, music is how we decorate time.” This quote by artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-88), on his work being an intersection between art and music, seems to have been immortalised as the new Raymond Weil X Basquiat Freelancer Special Edition. Raymond Weil previously released tribute watches for musicians Bob Marley, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, ACDC, and Marshall sound systems. In the case of Basquiat, the maverick street artist gained recognition in the 1970s and 80s for covering Lower Manhattan buildings with his political-poetical graffiti, fuelled by his affinity for new wave, punk, hip-hop, reggae and power pop sounds of the 1980s New York nightlife. Before his life was cut short at 27, the immensely talented neo-expressionist painter hobnobbed with other greats, having collaborated with pop-art artist Andy Warhol and even dated music icon Madonna.

Meanwhile on another continent, Swiss watchmaker and avid art collector Raymond Weil took the risk to launch his eponymous watch brand in 1976, during the ‘quartz crisis’. Paying ode to Basquiat and his grandfather Raymond—men who went against the tide and emerged successful—Elie Bernheim, the current CEO of Raymond Weil, partnered with the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat to launch the Freelancer special edition. The brand reflect this sentiment on their website with the sentence: “The decision to honour Basquiat is deeply rooted in the brand’s heritage and values.”

The Basquiat Touch

More than a wristwatch, the matt black body of the Raymond Weil X Basquiat Freelancer Special Edition becomes a canvas—a collage of Basquiat’s trademark motifs and painterly strokes replicated from his various artworks, in primary hues of red, yellow, and blue. Occupying the pride of place is the crown-wearing T-Rex dinosaur scribble sourced from his 1984 work titled, ‘Pez Dispenser’ (1984). On the dial of this Freelancer special edition, the yellow crown is posited under the 12 o’clock marker, separated from the toothy dinosaur that sits at the coaxial inbetween the two sub-dials. Isolated for a ‘crown-on-crown’ wordplay, this three-pronged crown motif is also placed atop the screwed-down crown located at three o’clock. It is outlined in Super-LumiNova like the nickel-plated applique indexes and baton-shaped hands. An illustration of the crown appears on one side of the watch box. The one spot that features the T-Rex donning the crown is the inside of the black Plexiglas watch box.  

More than a wristwatch, the matt black body of the Raymond Weil x Basquiat Freelancer Special Edition becomes a canvas, a collage of Basquiat’s trademark motifs and painterly strokes replicated from his various artworks

The watch comes attached to a genuine calf leather strap with titanium double push-security folding clasp

The Raymond Freelancer line, launched in 2007, is reputed for their chronographs, GMT watches and dive timers that, design-wise, blend the modern with the classic. The Basquiat Special Edition carries forward certain traits of the aforementioned watch. For instance, the hairline-thin guilloche running along the dial, highlighting with subtlety the flange pulsometer scale, calibrated for 30 pulsations, that sits surrounded by the tachymeter bezel.

Aside from the T-Rex, Basquiat’s most used symbol—the copyright ‘C’ symbol—is seen on the reset pusher, while a dollar symbol sits on the start/stop pusher. The crowning glory of the case is the black ceramic tachymeter bezel atop the 43.5mm titanium case, adorned with primary colour strokes throughout the circumference. Similar patterns cover the recessed small seconds sub-dial at nine o’clock and the 30-minute jumping disc sub-dial marked with ‘life’, ‘death’ and ‘humanity’—themes that form the crux of Basquiat’s repertoire and in personal life, of his troubled soul.

Signed And Sealed By Basquiat

Masquerading as Basquiat’s autograph is his signature scrawled in white over the see-through antireflective sapphire crystal caseback. The last leg of viewing his art, his everlasting handiwork. Visible through this setup is the W-shaped oscillating weight of the automatic chronograph calibre RW5030, which offers a 56-hour power reserve. Encircling the sapphire crystal is the steel ring with titanium-coloured PVD coating underlined by a slim blue gasket. Overall, the watch offers a 100m water resistance.

The watch comes attached to a genuine calf leather strap with monogrammed double push-security folding clasp in titanium.