Lightness and comfort, the first bracelet signed Romain Gauthier: the new C by Romain Gauthier Titanium Edition Bracelet
When Romain launched the first edition of C by Romain Gauthier in 2021, it was clearly stated that this new caliber would lead the brand to new horizons. One year later, a new door has been opened with the arrival of the brand’s first metal bracelet.
Sober and contemporary, propitious to variations and adaptations, C by Romain Gauthier was an obvious choice for the creation of a metal bracelet. The desire of modernity, comfort and ergonomic already initiated during the conception of the first edition, reinforced the development of this integral timepiece on a titanium bracelet – light, resistant, modern and sophisticated.
Aesthetically, it was important to Romain that the strap and the watch become one. As he said: “The bracelet is the case, and the case is the bracelet“. This desire is reflected in the fusion of these two elements, a timepiece as a whole that cannot be dissociated.
In keeping with Romain’s vision – The Evolution of Tradition – this new technical and contemporary element requires a high level of craftsmanship and hand finishing. 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.
C by Romain Gauthier in detail
An integrated design resulting in a harmonious timepiece
Romain Gauthier‘s first metal bracelet is made entirely of natural Grade 5 titanium, light and comfortable.
This bracelet was designed so that the wearer does not feel it; 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.
Aesthetically, Romain wanted to develop a modern bracelet that would highlight traditional craftmanship. As with the rest of the timepiece, each link has contrasting finishes, with the surface being satin-finished while the connecting element is hand-polished, bringing both character and elegance to the bracelet.
Flow and continuity to the fore on an atypical dial
C by Romain Gauthier is all about modernity and continuity, both in terms of its movement architecture and dial design. If the observer looks closely, he will see that 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 coloured lines of differing lengths.
Romain explains this purposeful play on perspective, saying: “Rather than a series of enclosed circles, as we often see in watchmaking, I wanted an open, airy dial on which full or part orthogonal lines form vanishing points with the axes of the hands, reinforcing the notion of continuity.”
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.
Eye-catching case and bracelet rich in details
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.
The finishing on the case facets is repeated on each of the bracelet links, a play of light accentuated by satin-finished surfaces and contrasted by hand-polished ones.
C by Romain Gauthier Titanium Edition Bracelet is a timepiece that should be appreciated as a whole. Each detail is linked to another, each type of finishing is featured on the case, on the movement and on the bracelet.
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.
Clever stop-seconds mechanism that uses a snail cam
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.
Those familiar with the brand will know Romain has used the snail cam’s unique shape in his past creations: It appears on the watchmaker’s acclaimed Logical One.
In-house movement where design and decoration meet modernity
The themes of modernity and continuity carry over to the manual-winding, in-house movement, which is gloriously on show through the display back.
Taking centre stage are a number of finger bridges – historically typical of the Vallée de Joux, Romain’s birthplace – but reinterpreted here in a contemporary way. For starters, these bridges are horizontally configured and feature a ‘stepped’ shape – previously seen on some of Logical One’s bridges – that not only provides volume and depth, but also gives the sense that the bridges are literally flowing over the gears and balance wheel, with no clear end to them.
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.
The impressive decoration doesn’t stop with the bridges and mainplate: 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.
C by Romain Gauthier Titanium Edition Bracelet Technical Specifications
Non-limited edition in natural Grade 5 titanium.
References
Features and indications
- Off-centred hours and minutes
- Small seconds at 7 o’clock
- Natural Grade 5 titanium case, dial, movement bridges and mainplate
- In-house movement featuring stop-seconds mechanism
- Natural Grade 5 titanium bracelet
Movement and finishing
- In-house, hand-wound movement
- 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
Dial and hands
- Grey or salmon dial in sandblasted 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
Bracelet and folding clasp
- The first metal bracelet of the brand, entirely in 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.
