Raymond Weil is a pretty well-known brand (albeit, an underrated brand in my opinion) in the Swiss horological world, and has been well regarded much like their peers Longines and Rado. Unlike other higher end Swiss luxury timepieces, Raymond Weil’s timepieces are quite attainable, as their price range typically starts at around $1,300 USD and goes upwards to around $5,000 USD. With having some well-known celebrities as their brand ambassadors (Katheryn Winnick, star of Vikings and Måns Zelmerlöw, hit Swedish pop artist), and also collaborating with other notable celebrities to release newer models (an AC/DC model and a model that’s a homage to Bob Marley), Raymond Weil is not minuscule in the Swiss watchmaking world.
As a kid, whenever I’d travel overseas I would always walk around the airport and visit the duty-free shops while waiting for my flight. The watch boutiques would always catch my eye, and I would gawk over different watch brands and admire the craftsmanship that went into them. Raymond Weil was one of the brands that always fascinated me and after starting a small watch collection of my own, I’ve always told myself that I would buy at least one Raymond Weil piece just to feed my desire of owning one. After a while, I came across this special piece: the Raymond Weil Parsifal Chronograph (Ref. 7260-STC-00208).
The Case
With a 41mm case diameter without the crown and 48mm case length including lugs, the size is perfect even for a smaller wrist. It has a thickness of 12mm, which I would say is about average; it’s not too thick nor is it too thin. The crown itself is a screw-down crown with the RW monogram in transparent resin. The crystal is sapphire with double-sided anti-glare treatment and a cyclops magnifier for the date window that’s perfectly placed between four and five o’clock.
The Dial
The dial color is a beautiful gloss black that accentuates the silver-toned Roman numeral dial markers. There is a seconds sub-dial at three o’clock, a 12-hour sub-dial at six o’clock (marked in red), and a thirty-minute sub-dial at nine o’clock (also marked in red). The numbers on the sub-dials are not terribly small; they’re easy to read. The Raymond Weil brand logo (along with the Geneve seal right underneath it) is placed right in the middle at the top of the dial; not too far at the top under the dial markers, nor is it far too close to the top of the chronograph sub-dials at the bottom. It also sports a classy and luxurious, full-skin crocodile leather strap in black (21mm at the lugs) with a deployment clasp that displays the RW monogram on the buckle. The black crocodile leather strap is a perfect complement to the black dial. The watch has a nice weight to it; it isn’t too heavy, but it’s heavy enough to notice (which is a personal preference of mine).
The Movement
The Raymond Weil Parsifal Chronograph uses the caliber RW7310, which is an automatic self-winding movement that has 57 jewels. The movement is an ETA2892-2 base utilizing a Dubois Dépraz 2010 chronograph module with a power reserve of 42 hours. The movement is a reliable one with great accuracy, given that you keep the watch regularly wound. The movement is displayed through the sapphire crystal case-back, where the finishing on the bridge and the rotor can be seen. The caliber info can also be seen printed on the rotor. The case-back also displays the water resistance, which is 100m/330ft (10atm).
Overall
All in all, the Raymond Weil Parsifal Chronograph is an exquisite timepiece that is a great example of the Swiss’ watchmaking craftsmanship. Not only does it wear well on the wrist comfortably, but it looks quite elegant, too. It can be worn casually, and also pairs really well with a suit. It’s one of those timepieces that isn’t flashy, yet is quite noticeable. Needless to say, this timepiece is a favorite in the small collection that I have.
Retail: $3,850
Time of Horology 