Black is the new black, you know, and the new Raymond Weil Nabucco Rivoluzione RW-7810-BSF-05207 automatic chronograph is among the best ways to prove this.
The Original Impression
The original Nabucco collection was first unveiled back in 2007.
Although the word “Nabucco” is currently mostly known for the ambitious project of building a major pipeline that will allow transporting natural gas from Turkey to Austria to weaken Gazprom’s stranglehold over its European customers, the name of the collection is possibly inspired by the famous opera by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi.
While handsome and well-executed, the Nabucco always missed that secret ingredient that transforms a nice watch into an object of desire. I just couldn’t imagine myself or any other guy saving breakfast money to get one of those original models for the next Christmas.
The Raymond Weil Nabucco Rivoluzione, on the other hand, seems to have finally found the secret sauce to make people salivate by just looking at this hamburger of a watch. I don’t think that it will become an instant hit: Raymond Weil still has a long way to go in terms of brand recognition. It simply has a good chance to eventually change the fate of the Nabucco line for the better.
The Gargantuan Case
Vladimir Harkonnen was so fat, he actually needed suspensor implants to be able to walk. We are still pretty far away from this kind of technology, so Raymond Weil’s engineers decided to use a mix of lightweight titanium and high-grade steel to make this dramatically oversized watch more or less bearable on the wrist.
They treated the 46mm case with black PVD and decorated the sides with ultra-light carbon-fiber material. Although not as flashy as it used to be, in the world dominated by ceramic watches of all shapes and colors, it really feels like a breath of fresh air.
The case looks complex: they probably spend a lot of time sculpting it using advanced CNC machinery. Same with the crown: partially protected from shocks by a pair of crown guards, it has a nicely executed RW logo on it. The chronograph push-pieces look standard: the “let’s-just-use-what-we-already-have-in-the-warehouse” standard.
The Black Dial
Of course, the watch is coming with a matte black dial. The hour, minute, and small-seconds hands, as well as the single Arabic numeral “12” seem to be crafted from dark-gray titanium partially solving the problem of low daylight visibility. The hour and minute hands, as well as the hour markers rock healthy amounts of Superluminova, so nighttime legibility shouldn’t be a problem at all.
The only hint of color is provided with the three chronograph hands. Painted very dark blue, they won’t be as easy to read, but chronographs serve purely decorative function these days. No one is going to use it.
Even though there are copious amounts of “real estate” on dial, the date window is limited to a tiny circular-shaped aperture between four and five o’clock. Since the sapphire crystal doesn’t have any kind of magnifying lens over it, some people will certainly experience difficulty reading it.
To my taste, the white (or light gray) marks on the bezel and all three chronograph totalizers somehow subtract from the gadget’s modest beauty without adding too much legibility, but that’s something I am ready to live with.
The Caliber: ETA Valjoux 7753
As to the internal workings, there is nothing sensational at all. The Nabucco Rivoluzione is powered by an ETA Valjoux 7753 native chronograph movement. Similar to those powering the Montblanc TimeWalker Chronograph UTC Ceramic and the Tudor Fastrider Black Shield Ducati, it is reliable, accurate and easy to maintain. A power reserve of 46 hours is a nice bonus here.
By the way, looking at how far the aforementioned date window is from the chapter ring, I’d wager a guess that the mechanism comes completely stock. They didn’t even change the original calendar window to better match the proportions of the dial. And this is also why they covered it with a sold (albeit nice-looking) caseback cover.
This is a shame, if you consider the Rivoluzione’s hefty price tag.
The Heavy Price
Yes, the major problem with this beautiful timepiece is its somewhat high price tag of around €5,000.
I mean, even despite the titanium case, all those pieces of carbon, and even using a higher-grade member of the ETA 775x family as a power-plant, charging more than $7000 (at the current exchange rate) is a bit too much for the brand.
Well, perhaps you would have to wait for a little till the piece gets to reputable online stores and buy one of these beauties after a serious discount that they are usually subjected to after a while.
Photos: Raymond Weil
Raymond Weil Nabucco Rivoluzione Chronograph RW-7810-BSF-05207 specification
Price: €5,000 (MSRP)
Movement: ETA Valjoux 7753, automatic, 28,800 vph, 27 jewels, Swiss Made
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph, date
Power reserve: 46 hours
Case: Stainless steel, titanium, solid case back
Size: 46.00 mm
Case height: 15.50 mm
Dial: Black, with three chronograph totalizers
Hands: Dark-gray, luminous
Numerals: Arabic (at the 12 o’clock)
Hour markers: Applied, luminous
Water resistance: 200 meters
Strap: Saddle-stitched black Crocodylus niloticus (their choice of words, not mine) strap, RW folding clasp in black titanium, with double push-piece security
Crystal: Sapphire, 2.5mm thick, anti-reflective on both sides