The New C by Romain Gauthier Titanium With “Lever de Soleil” Salmon Dial

Much to our joy, talented independent watchmaker Romain Gauthier equipped his wonderfully asymmetric C by Romain Gauthier luxury sports watch with an integrated titanium bracelet at the end of last year. His impeccable creation just got prettier; please welcome the next edition of C by Romain Gauthier in titanium, worn on a titanium bracelet, powered by a movement with titanium components, this time with a Lever de Soleil dial – or call it salmon if you prefer.

While this new version is on most points identical to last year’s grey edition, with all the same features and characteristics, the new dial colour makes all the difference. The brand wants you to think “of the cool winter mornings of the Vallée de Joux, between the white of the snow and the orange of the sun, the slightly pink colour of the sky,” but let’s face it, it is salmon. Call it sunrise, if you wish. Or Lever de Soleil if you want to be fancy in French. We’ll call it salmon, because it’s our favourite colour here at MONOCHROME.

The Grade 5 titanium 41mm satin-finished case looks very contemporary, clearly benefitting from Gauthier’s manufacturing experience and standards. The bezel is first machined into a round shape, then six sides are cut, and the facets are polished to get this fantastic-looking timepiece. The bracelet, integrated into the case by slightly curved lugs, features the same alternating polished and satin-finished surfaces, creating the feeling of integrity. The articulated links allow you to adapt the comfortable and lightweight – only 85 grams – watch to any wrist.

The new salmon dial with a special coating that protects it against UV has a familiar idiosyncratic time display. The hour and minute hands are off-centred slightly, with the hour markers of varying lengths highlighting this asymmetry. The small seconds subdial is at 7 o’clock, with 5-second intervals are marked by lines radiating from the centre. The hours and minutes hands are treated with SuperLumiNova. The numerals and markers are made from blocks of Super-Luminova, for an even more contemporary look.

Movement-side, the in-house, hand-wound and hand-decorated calibre exhibits the architecture that connects the past and the future, with a clear nod to the traditional “finger” bridge style Vallée de Joux, designed to modern shapes, with excellent finishes. The calibre is equipped with a hacking seconds mechanism, a rotating snail that gently stops the balance when the crown is pulled and helps return the balance to work as it moves back into place when the crown is pushed back. This feature is reminiscent of the chain-and-snail constant torque system that was the highlight of Gauthier’s famous Logical One. The movement has a 60-hour power reserve and beats at a frequency of 28,800vph.

As its name suggests, the C by Romain Gauthier Titanium Edition Bracelet sports a bracelet entirely crafted in Grade 5 titanium, with an integrated folding clasp, also in Grade 5 titanium, and the watch is supplied with an additional half-link. As with the grey dial version earlier last year, this “Lever de Soleil” Salmon dial piece will be a non-limited production, with a retail price of CHF 42,000, taxes excluded.

For more details, please visit romaingauthier.com.