To be honest, we were more than a little surprised when we first caught wind of this watch. Despite Romain Jerome’s success at partnering with cultural icons such as Pac-Man and Space Invaders, and creating watches centred on them, the brand’s latest collaboration with DC Comics is quite different. After all, the games’ above have “retired” to become classics with a somewhat limited cultural capital, but the character Batman remains well and active. The fact that DC Comics (and its parent company Warner Bros) has chosen to work with Romain Jerome is a bellwether for the latter’s future partnerships to come.
The Batman-DNA here forms part of the RJ Collaborations universe, and falls under the Generational Icons collection. This watch was actually created to mark the 75th anniversary of the Batman comics, which was first published in May 1939. Within the pantheon of superheroes from DC Comics, Batman stands out for having no superpowers – he fights crime as a vigilante in Gotham city with his genius level intellect, athletic training, and gadgets. In contrast, his peers such as Superman and Wonder Woman are all meta-humans gifted with powers such as invulnerability or flight. Manuel Emch, CEO of Romain Jerome, cited this as his inspiration, and part of the reason for the collaboration.
The watch is housed in a black PVD steel case 46mm wide, and visually mirrors many aspects of the Dark Knight. The black colour scheme is, for example, a reference to the colour of his costume and vehicles. Colour aside, the angular facets on the bezel are meant to recall the sharp edges and multiple surfaces of the later Batmobiles, such as those in the recent movies directed by Christopher Nolan. The highlight of the timepiece is the Batman logo applique on the dial, which has a matt black lacquer finishing that renders it nondescript under normal conditions. In the dark, however, the excavated portion of the dial below and around the logo actually glows blue, despite appearing black in lighted conditions – Super-LumiNova has actually been painted in it. The result is apparent in the picture below, and reminiscent of the Bat signal used to summon the caped crusader.
Batman’s logo is also featured on the case back, in the middle of a ‘rough finished’ medallion which, according to the brand, accentuates the blackness of the timepiece. This watch is limited to 75 pieces, and retails for US$18,500/CHF14,950.
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