Let’s be honest, the recent collaboration between Romain Jerome and DC Comics has us feeling like kids again. With their striking cases and mesmerising dials, it’s easy to get lost in their designs just as we became lost in our favourite comic books. Their two most recent releases have been designed to commemorate Batman’s greatest enemies. First came the RJ Joker watch which amazed us with its astonishing bright green and purple detail but today it’s time for the 100-piece Two Face edition to take centre stage.
The Romain Jerome ARRAW Two Face Limited Edition is an extraordinary reinterpretation of Harvey Dent’s character, one of Batman’s most conflicted enemies. As the story goes, Two Face began as one of Gotham City’s most clean-cut lawyers before falling into a complex and dangerous struggle with mobsters Sal Maroni and Carmine Falcone. During their trail, Maroni attacked Harvey Dent with sulphuric acid badly disfiguring his face on one side. With his face split in two, his personality followed suit until he became obsessed with the idea of duality and the fight between good and evil.
If there was a luxury watch brand to do the character of Two Face any justice, then Romain Jerome was the one. With exceptional watchmaking techniques that are exclusive only to RJ, the Romain Jerome ARRAW Two Face watch boasts an incredible skeletonised movement and a distressed case to represent the confused and twisted state of the villain. To epitomise the dual personality of Two Face, Romain Jerome has kept the left-hand side of the watch clean and simple while the right side with its chaotic skeletonised dial becomes a symbol for both his twisted mind and his distorted face.
“Two-Face is such a complex character that only a watch with an equally split personality can truly do justice to his malice and tricks,” says RJ CEO and Creative Director Marco Tedeschi. “To recreate his scarred face and exposed features has been a fantastic challenge and has forced us to push the envelope of what is possible when the worlds of horology and comic culture collide.
The case of the Romain Jerome ARRAW Two Face watch measures to 45mm in size and is crafted from satin-brushed titanium. While the left side remains untouched, the right has been distressed just like that of the calfskin leather strap to echo the symmetrical disfiguring of Two Face himself. The beauty of the strap also comes from its ability to be changed by simply pressing the Batman logo shaped release buttons on the case lugs.
Turn the Romain Jerome ARRAW Two Face Limited Edition over and you are greeted to a breathtaking exhibition case back. Through the sapphire crystal, you can witness the RJ004-M manual winding skeleton movement hard at work as it powers the central hour and minute hands and small seconds on the dial. The automatic calibre also boasts a 48-hour power reserve, 21 jewels and a frequency rate of 28,800bph.
The dial itself also sits beneath anti-reflective sapphire crystal glass and is easily our favourite elements to the design. The clean, structured side of the dial is decorated with a special laser engraved coin, a token the villain famously spins to make life and death decisions. But what makes this token even more spectacular is that Romain Jerome have cleverly combined it to serve as a turning second hand as well. Additionally, since the Romain Jerome ARRAW Two Face watch is part of the collectors’ edition, each watch will be presented with an exclusive Two-Face coin, specially struck to commemorate the creation of the watch.
It’s not every day that you can say the watch on your wrist is a homage to your favourite comic book villain and with only 100 pieces available to order, we highly recommend getting in there quick. For more information on the Romain Jerome ARRAW Two Face Limited Edition and where to get your own, click here.
Specifications: Romain Jerome ARRAW Two Face Limited Edition Watch (1C45S.TTTR.5023.AR.TWF18)
- Case Size: 45mm
- Case Material: Grade 5 titanium, satin-brushed
- Glass: Domed anti-reflective sapphire crystal
- Bezel: Grade 5 titanium, satin-brushed
- Case Back: Exhibition with sapphire crystal glass and grade 5 titanium
- Crown: Screw lock titanium with black rubber insert
- Water Resistance: 100 metres
- Movement: RJ004-M automatic
- Functions: Hour, minutes and small seconds at 9 o clock
- Jewels: 21
- Frequency: 28,800bph
- Power Reserve: 48 hours
- Dial: Black with half skeletonised, rhodium plated appliques and hands coated in SuperLuminova
- Strap: Black calfskin leather with rubber, grey and black stitches. Titanium deployment clasp
- Limited Edition: 100 pieces
- RRP: £18,900
