News: Romain Jerome Skylab 48 Speed Metal Skulls
Some watch brands don’t like to rock the boat when it comes to their designs, preferring the conservative over the radical. Romain Jerome, however, is entirely the other kind of watchmaker, creating contemporary, often science fiction inspired pieces that most definitely shake up the industry. Take, for example, the Titanic DNA collection—a steampunk styled watch that incorporated actual pieces of metal from the famous sunken ship in its construction.
The Skylab series is similarly a departure from the norm, drawing inspiration from space and spacecraft, as previously seen in models like the Moon Dust DNA. The watches take direct design cues from the structure of the Apollo 11 Skylab, and are characterised by large, ‘airlock’ style cases and skeletonised dials, offering a distinctively science fiction appeal. The Skylab 48 Speed Metal Skulls is part of this series, a limited edition of just nine pieces that adds another motif into the mix: skulls.
The inner bezel of the watch features 12 neatly painted little red enamel skulls that act as hour markers. Small and superbly finished, they add the perfect touch of quirkiness to the watch. The case is made from stainless steel black PVD, and measures a substantial 48mm. It preserves the overall space age design, and features a lovely skeletonised dial, chromed in black. The hands have an open worked, structural appeal, like the steel girders of a building frame, and are rhodiumed and satin-brushed, applied with SuperlumiNova. Through the dial you can make out the manual, in-house calibre RJ004-M, which beats at 28,800 vph and has a maximum power reserve of 48 hours.
The watch comes on a black leather strap, that features red stitching which complements the red skulls perfectly. It’s a cool looking timepiece with just the right mix of eccentricity and wearability, keeping well within the Romain Jerome MO.
