A Hands-On Introduction To The New Raymond Weil A.R.T. Collection
Ever since Raymond Weil won the GPHG Challenge Watch Prize in 2023 with the Millesime, the brand has been on a roll. The Millesime collection really shows that stylish Swiss-made watches don’t have to break the bank. The same goes for last year’s dressier Toccata Heritage Series. Now, the brand, led by Raymond Weil’s grandson Elie Berheim, is ready to enter the highly competitive genre of integrated-bracelet sports watches with its brand-new A.R.T. collection. The watches come in full stainless steel or stainless steel with a gold-tone PVD-treated bezel, center links, and crown. For the dial, you can choose between graphite, sage gray, or blue.
A.R.T. stands for “art, refinement, and timekeeping.” With its Millesime and Toccata collections, Raymond Weil showed that it has mastered refinement and timekeeping. Let’s see whether we can also add art to the list after taking a quick look at the new A.R.T. collection.
The new Raymond Weil A.R.T. collection
As mentioned, the A.R.T. collection marks Raymond Weil’s entry into the crowded genre of sports watches with integrated bracelets. The fully stainless steel watches, with or without a touch of yellow gold PVD, have a 38mm case with a 10mm thickness and 42mm length. Including the first center link on either side of the bracelet, it leaves a roughly 45mm “footprint” on the wrist. That makes the A.R.T Date, as it’s officially called, a fairly compact watch.
The case and H-link bracelet have a very straightforward ’70s design and feature a mainly brushed finish. However, there’s a polished bevel that accentuates their soft lines nicely. It matches the brushed and polished bezel, which has a 36mm diameter. The bezel features four notches that I didn’t even realize were there until I had already spent quite some time with the watches. At 3 o’clock is a fluted and signed push-and-pull crown. Somehow, the RW logo on it always reminds me of Robbie Williams. Anyway, with the crown, you can operate the RW4200 automatic movement inside.
That movement is based on the familiar and reliable Sellita SW200-1, so it runs at 28,800 vph, features 26 jewels, and has a power reserve of 41 hours. You can’t see it because the case has an all-steel snap-on case back. Despite the back not being a screw-in type, the A.R.T. still has a 100m water resistance rating.
Pick your combo
For the dial, you can choose between blue, sage gray, and graphite (black) if you go for the stainless steel A.R.T. If you opt for the stainless steel and yellow gold PVD version, you are limited to either blue or graphite. No matter which color you go for, they all feature the same subtle sunburst finish and share the same layout with baton hands and matching applied indexes. Because the concentric-grained minute track is slightly lower than the rest of the dial, the indexes hover over it, creating a sense of depth. If you opt for the two-tone version of the A.R.T., the hands and indexes match the gold-colored case parts.
At 3 o’clock, there’s a cutout for the date window. Because of its size, it’s easy to read, and there’s no need for a magnifier on the fully flat sapphire crystal. The date disk underneath is always white, matching the lume on the indexes. Otherwise, the dial is very clean, featuring just the Raymond Weil wordmark at 12 o’clock and the “Swiss Made” text on the chapter ring at 6.
On the wrist
Honestly, the Raymond Weil A.R.T., with its 38mm case, is the perfect size for my 17cm wrist. It’s nice and slim, and the bracelet curves perfectly around my wrist without any noticeable gaps. The A.R.T. case and bracelet feel solid, just like you’d expect from an integrated-bracelet sports watch.
The only thing that annoys me is the overlapping RW logo on the bracelet. You can’t just close the bracelet without looking. You have to close one end before the other, or else it won’t close. The push buttons on the butterfly clasp, on the other hand, feel sturdy and work well. There’s no micro-adjustment option, though, or any quick-release system on the bracelet. To my knowledge, there aren’t any rubber or leather straps available yet either.
My favorite version of the A.R.T. would be the all-steel model with the blue dial. That’s the one that speaks to me the most, as the gray-dial version lacks a bit of contrast, and the black-dial one is a bit too standard. The two-tone versions look nice too, but I think I’d wear the all-steel version much more.
Original enough?
So, can we justify the “art” part in A.R.T.? Well, as I said, the market for integrated-bracelet sports watches is highly competitive. Many brands have already released their takes on this very popular genre, making it increasingly difficult for others to present something original. I feel Raymond Weil definitely played it safe here, as you can clearly see the resemblance to other popular watches in the category. I don’t think it’ll surprise anyone if I tell you the IWC Ingenieur is the one that comes to mind most.
Calling the new Raymond Weil A.R.T. “art” might go a bit too far, then. Nevertheless, at €1,995 / US$1,995 / £1,895 for the all-steel versions and €2,095 / US$2,095 / £1,995 for the two-tone ones, the Raymond Weil A.R.T. is a strong value proposition with great proportions and build quality. Time will tell whether its design is original enough to beat other popular options in the same genre.
What do you think of Raymond Weil’s new A.R.T. collection? Let us know in the comments below.
