Día De Los Muertos Celebrated Timely and Fashionably with RJ- Romain Jerome

Día De Los Muertos Celebrated Timely and Fashionably with RJ- Romain Jerome

Adrienne Faurote
By Adrienne Faurote November 2, 2012

This year, luxury watch maker RJ-Romain Jerome joins in the colourful Mexican traditional celebration of Day of the Dead or día de los muertos by unveiling a new timepiece inspired by the iconic ancient custom which has been celebrated in the Latin American country for possibly thousands of years.

The Day of the Dead is an opportunity for Mexicans to laugh at death, and the brightly colored decorations which are found everywhere in the nation feature skulls and skeletons in everyday situations people would find themselves in, making the occasion a humorous and ironic one.  The día de los muertos is a lively festival; and the iconography associated with it is catching on in other parts of the globe.

RJ Romain Jerome’s nod to the holiday which was celebrated on November 1 is a stunning watch available in two formats which, on its dial, incorporates traditional Mexican Day of the Dead imagery:  the candied skull.  While the skull featured on the watch certainly isn’t made of sugar, it is handcrafted appliqué with a champlevé decoration that has been cold-enamelled in seven colors.

The seven colors of the appliqué represent the seven stages or phases through which the departed must pass in order to achieve a final resting place.  The black PVD coated case is steel, and the paws and bezel are done in black ceramic.  The RJ logo is applied, along with the brand’s signature X-shape engraving on the dial.  Tying everything together in a sombre mood evoking día de los muertos-appropriate “festive gloom” is a black Hornback alligator strap.

RJ-Romain Jerome pays tribute to Mexico and its famed November celebration with this beautifully crafted yet light-hearted watch; one can say the haute horlogerie brand is having a timely laugh at death.

 

Story and photo courtesy of RJ-Romain Jerome