Horological Meandering

Foreword: the pictured watch is a prototype and some details will change like the readability of the hours display.

It had to happen: after having put invaders and aliens on the dials or having walked on the Moon, Manuel Emch has transformed his last watch into a spacecraft! The Spacecraft (because it is also the name of the watch) marks a real turning point for Romain Jerome: undoubtedly, it embodies a new watchmaking and aesthetic ambition that foreshadows the direction that the brand wishes to take during the coming years.

The Spacecraft is at the same time a return to the 1970s and 1980s: inspired by the watches "Casquette" like the MB&F HM5 which was unveiled a few months ago, it escapes from the shackles of this concept through an ambitious artistic approach. If the basic principle of digital display watches symbolizes the period of the swan song of mechanical watches due to the rising quartz, the trapeze shape, the angles, the facetted surface, the case treatments, the aerodynamics of the design are more reminiscent of Darth Vader's helmet or of some buildings created by a very inspired architect. It must be said that two impressive fairies were around the cradle of this Spacecraft. The Jean-Marc Wiederrecht & Eric Giroud duet hit one more time the bull's eye by reconciling the watchmaking contents and the originality of the display with the daring design.


Two words came me to mind when I discovered for the first time the Spacecraft: Audacity and consistency. Audacity is expressed through the voluntarily unusual and warlike style  of the titanium case treated with a black PVD. It is indeed an alien ship  not necessarily driven by the best intentions that ended up on my wrist. Colors, the alternation of grey, black, the very sharp shapes, the touch of red of the time display, the upper part which is reminiscent of a stealth aircraft, contribute to this sense of hostile atmosphere. The watch has a strong character for my deepest pleasure! Romain Jerome escaped from the world of fine sentiments and I find that this "mastered" aggression reminded me some Urwerk and Horological Machine. I just hope that the softening work of some design features that was planned after my visit  won't be too pronounced as clearly marked angles are part of the DNA of the Spacecraft and contribute greatly to its success.






Consistency comes from the perfect symbiosis of design and the time display. The hours are indicated through a red spring-driven carriage which jumps every hour and goes back to the beginning at the end of the 12th hour. The Spacecraft is in my mind a chronograph, a watch that literally writes the time... and not an usual chronograph. Time "is written" thanks to a module developed by Agenhor, which adopts the principle of the typewriter carriage: it advances once per hour and at the end of the twelfth hour, it makes an instant return to reposition itself behind the window of the first hour. I appreciate the principle of jumping hours  on the digital display watches because it seems to be in the perfect context. No error of judgment nor bad reading: it is only at the sixtieth minute that the hour "jumps". But if we limit the display to only a jumping hours system  it would be too simple: the jumping  hours of the Spacecraft are also linear, lateral, and retrograde at the same time, can you imagine it?


The minutes can be read on the top surface of the watch. With a bit of practice, we can even find the right angle of the wrist that allows to  simultaneously read the hours and the  minutes. For optimal readability, it is better to forget this tip and to read the information one after the other. The dragging minutes are indicated through a black disk with a discreet red arrow located in the middle of the beadblasted titanium plates. The watch does however have no second hand nor any working indicator which could be a trouble for some people.

The display module is powered by an ETA2892 movement which is very good news due to its consistent behaviour  and its  reliability. I much prefer that original modules are powered by well known caliber as the ETA2892 or the GP3000 rather than by original movements when they don't bring any specific improvement. Jean-Marc Wiederrecht was able to fully concentrate his work in the specific development of the carriage which is the centrepiece of the watch. However, the weakness of the ETA2892 is its rather weak winding efficiency. This is the reason why I would have preferred a non screwed-down Crown to facilitate the handwinding from time to time.

The back of the watch is in the same atmosphere than with the other parts of the case: imagine a crossing of the Darth Vader's helmet with the head of a Transformer robot and you see the result.


The Spacecraft is worn with comfort thanks to the good positioning of the watch on the wrist. The black polyamide mesh strap is in the 'high tech' spirit and do not clash with the case. On the other hand, do not expect at any moment to put the Spacecraft under the shirt sleeve. The case shape makes this act... impossible. But after all, this is not a serious issue. Do you really consider to have a discreet and sober behaviour with such watch on the wrist?



You have understood it, I was very seduced by the Spacecraft. Obviously, some will make a comparison with the HM5 but I find that it would be a quick shortcut. The HM5 goes on the road and its display plays with lights and prisms. It is a watch that evokes freedom, the American dream and the insouciance of the beginning of the 1970s. The Spacecraft moves in space, is darker, more aggressive, and its display is radically different. Instead, I find interesting and exciting to discover in a few months  two watches inspired by the "Casquette" so opposite. In any case, no one can deny that with the Spacecraft, Romain Jerome has shifted into top gear thanks to the exclusive module and an ambicious  aesthetic approach.  The Spacecraft is sold in a limited edition of 99 watches at a "reasonable" price (around 21,000 CHF). it gives a good indicator on the future strategy of the brand that will alternate its collection of traditional pieces (if I may say so) with more inventive watches in terms of horological contents.
Thanks to the  Romain Jerome team for his warm welcome during the SIHH week in Geneva.


Pros & cons:

+:
- an exclusive module with an innovative time display
- a consistent and daring design
- a symbol of a new ambition for Romain Jerome
- a Wiederrecht&Giroud watch at an "affordable" price

-:
- a screwed-down crown not very useful for handwinding
- no indicator that the watch is running like a small second hand or something else


PS: I have to tell you that after my visit at the Romain Jerome office, I dediced to buy one Spacecraft. I think that I will have it within a few months. I know that it is a love&hate watch and that a lot of persons around me don't like it. But I consider it as a perfect addition to my collection. I had a lot of emotions when I put it on my wrist and this is the most important.

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