WATCH REVIEW Raymond Weil Nabucco Rivoluzione

Foreword

Raymond Weil is a family business which has preserved its independence since 1976.
Its rather classic collections is now energized by the Nabucco series which offers models focusing on more modern designs and materials.

On the design side, the Rivoluzione model focuses on the sporty “All Black” look.

The black dial and hands, dark markers, generous size, screwed-in push pieces, angular crown protector, complete the sporty look of this self-winding watch.

Contrasts in Materials

Let’s address the recurring question of readability which comes up for watches with full dark finishes.

Indeed, the hour hands are polished and grey, similar to anthracite, while the chronograph‘s hands are blued.
The hands’ colors thus provide little contrast with the dial’s.

But the opposite is also true when it comes to the materials.

The reflection of the hands on the mat background provides an effective contrast and allows a level of readability that is more than satisfactory, and even surprising under full lighting.

The readability is noticeably diminished in poor lighting.

Both sides of the flat sapphire have been very efficiently treated with an antireflective coating to improve the readability.

Its “blued” appearance also lends itself well to the overall style of the watch.

However, the Super-LumiNova applied on the markers and hands only provides marginally effective visibility at night, and doesn’t last very long.

High Quality Finish

While the poor readability remains for many a noticeable weakness for this type of watch, the finishing on this Raymond Weil are of a very high quality and give it a real appeal.

First off, let’s look at the dial.
Entirely in relief, it happily compensates the lack of colors.
Its three hexagonal hollow screws are reminiscent of the ones on the lugs, and add to the coherence of the whole watch.

Next, we look at the case.
Made of titanium with a mat black coat of PVD, its sides are raised with perfectly cut and applied carbon inserts.
A touch of white appears on this scenery in the form of the numbers on the tachymetric bezel, engraved in black and steel-framed on the titanium bezel.
The overall job is very well executed.

The solid and clean finish back follows the same theme, made with black titanium, with
the RW raised logo as a bonus.

And last but not least, the strap.
Made with black crocodile skin, and very pleasant to the touch, it is complemented with a black titanium deployment clasp with a safety lock and a cleverly-designed adjustable band.

The band’s thickness near the lugs make is very rigid at that point. The appearance is unappealing when worn on a thin wrist, and it becomes a reminder of the watch’s imposing size, which is made less noticeable by the titanium when we hold the watch in our hand.
The overall comfort of the wristband would have been undisputedly improved by making the strap a little more flexible.

The icing on the cake is the gift of black titanium cuff links which are provided with this classy sports watch; they are a perfect addition to this watch and a delight for detailed-oriented fans.

Movement

Raymond Weil is using a well-known and proven movement to power this watch: the Valjoux 7753.
Without getting too much into the details, we’ll simply mention the movement’s well-known precision and sturdiness.
But we were disappointed that such a meticulous look and design was not complemented with a more original caliber.

We did note, however, that one of the 7753 known weaknesses – namely its lack of quick-date setting – is corrected on the Nabucco with the addition of a handy and practical push button to refresh the date.
This is what we call an excellent idea!