Black is the new black, you know, and the new Raymond Weil Nabucco Rivoluzione (ref. RW-7810-BSF-05207) automatic chronograph is among the best ways to prove this.
The original Nabucco collection was first unveiled more than two years ago. Although the word “Nabucco” is currently mostly known for the ambitious project of building a major pipeline that will allow transporting natural gas from Turkey to Austria to weaken Gazprom’s stranglehold over its European customers, the name of the collection is possibly inspired by the famous opera by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi.
While handsome and well-executed, the Nabucco always missed that secret ingredient that transforms a nice watch into an object of desire. I just can’t imagine myself or any other guy saving breakfast money to get one of them for the next Christmas.
The new Nabucco Rivoluzione has a good chance to eventually change the fate of the collection for the better.
Its 46 mm case is made of titanium and steel and is coated with black PVD, while its sides are decorated with ultra-light carbon-fiber material, which is a breath of fresh air in a world obsessed with ceramics of different colors.
Of course, the watch is coming with a matte black dial and black hour and minute hands that are covered with some unidentified black substance (must be Superluminova taking into account the price of this model), which is supposed to glow in the dark. So do the hour indices.
The only hint of color is provided with the central second hand and hour and minute hands of the chronograph. The small-seconds hand at 9 o’clock is also completely black.
To my taste, the white (or light gray) marks on the bezel and all three chronograph totalizers somehow subtract from the gadget’s modest beauty without adding too much legibility, but that’s something I am ready to live with.
As to the internal workings, there is nothing sensational at all. The Nabucco Rivoluzione is powered by an ETA Valjoux 7753 native chronograph movement, which is both reliable and accurate and also features a power reserve of 46 hours.
The only real problem with this beautiful timepiece is its somewhat high price tag of around €5,000. I mean, even despite the titanium case and being a high-grade member of the ETA 775x family as a powerplant, charging more than $7000 at the current exchange rate is a bit too much for the brand. Well, perhaps you would have to wait for a little till the piece gets to reputable online stores and buy one of these beauties after the usual 40-50 percent discount that they are usually subjected to after a while.
See also: Blancpain Speed Command Chronograph
Photos: Raymond Weil
Raymond Weil Nabucco Rivoluzione Chronograph (ref. RW-7810-BSF-05207) specification
Price: €5,000 (MSRP)
Movement: ETA Valjoux 7753, automatic, 28,800 vph, 27 jewels, Swiss Made
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph, date
Power reserve: 46 hours
Case: Stainless steel, titanium, solid case back
Size: 46.00 mm
Case height: 15.50 mm
Dial: Black, with three chronograph totalizers
Hands: Black, luminous
Numerals: Arabic (at the 12 o’clock)
Hour markers: Applied, luminous
Water resistance: 200 meters
Strap: Saddle-stitched black Crocodylus niloticus (their choice of words, not mine) strap, RW folding clasp in black titanium, with double push-piece security
Crystal: Sapphire, 2.5mm thick, anti-reflective on both sides