Freedom of Materials – Romain Jerome Liberty-DNA

Suisse manufacturer Romain Jerome is never weary of pushing the boundaries regarding materials applied in their timepieces. I haven’t been a fan of everything they produce, but I can relate to paying homage to a certain subject through each timepiece.

Romain Jerome likes to pay tribute to icons of all kind and attempt to use actual parts from the stellar, natural and manmade marvels all around us. 

Romain Jerome’s latest model, the Liberty-DNA, features metal, or copper to be exact, from the actual Statue of Liberty thus paying homage to the iconic landmark. The material was acquired through the Statue of Liberty Ellis Island Foundation so it hasn’t been hacked off the actual Miss Liberty by a group of misfits, to be molded into a watch.

The material has been applied on the dial, mimicking the green oxidized look of the statue. The dial is complimented by bronze-like hands but lack any form of indices. Besides the hands, the dial is adorned with the RJ-logo and the name of the watch in bronze. The bezel is made of bronze as well and features 12 tips, almost like a guard. Despite the absence of indices, the 12 tips of the bezel are conveniently usable as hour markers. Just like the Anonimo Millimetri Polluce Bronze I discussed earlier, the bezel will acquire a characteristic patina over the years.

Furthermore, the case features four “clasps” that seem to grab on to the bezel, like most Romain Jerome watches have. The base for the case is steel with a black PVD-coating and measures 46mm in diameter. The caseback is decorated with an engraving of the torch she holds in her right hand. The watch is fitted with a brown leather strap, almost giving it a vintage appeal unlike I have seen on previous Romain Jerome models.

The movement featured inside the Liberty-DNA is the RJ001-A Automatic, with no other complications or functions besides the hours and minutes. The base movement of caliber RJ001-A is a Valjoux/ETA 7750, stripped from the date and chronograph functions. It beats at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations an hour, contains 23 jewels and it packs 42 hours of power reserve. The watch is water resistant up to 30 meters. Not overly impressive of exceptional, but then again you wouldn’t want to do anything else with it then fall victim to the occasional light shower of rain.

The Romain Jerome Liberty-DNA is limited to 125 pieces, and is available at a price of $ 14,900. So if you fancy a bit of an American (or French?) icon on the wrist, and a conversation piece at the next company picnic take this one in consideration. If only I had a way to convince the misses…. Oh Honey! I bought another watch! 

Check out the Romain Jerôme website for more information.

This article is written by Robin Nooij, contributing writer for Monochrome Watches.