Raymond Weil remains one of the few family-owned and independent watch brands in the world today. Most recently, they revitalized their Freelancer line – the company’s flagship collection – by releasing a 2022 iteration of the previous releases. The new piece, dubbed the Raymond Weil Freelancer Chronograph 7741 Watch, comes in several colorways, including Panda, Rose Gold, and Green. Let’s take a closer look at this new Freelancer and what it has to offer.
Through its official website Raymond Weil, they published the technical data for its latest release. Here is what you should know:
Raymond Weil has gone out of its way to design this new Freelancer iteration. The dial is a combination of subtle and less subtle details that include outer grooved snailed with applied indices to create a 3D textured aesthetic. Also, every subdial features the classic tri-compax configuration and a black outer dial (Panda), silver outer dial (Green), and a two-tone dial (Rose Gold). The Raymond Weil logo appears on the inner circle of the watch’s main dial, with the green contrasting perfectly with the silver indices. If you do not like a lot of contrast on your wrist, you will love the Panda colorway, which has the least contrasting indices – silver on a white dial. The Rose Gold, on the other hand, sports a silver dial and PVD indices. In this version, Raymond Weil used silver on the white dial instead of just throwing rose gold elements into the watch. The overall effect is a classier look, with the indices standing out elegantly from the white dial. The hands on the Freelancer Chronograph 7741 are lumed with Super-Luminova. Sadly, the indices received only small pips of the lume on the outer edges, which means that they do not easily stand out in the dark unless the watch was previously exposed to full light before entering low light. That said, Freelancer pieces are not dive watches, so they do not need a highly visible lume. You should enjoy the dial just fine unless you plan to use the watch mostly at night.
The Raymond Weil Freelancer Chronograph 7741 comes with a 43.5mm stainless steel case complete with polished and brushed surfaces. The indexes and hands are lined with legible luminescent treatment that adds legibility in restricted lighting. Compared to its predecessor, the new Freelancer is quite large, sitting at 52 mm (lug to lug), 13.7 mm (height), and 43.5 mm (case width). This is a commendable and bold move by the brand since most watchmakers seem to be going smaller, not larger.
The new Freelancer sports a scratch-resistant ceramic inlay bezel with tachymeter scale markings that give the watch an air of luxury and refinement. Its 12-hour and 30-minute registers are adorned with highly legible and simple but stunning white hands with silver-toned circlet framings on all three counters. Thanks to the snailed hour track and slightly smoked dial, this timepiece is handsome with a captivating texture and overall remarkable allure.
The clasp is an RW folding pusher with a double mechanism, which means you can easily adjust it. The clasp may not be as sturdy as you would like, and it retains some movement after you shut the clasp head. Moreover, the finishing is less refined than other rivals in this class. Fortunately, the steel bracelet offsets some of these issues by being easy to slip off and on and sitting comfortably on the wrist.
Visible through the new freelancer Chronograph 7741’s Caseback is a capable movement – the automatic Calibre RW5030. This movement comes with a 56-hour power reserve, which, while not as impressive as other rival brands, is unlikely to run out on you. It is not an in-house movement, but Raymond Weil did modify it in-house (it is actually a Sellita movement). Overall, it is quite appealing with several admirable features, a clean finish, and a classic combination of Cotes de Geneve and Pearlage on the main plates, bridges, and rotor.
The new Freelancer comes in several dial variants available with a color-coordinated strap or 5-rows bracelet. The colorways are bold, to say the least, with each one being less subtle and slightly larger than its predecessors. Essentially, every buyer should find a piece that meets their tastes. The options are:
The Raymond Weil Freelancer Chronograph 7741 is the newest addition to a diverse collection. The Freelancer already includes four timeless pieces with classic styling and a pop of color and design. With this latest iteration, Raymond Weil is offering nothing but the best. The watch will retail at between $3,150 and $3,250, according to A Blog to Watch.
The Raymond Weil Freelancer Chronograph 7741 is a remarkable watch with incredible features and design elements. The RW5030 movement, with its 56-hour power reserve, is further evidence that RW did not skimp on this piece. In addition, buyers can look forward to 100-meter water resistance, sapphire crystal complete with an anti-reflective coating, and several impressive colorways. The dial is perhaps the most striking feature of this new freelance and, combined with the jubilee style bracelet, gives the Chronograph 7741 an air of classic elegance. If you love a sports watch or appreciate fine timepieces, you cannot go wrong with the Raymond Weil Freelancer Chronograph 7741.
Lily Wordsmith is a freelance writer who has had a love affair with the written word for decades. You can find her writing blog posts and articles while sitting under a tree at the local park watching her kids play, or typing away on her tablet in line at the DMV. In addition to her freelance career, she is pursuing ebook writing with an ever-growing repertoire of witty ebooks to her name. Her diversity is boundless, and she has written about everything from astrobotany to zookeepers. Her real passions are her family, baking desserts and writing science fiction.
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