ROMAIN JEROME - Titanic-DNA: A la Grande

As part of its Titanic-DNA collection, timepieces inspired by and created in homage to the greatest maritime legend of the last century – The Titanic – the house of Romain Jerome presents a new interpretation of its automatic model: A la Grande

For Baselworld 2009, Yvan Arpa, CEO and designer of Romain Jerome, is re-interpreting the icon of his Titanic-DNA collection, bringing together into an original creation the exacerbated physical characteristics which have made his timepieces so successful, and which are here revisited in the grand style – A la Grande!

A la Grande presents a case with dimensions which are more generous than those of its predecessor, with a diameter of 50 mm, attaining 53 mm including the screw crown or clasps, the later being made of steel, ceramic or 5N pink gold depending on the model, and applied on a fully riveted oxidized bezel with pieces applied by hand by the craftsmen of the house of Romain Jerome.

The transverse cross which is an essential part of the design of the tourbillons and chronographs of the collection integrates the dial of the automatics and takes charge of the noble oxidation process *. Fashioned with 116 rivets, it is inspired by the hull and the boilers of the celebrated ship.

According to Yvan Arpa, « A la Grande is a piece which, in its design and its realization, aims towards the original design which I imagined creating for this collection in tribute to the Titanic. It will have taken us two years to fully master how to handle the rust and integrate it on the dials. In my family in Italy, when we invite friends to our house, we do things A la Grande, which means “without any compromise”, with the best possible food and wine to delight our guests. This is exactly the spirit that I wanted to convey in this timepiece. »

Technical Specifications

Movement: Concepto by Jacquet C22RJ51
Case: Steel, black ceramic. Diameter 50 mm.
Paws: Polish steel
Dial: Black with coal resulting from Titanic
Hands: Steel with Superluminova, inspired by the anchor of Titanic
Bezel: Stabilised oxidized steel*
Water resistancy: 5 Atm.
Function: Hour, minute
Strap: Crocodile full Hornback skin or black rubber
Clasp: Polished steel Folding Buckle
Limited Edition: 2012 pieces

*The rusted steel horological creations in the ‘Titanic DNA’ series features an oxidized steel bezel which is the result of an extraordinary blend of authentic steel from the wreck lying 3840 meters under the sea, and from the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, where the Titanic was constructed nearly a century ago. Official certificates of authenticity guarantee the origin of materials used.

Source: Romain Jerome