AHigh-end watchmaker RJ and MARVEL Studios are collaborating to create Haute Horlogerie watches inspired by the amazing Spider-Man. The second in the series created by RJ – the new ARRAW Spider-Man Tourbillon – channels Spider-Man’s iconic style through every component, as RJ unveils its first in-house tourbillon movement entirely made in-house
In a first for the Swiss watchmaker, the highly innovative Spider-Man inspired central tourbillon movement was developed and produced wholly in-house at RJ Studio in Eysins, located on the shores of Lake Geneva. The young RJ Studio team represents a new wave of watchmaking focused on developing and manufacturing timepieces notable as much for their technical originality as their unparalleled aesthetics and cultural relevance. These unconventional watches excite the interest of comics and superhero fans as well as watch enthusiasts.
Marco Tedeschi, CEO and Creative Director of RJ, explains how for the first time, a character and his universe has inspired the marque not only in the aesthetics, but also in the technicality of the movement. And it is no coincidence that they chose a tourbillon, which is light, rapid and ethereal. The watch’s increased power reserve of more than six days makes a fitting tribute to Spider-Man’s own endurance and performance.
ARRAW Spider-Man Tourbillon
With its first in-house central tourbillon – the RJ-7000 – the watchmaker set out to achieve a remarkably long power reserve that necessarily requires an oversized barrel. The barrel was placed at the centre of the movement to accommodate its substantial width, spanning almost the entire dial. This clever design enabled the movement to generate a power reserve of 150 hours (more than six days).
The sizeable barrel naturally meant that the tourbillon cage had to be placed above it, at the centre of the movement and on the same axis. This unique construction provides a fantastic view of the regulator. The hours and minutes are displayed in a unique peripheral format, made possible by a planetary gear system that orbits 360° around the tourbillon. The movement’s construction is entirely and uniquely coaxial. A 12-factor gear ratio allows the planetary minutes system to empower the progression of the hours.
Adding to this innovation, the hour and minute display system is fixed on two very wide and high-precision ball bearings in order to optimise the movement’s efficiency as much as possible. The hands have been shaped to mimic the legs of the Spider icon. The grade 5 titanium tourbillon cage and the going wheel train feature an openwork design shaped like a spider web, emphasising lightness. Affixed on the main plate, the black eyes of the Spider-Man mask stand out thanks to their distinctive contrast finishing.
Made in a 45 mm case adorned with the trademarked RJ BUMPERS in rubber, the ARRAW Spider-Man tourbillon is available in two materials with each version limited to only 10 pieces. The first, in red, is crafted in a high-performance composite that combines superposed layers of black carbon and red fibreglass. The material is incredibly light and also offers a finely textured matte surface. The second variation is made entirely of carbon in stealth black. Its shimmering grey-and-anthracite tone imparts the piece with a strong yet sleek look, perfectly suited to Spider-Man.
In order to maintain perfect symmetry, the ARRAW Spider-Man Tourbillon case has no crown. Winding of the barrel’s mainspring is done by lifting a hoop found on the case back then turning it like a key. This mechanism enables faster winding than with a traditional crown. To set the time, the wearer presses a concealed push button under the strap at 6 o’clock while turning the hoop in either direction.
The case back features a cartridge engraving technique. The letters are polished and stand out from the micro-blasted back surface. Four sapphire crystals on the case back allow maximum visibility of the movement.
The strap of the ARRAW Spider-Man tourbillon is made of black polyamide and recalls the texture of the superhero’s suit. It is embellished with the Spider icon that has been thermoformed on the bracelet in-between the lugs and reinforced with a black rubber inlay for optimal durability and comfort.
The ARRAW Spider-Man Tourbillon is equipped with the interchangeable ARRAW strap system, allowing the strap to be released with a simple ‘click’ by pressing simultaneously on the two lug screws. On the clasp, a lever releases the strap from the deployment buckle, without requiring any tools.
A spider watch box
For the first time the ARRAW watch box, characterised by its round shape and the iconic four RJ BUMPERS, has been customised with Spider-Man’s attributes. Made of black wood, the watch box resembles a spider thanks to the eight spider legs fixed to the side. Spider-Man’s web and logo are also engraved on the lid.
Inside the box, the watch appears captured in a spider web made of steel. This part is removeable, making the watch box easy to repurpose as desired. Each collaboration represents an opportunity for RJ to reinterpret Haute Horlogerie and to push back its limits. The essence of legendary characters can be found in these watches, from the aesthetic to the very components of the movement.
RJ
RJ designs and produces recognisable, ambitious, and culturally relevant luxury Swiss watches. RJ ARRAW, the brand’s core collection for men and women, is distinguishable by its trademarked RJ BUMPERS and ingenious interchangeable strap system. RJ has made its own mark on modern watchmaking with its Collaboration watch series, which draws inspiration from icons of pop culture, from superheroes of DC Comics or Marvel, like Batman and Spider-Man, to beloved video game characters like Super Mario Bros., Space Invaders, or Pac-Man.
The brand has brought history-making material to the wrist with its DNA Concept watches, using steel from the Titanic, genuine moon dust, or remnants from the Apollo 11 spacecraft which first landed man on the moon.
Founded in 2004 and re-launched in 2018 under the creative direction of CEO Marco Tedeschi, RJ manufactures its own in-house movements at the brand’s headquarters, RJ Studio, based out of Geneva, Switzerland.
Marvel
Marvel Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters that have featured in a variety of media over seventy-five years. Marvel utilises its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing.
RJ launches Spider-Man collection at SIAR
RJ and Spider-Man took over the Salon Internacional Alta Relojeria (SIAR), the high-end watchmakers’ forum at Mexico City, on October 15 to launch its Spider-Man high-end watch collection in partnership with MARVEL. The Swiss watchmaker debuted the ARRAW Spider-Man Tourbillon – the brand’s first complication designed and produced entirely in-house – and the ARRAW Spider-Man – an in-house mechanical openworked timepiece – at the annual SIAR event in Mexico City.
In an appearance endorsed by MARVEL, RJ was joined by the legendary web-slinger Spider-Man to officially launch the collection.
