Independents

Considered polarizing by some, sharing my RJ Titanic DNA, created for the 2012 100th Anniversary of the famous and tragic sinking. There are three elements of this watch that are connected to the Titanic. The bezel is stabilized hull steel and the dial burnished with coal from the engine room, both recovered by Robert Ballard when he found the wreck in 1985, and the caseback is Titanic steel remaining in the collection of Harland and Wolff, HMS Titanic shipbuilder, from Belfast in Northern Ireland - all materials are certified by H&W.

The "Concepto" automatic movement is a 23 jewel, 28.8K vib/h caliber C22RJ51 by Jacquet with a 42-hour power reserve.

i recognize not all will find the aesthetic -or story- appealing. Personally, I love them both. The busy dial includes elements that are supposed to represent the bulkhead doors found on the ship, with this extending to the exterior of the case via the "pistons" that connect to the locking mechanism.

Given that the Titanic us now a UNESCO World Heritage site, no further materials can be removed and therefore I feel fortunate to have a piece of the ship and its momentous story, to commemorate the event and keep it ever-present in our memories.

The strap is a black and grey brushed sharkskin that seemed fitting, and I find far more comfortable than the thick OEM rubber strap.

RJ makes some peculiar watches for sure - Pokemon, PacMan, Space Invaders, etc. However, those in the DNA collection are really quite something: This one, the Moon watch with moondust dial, and in particular, the Liberty DNA with copper from the skin of the Statue of Liberty are really quite something to see in person and add a lot of character and certainly make for good conversation starters.

Enjoy!

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