News Central

New York, NY (July 25, 2011) - Celebrating its 35^th year, RAYMOND WEIL has made a name for themselves in the watch making industry as an independent, dynamic and innovative spirit with collections that exude refinement with a contemporary feel. With the 35^th year come innovative new collections and exciting new Brand sponsorships marking fresh brand initiatives for the Company. Developing new collections with the RAYMOND WEIL consumer at the core of product development while also remaining true to their horological roots, the Brand's new designs and strong initiatives have launched with tremendous success.

RAYMOND WEIL CELEBRATES 35^TH ANNIVERSARY WITH A FULLY AUTOMATIC WATCH COLLECTION

new trends in luxury watch making come alive with the brands independence

With the Company developing more automatic time pieces, the new collections offer more complication and modern trends. Being a family run and operated Company, there is more control over the design and manufacturing process, which lends itself to better serve the RAYMOND WEIL customer by offering high quality timepieces at a competitive price point. The latest introduction is the maestro collection, which had a soft launch during Baselworld 2010 and a full collection launch at Baselworld 2011. The maestro collection is the first fully automatic pieces for both men and women. Additionally, the collection includes moon phase, chronograph with day/date complications and yellow gold and rose gold accents.

Offering an entirely automatic collection gives not only male consumers, but also female consumers, the opportunity to be part of the pinnacle of Swiss watch making history and own a mechanical timepiece. With the maestro collection, the brand is catering to their clientele by recognizing that both men and women alike desire a higher level of craftsmanship with more complication in their watches. Today's consumer understands the importance of quality craftsmanship with their luxury purchases and by designing a fully-automatic collection, RAYMOND WEIL provides both men and women the option of obtainable luxury time pieces with a high level of craftsmanship and complication combined.

The U.S. collection is comprised of a total of 10 style numbers with a variety of bracelet and strap options, not including a commemorative maestro 35^th Anniversary Edition. Priced from $1295 - $2950, maestro provides patrons an eclectic mix of styles that present a variety of price points and design preferences. The special edition commemorative 35^th Anniversary timepiece will come complete in a signature wooden box with a maestro baton. With a solid 18k yellow case, the automatic piece on a black full skin alligator strap will retail for $10,000 – the highest price point in the collection.

"Key factors in the brand's success include the constant renewal of its product range," says Olivier Bernheim, CEO of RAYMOND WEIL. "We achieve this with the introduction of new, increasingly sophisticated mechanical timepieces and strengthening collections to reach an even broader, but more exclusive clientele."

Additionally, keeping true to the Brand's support for the arts and, most importantly, music, RAYMOND WEIL is thrilled to support and partner with the VH1 Save the Music Foundation. This will be the first time that RAYMOND WEIL will be working with VH1 Save the Music, a reputable foundation dedicated to restoring instrumental music education programs, ensuring that every child has access to a complete education that includes the benefits of music instruction. RAYMOND WEIL will support VH1 Save the Music throughout the fourth quarter with a product promotion where a portion of the sales of the maestro collection will go to the foundation. The Brand will also be a co-sponsor of the VH1 Save the Music Songwriter's series in Los Angeles where performers will be presented maestro collection pieces and a variety of events will take place to surrounding the series to support both the Brand and the foundation.

"Music has always been at the center of the RAYMOND WEIL universe, with the musical connotations of its collection names, its partnerships with the greatest musical competitions, and with a family of music-lovers and musicians at the head of the company," says Elie Bernheim, head of global Marketing for the Brand. "This partnership with VH1 Save the Music allows us the chance to give back to an art that we feel so strongly about."

The Swiss family-owned RAYMOND WEIL, founded in Geneva in 1976, enjoys a special position in the exclusive world of luxury watch making. Independence is the essential value of RAYMOND WEIL Genève's state of mind.

RAYMOND WEIL, both nationally and internationally, has created a strong presence in the arts, with a direct tie to music and opera through sponsorship and naming of their collections. RAYMOND WEIL prides itself in aestheticism, watch making know-how and creativity, the core values that consolidate the basis of the brand's philosophy.

Press Release