Tedeschi on Romain Jerome spinning a Spider’s web

“Day & Night” magazine caught up with Marco Tedeschi, the new CEO of Romain Jerome, on the side lines of SIHH 2018. We bring you a sneak peek of his future plans for the haute horlogerie marque, and the brand’s latest offering – Spider-Man

We at “Day & Night” magazine would like to congratulate you on your new role as CEO of Romain Jerome (RJ). What are your future plans for the brand?

We do have big plans. Today is my first day in my new role. We are planning to refocus on what we do best, where the brand has been and is very successful, which is the DNA case watches. We have the Titanic DNA and the Moon Dust. We are planning to create a new product line based on this very special case, which has the original DNA of RJ: the paws on the sides of the case, a specially designed horn, as well as the characteristic arrow-shaped hands.

We are, in a way, going to re-launch the brand through this line. When I first joined, my first concern was on the lack of a collection; my interest is in products and that is what I look at first. The idea is to build a collection and continue our fantastic collaborations.

Will RJ continue its wildly fluctuating pricing structure or would you go in for more stable pricing in the future?

The brand worked on many opportunities that resulted in very successful products, but over the years, there has been a lack of coherence in the pricing. When you go in too many different directions, there is a resulting confusion. Our goal now is to refocus on what we do best, and redraw pricing strategy and product structure.

Can you tell us your collaborations for the Spiderman and Batman?

They are two separate collaborations; DC Comics (Batman) is with Warner Bros. Entertainment, and Marvel (Spider-Man) is with The Walt Disney Company. It is really fantastic for a small, independent brand like ours to get such partnerships. Those are two of my favourite products, and it is very important for us to build a strong relationship with those two brands for our future products.

Your contracts with them are for those specific characters or for all their character lines?

Our contract is limited to only those specific characters, but we might extend it in the future. We are already discussing some projects together.

Is RJ’s collaboration with Namco, which resulted in watches such as Pac-Man and Space Invaders two years ago, still in effect?

It is still in force, and we are launching a new collaboration watch at Baselworld. That is also a very interesting partnership because those icons talk to a lot of people and reminds them of their childhood.

What is the price segment you are looking at for your core product line?

At this point in time, we are still working on it, but we are probably going to be slightly less expensive than at present. The idea is to be more commercial and more aggressive in pricing as well, offering more value for money.

Would you like to tell RJ aficionados what they can anticipate and look forward to?

Yes, one important goal for me is to retain the DNA of the brand and to continue feeding this amazing community of RJ fans. I have met a few of them over the past few days, and it is interesting that the brand has its own world, and they can definitely expect us to continue being the same while also reaching new heights with our new products.

RJ x Spider-Man

Romain Jerome has once again joined forces with one of the biggest entertainment companies in the world to release a unique collection dedicated to the most agile Super Hero, Spider-Man. The 75-piece limited edition is presented in RJ’s elegant Skylab case, which follows the rule of a classic round-shaped case with 4 lugs.

Enhanced with the 4 paws characteristic of the brand, the all black 48mm case reveals a skeleton movement offering endless transparency. This modern 3-layer movement featuring straight bridges and chamfered angles is designed by RJ. The intricacy of the model also resides in the different perspectives on the dial and the elements that intertwine – the central spider-shaped applique, the transparency of the skeleton as well as the web metallised on the sapphire crystal.

The Super Hero is evoked through a timeless spider logo taking centre stage on the dial. The spider is probably the best evocation of the character, Peter Parker. Once a shy science nerd, his life is changed forever when the bite of a radioactive spider grants him amazing arachnid-like abilities. In collaboration with MARVEL, the RJ x Spider-Man timepiece pays tribute to a true generational symbol, a pop icon with an ever-growing fandom.