It`s ironic to make a time piece that celebrates death. Every second that ticks away is one more second closer to demise, but Romain Jerome celebrates death with a series of high end and flamboyant watches. The Dia De Los Muertos watch is truly one of a kind.
Every year the entire country of Mexico honors the dead with a holiday. The celebration is colorful and jubilant, which is echoed in the design of this unique time piece. A traditional Dia de Los Muertos skull lays front and center of the watch face. It is colorful. It is eye catching and it sits as juxtaposition in a watch with all black.
The skull is a very light pink, bone color but sits in the watch in a masculine way. It is crowned in bright red flowers at the 12, 2, 6 and 10 o`clock positions. The flowers are the only indicators you will get of the hours. All the attention is supposed to be for the skull. Time doesn`t exist for the dead. Time is secondary.
The skull is decorated with intricate markings that play as if they are the stems of the roses that crown the skull. There are small green leaf details and all the lines of the design lead the eye to the cross on the skull`s forehead. Dia de Los Muertos is a very spiritual holiday and is closely tied to Christianity. Romain Jerome pays careful tribute to that with this piece.
The teeth and eyes are highlighted with gold. You might even get the impression that the skull is smiling at you from beyond the grave. This emulates the happy and jubilant flavor of the holiday; another irony contained in this collector`s time piece.
The case is bold and black. There are polished, gloss black spots that sit on top of flat black. This gives the piece visual texture and helps draw the eye. The smooth black crown is held into place by gun metal clamps and there is a simple winder that sits off to the right side. The textured gun metal bezels hold this unique casing to the textured black leather straps. The wrinkled texture of the straps serves as juxtaposition to the sleek black of the casing. It is ironic to make a designer watch that celebrates death but Romain Jerome celebrates Dia de Los Muertos effectively with this unique time piece.