RJ Watches has underlined its status as the pre-eminent creator of unique watch collaborations by joining forces once more with one of the world’s biggest entertainment companies, Warner Bros. Consumer Products, on behalf of DC Entertainment.
For its latest creations, RJ is channelling its dark side with the launch of two DC Comics Villains watches that are inspired by two of Batman’s biggest enemies: The Joker and Two-Face.
The new collaboration builds on the global success of recent RJ creations like the Skylab Batman watch to deliver new watches that are based upon further iconic characters from the world of DC Entertainment.
Each watch will be produced in a limited edition of only 100 pieces and both The Joker and Two-Face versions will be the first collaborations to be presented in RJ’s all-new ARRAW watch case, the base for our signature collection. The Joker will be a self-winding chronograph and the Two-Face watch has a manual winding movement in striking skeleton format.
RJ Watches CEO and Creative Director Marco Tedeschi welcomed the latest collaboration:
“It is a statement of confidence in RJ’s place in both popular culture and watchmaking that Warner Bros and DC Entertainment have collaborated with us to bring their most infamous villains to life as rare, limited edition collectors’ watches. The villains of the DC Comics universe have always appealed to audiences around the world for their evil brilliance and ability to shock and thrill in equal measure. We believe that our first two DC Comics Villains watches will be a fitting tribute to their spirit of anarchy and disruption.”
THE JOKER – GUARANTEED TO PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE
Batman’s original nemesis The Joker has been the arch enemy of Gotham City’s crimefighter since the very first edition of the DC comic in 1940. A criminal mastermind with a warped and sadistic sense of humour, he is the very antithesis of the Dark Knight, in both looks and attitude.
The new RJ Joker watch is inspired by this cunning criminal and perfectly reproduces the aesthetic of the comic strip villain. Design cues from his flamboyant character appear throughout the watch, from his lethal razor-tipped playing cards to his striking facial make-up.
“The Joker watch is the perfect example of an RJ collaboration,” says Marco Tedeschi. “Like every RJ creation it is first and foremost a statement in horology, combining Swiss Made craftsmanship with the latest RJ ARRAW designs. It is also a bold statement in creativity and pop culture, taking its inspiration from one of DC Comics’ most flamboyant villains to create a watch that possesses the same flair and character.”
The Joker chronograph is presented in a circular satin-brushed 45mm titanium version of RJ’s new ARRAW case. Noticeable for its four iconic rubber bumpers, beautifully shaped lugs and arrow-shaped hands, the ARRAW watch case is crowned by a titanium bezel that is laser engraved with an intentionally chaotic Joker motif.
Beneath the anti-reflective sapphire glass, each Joker dial in the 100-piece limited edition is individually hand-painted, meaning no two Joker watches will have the exact same make-up. The watch dial itself is a stylistic interpretation of the Joker’s own face, with a finish that is intricately airbrushed to evoke the make-up of the Gotham villain: two black eyes sit at the centre of the dial which fades to white at the edges to reflect the Joker’s striking skin tones.
The ARRAW hands on the Joker watch are also uniquely stylised with playing card ‘Aces’ at their tips. The same ‘Aces’ are used as dial markers while the chronograph’s second hand is finished in Joker Purple with a stylised ‘J’ at its base.
The reverse of the titanium case features a bold laser-engraved portrait of the Joker himself, and each watch in the edition is individually numbered as a ‘One of 100 Limited Edition’.
Every RJ Joker watch comes with three interchangeable straps. Colourful alligator skin versions in bright green or purple with contrast stitching match the Joker’s hair and clothing and can be easily swapped by simply pressing the Batman logo release screw on the watch lugs. Each leather strap is lined in hard-wearing rubber, while a third full-rubber black strap is also provided. Each strap is fastened using a titanium deployment buckle clasp.
As part of the collectors’ edition, each watch will be presented with an exclusive deck of Joker playing cards.
TWO-FACE – THE GOOD AND THE BAD FACE OF CRIME…
The new RJ Two-Face watch is a remarkable interpretation of the complex and conflicted villain who, as Gotham City’s district attorney, used to be one of Batman’s biggest allies. How did the most clean-cut lawyer in Gotham City become one of Batman’s most dangerous enemies? The answer lies in a classic struggle between good versus evil as District Attorney Harvey Dent seeks to bring down mobsters Sal Maroni and Carmine Falcone.
During their trial Maroni attacks Dent with sulphuric acid, horribly disfiguring the attorney and eventually driving him insane from his injuries. With his face split in two like his personality, Dent becomes obsessed with the concepts of duality, chance and good versus evil. In that moment Two-Face is born.
Using watchmaking techniques that are exclusive to RJ, the Two-Face watch uses a skeleton movement and distressed design cues to evoke the twisted physical and mental state of the crazed criminal. The left-hand side of the watch is intentionally clean and structured, while on the right side, the three-layer skeleton movement is exposed to show the inner workings of the watch, as if acid itself had burnt away the outer casing and dial.
“Two-Face is such a complex character that only a watch with an equally split personality can truly do justice to his malice and tricks,” says Marco Tedeschi. “To recreate his scarred face and exposed features has been a fantastic challenge and has forced us to push the envelope of what is possible when the worlds of horology and comic culture collide.”
The Two-Face watch uses a half-exposed manual skeleton movement with 48-hour reserve. Designed by RJ, the movement features chamfered edges and straight angles and sits within a circular satin-brushed 45mm titanium ARRAW case. By using an ARRAW case, the Two-Face watch sports the four iconic rubber bumpers, beautiful lugs and arrow-shaped hands that are core to all ARRAW-based watches.
The Two-Face watch is immediately distinguishable, however, thanks to its distressed outer bezel, in which the laser-engraved titanium bezel and calf leather strap have been intentionally structured along the right-hand side to echo the symmetrical disfiguring of Two-Face himself.
The dial itself, which sits beneath anti-reflective sapphire glass, reflects Two-Face’s personalities. The clean, structured left side carries a laser-engraved coin, which Two-Face famously spins to make life and death decisions and which, on the watch, serves as a turning second hand.
Like the watch itself, the calf leather strap is designed to have a clean and distressed side. Using a process unique to RJ, the right edge of the strap is given both a visual and tactile nature. The strap can be changed by pushing the release buttons in the form of original Batman logos on the case lugs.
The reverse of the titanium case features further laser-engraved distressing and each watch in the edition is individually numbered as a ‘One of 100 Limited Edition’.
As part of the collectors’ edition, each watch will be presented with an exclusive Two-Face coin, specially struck to commemorate the creation of the watch.
BATMAN and all related characters and elements © & ™ DC Comics. (s18)