In many ways, the Logical One is the piece that made enthusiasts first take note of the manufacture of Romain Gauthier. It was first launched in 2013 and won the Men’s Complication Watch Prize at the year’s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.
This is the ultra-light iteration, with the 43mm case that stands 14.5mm tall, machined from titanium and presented in its natural shade. While endowed with the same satisfying visual presence and classical nuance as its precious metal Logical One counterparts, the negligible heft on the wrist is almost confounding. The classicality – both of the case form and the power train arrangement – is balanced by the contemporary sizing and modern, ultra-light materials. It is in this dichotomy that lies the essence of Romain Gauthier’s watchmaking.
The concave bezel and the bulbous midcase is satinated, as are the curved down lugs. The lugs feature a polished outer rim that gives way to a stepped central portion that has been sandblasted. The lugs meet the midcase in a flared and exaggerated way.
At 2 o’clock is the crown whose sole usage is to set the time. It is relatively diminutive in scale because it is not used to manually wind the calibre – this is done with a signed, bat-shaped pusher on the left flank of the case. Engaging this pusher transmits energy to the barrel, giving the movement autonomy for 46 hours.
On the dial side are the offset, overlapping subsidiary registers that display the time and seconds. It is two-part in construction. On top of the base is the beautiful enamel dial, of a shade that the brand refers to as blue lagoon. The blue holds texture just beneath the surface, much like the ocean above a shallow lagoon. The subtle variations in the shade of blue appear as if created by the forces of the natural world.
The effect is punctuated with a white printed chapter of serif-style Arabic numerals and markers for minutes. The printed brand name is underlined by a hemispherical detail. The subsidiary seconds register follows a similar layout, with a proportionally larger quarter of seconds. A leaf-style hand plies the seconds register while the gothic, sword-style hour and minutes hands are skeletonised. The two registers all but conceal the train wheels that govern time display.
Underneath this is the balance, finished beautifully in a range of styles including solarisation and bercé polishing, with the watchmakers at the manufacture using this as an opportunity to showcase their mastery with creating precise inner angles. Set against blackened void of the baseplate – an effect that is thanks to black-coated titanium further treated with carbon – creates a particularly striking effect. In fact, all plates have been similar treated, including the partially open worked one on the movement side.
While the time-telling aspects and the balance are placed on the same level, against the frosted gold of the base plate, on the left-hand side on a slightly lower plain, is the chain and fusee-style system that runs at 4Hz. In the Logical One, Romain Gauthier replaces the fusee with a slowly rotating snail cam, placing it and the mainspring barrel on the same level. This way, force is always transmitted in a straight line, and only one short chain is needed. With the advantage of larger chain links, the brand further improves efficiency by constructing the links with low-friction, hard-wearing, synthetic rubies. To eliminate potential friction within the mainspring barrel, the mainspring is placed between synthetic sapphire plates, visible on the movement side.
The advantage of the snail cam is that the way it interacts with the balance, even as the latter loses power, the quantum of torque that is supplied to the escapement remains constant, resulting in linear timekeeping. The arrangement is revolutionary, and the 37-jewel movement features several patented design elements. Studying the constant torque arrangement closer helps understand why the Logical One won the GPHG nod. Moreover, much of the Logical One is developed and created at the manufacture of Romain Gauthier in the Vallée de Joux, down to the hairspring.
It is beautifully finished too, with a mirror-polished bridge, precise internal angles, and the manufacture’s signature wheel-within-wheels motif. The baseplate, as previously mentioned, also wears a darkened appearance and has been constructed to offer a glimpse of the wheel train. It features the kind of precise finishing, including anglage and the liberal application of internal angles that has come to mark the brand. Also visible on this side is the power reserve indicator. Plaques bearing the place of origin, the jewel count, and the serial number sit atop the many islands that the bridges form. The display caseback is secured by the same proprietary flathead screws found throughout the piece on the dial and movement side.
This example of the Logical One, which first retailed in 2020, comes with its boxes and warranty paperwork. It represents a distinctly relaxed, yet technically proficient and materially advanced iteration of a modern classic.
If sold within the United Kingdom, this Romain Gauthier Logical One will be subject to 20% VAT
