The idea of collaboration watches is one which has always appealed to me. I love the idea that a single piece can represent more than one brand or watchmaker, and that the very nature of a “collaboration watch” lends itself to being something more unique.
It is a concept I first wrote about back in 2021, indeed one of the collaborations I highlighted in that very article was between Schwarz Etienne and Kari Voutilainen – the Roma Synergy. For that article, I managed to speak with Mauro Egermini, the CEO of Schwarz Etienne, to talk about how the collaboration had come about and to learn more about it. I won’t rehash that here, but feel free to check it out.
Anyway, one of my conclusions in that article about the Roma Synergy was:
“I feel like this is probably one of those watches that you could look at time and time again, and you would always find a new detail that you had not noticed before.”
Schwarz Etienne x Kari Voutilainen Roma Synergy
After my partners at The Limited Edition announced their 20-piece Roma Synergy Terracotta, I was hopeful to be able to get hands on with this. Lucky for me, Pietro kindly lent me the prototype to spend some time with. Just as I suspected, it really is a watch that every time you look at it, you discover a new detail or something else to admire about it – and so I decided I wanted to shine the Watch Affinity Spotlight on the Roma Synergy Terracotta collaboration between Schwarz Etienne x Kari Voutilainen x The Limited Edition.
So… let’s take a look.
Roma Synergy Terracotta by Schwarz Etienne x Kari Voutilainen x The Limited Edition
Roma Synergy Terracotta by Schwarz Etienne x Kari Voutilainen x The Limited Edition
After spending a couple of weeks with this watch, I can certainly say it has grown on me – and I was already quite keen on the watch from the outset! I mentioned earlier that the Roma Synergy Schwarz Etienne x Kari Voutilainen watches were ones I thought were special, but after having spent some real time with the Roma Synergy Terracotta, and a short-but-sweet encounter with the Roma Synergy blue, I can really attest to this.
I don’t want to think about the number of times I have caught myself rolling my wrist around in the sun, catching the guilloche patterns in the light. But it’s a lot. After all, there are three different guilloche patterns adorning the dial, each engine turned by hand courtesy of the artisans at Les Ateliers Kari Voutilainen.
They deserve to be admired.
Around the periphery of the dial is a very subtle wavy pattern in a mid-tone grey colour, that nicely compliments the numerals and hour batons.
Two further patterns are set in a lovely terracotta colour (hence the name) which makes up the centrepiece of the dial and a large size small-seconds sub-dial. The main centrepiece is a pattern referred to as “écaille de poisson” or fish-scales, which creates a beautiful relief on the dial, and the small-seconds sub-dial contains another wave motif, although with a finer granularity of detail compared to the chapter ring.
An attractive depth is created on the dial thanks to the way the light hits each pattern differently, as well as the chapter ring and small seconds sub-dial being slightly recessed against the main centrepiece of the dial, the applied numerals, and the hour batons.
Initially, I thought there was something a little strange about the 3 numeral (the middle ‘point’ of the number seems a little small?), however it wasn’t long before I didn’t notice it at all. Indeed, it would not surprise me if this was a particular consideration in the design as the wavy guilloche on the chapter ring is perfectly aligned such that the “ripple” lines up with the middle of the 3, and perhaps a larger ‘point’ could have looked a little much.
The Terracotta colour warrants a specific mention; as a brighter, neutral colour, it gives the watch a character which you don’t find so much with darker blues, greys, blacks, or even silvers and whites, and it does so without being too over-the-top bold. And as I mentioned, thanks to the way the light reflects differently on the various guilloche designs, the colour appears subtly different across the dial even in the same light which is interesting to experience!
On the wrist, the watch is incredibly comfortable, and with a 50m water resistance rating it is something you can wear for most occasions. It works well as a watch for formal events and thanks to the colourway it is also easy to dress down for less formal occasions. The polished stainless steel case is the same one used for other watches in the Schwarz Etienne Roma collection: a ‘goldilocks’ sized watch at 39mm diameter and just 11mm thick.
Notice the slightly different appearance of the terracotta colour on the dial centrepiece and small seconds sub-dial
It’s hard to imagine a co-star capable of sharing the limelight with the dial on this watch, but if you flip the watch over, that is exactly what you find. With the Roma Synergy and Roma Synergy Terracotta, Les Ateliers Kari Voutilainen have applied their incredible hand-finishing not only to the dial, but to Schwarz Etienne’s ASE 200.00 automatic micro-rotor movement as well – the effect is nothing short of magnificent.
This is a movement that certainly lends itself to decoration thanks to the large mainplate and ratchet wheel – and as you’d expect, they have absolutely nailed it.
On the mainplate and balance cock is a similar subtle wave pattern to that seen on the chapter ring, with a beautiful snailing finish applied to the ratchet wheel. There is black or mirror polishing, anglage, and a perlage finish applied underneath the micro-rotor, which itself has been hand-finished as well with the ‘SE’ logo.
Furthermore, as well as being spectacularly finished, the AES 200.00 movement is manufactured by Schwarz Etienne entirely in-house, hairspring and all, also offers an impressive 86 hours of power reserve when fully wound.
Finally, the watch is presented on a distressed grey leather strap, which perfectly matches the character of this watch. I particularly liked that it comes with a stainless steel, butterfly clasp style, deployant buckle – this ensures that life of the strap is prolonged by avoiding the regular wear and tear you get with a pin buckle. Some people might find a deployant buckle a little awkward or uncomfortable, but personally I prefer them.
An especially nice touch was finding the hidden perlage finish applied inside the buckle which only visible when open! Which to me is a perfect illustration of how on the Roma Synergy Terracotta, there really is no detail too small.
In Summary
I really enjoyed being able to spend a few weeks with this watch – so firstly I would like to extend a huge thank you to Pietro at The Limited Edition for affording me the opportunity to spend time with it, and for trusting me with it.
Over my time with the Roma Synergy Terracotta, it really grew on me – I constantly found myself looking closely at the details on the dial and the movement, and as a result I appreciated the watch more and more. I had originally suspected that this watch would be one where you could look at time and time again, constantly finding new details that you hadn’t noticed before, and I found my suspicions were proven to be true.
This piece was produced as a limited edition run of 20, available exclusively via my partners at The Limited Edition, and at the time of writing about half remain available. At £25,900 (excluding taxes) it certainly represents a step up in price versus the ‘normal’ Schwarz Etienne Roma. However when you factor in the time, patience and skill required of the finest artisans at Les Ateliers Kari Voutilainen to undertake the hand finishing on the movement, and engine-turn the guilloche patterns all by hand… in my opinion at least, the additional cost makes sense.
To learn more about the Schwarz Etienne, visit Schwarz-Etienne.ch or for Kari Voutilainen visit Voutilainen.ch.
If you have any questions, please get in touch via our Contact page, or via our Instagram.
You might also be interested in:
- Spotlight: Schwarz Etienne
- Collaboration Watches
- Watch Finishing Techniques
- Watch Stationery and Gift Ideas
- Watch Books, Watch Boxes and more at the Watch Affinity Shop on Amazon (commissions earned)
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases – thank you for your support
