Model overview
A person who admires Romain Gauthier's watchmaking can quickly identify his participation in the Chanel Cal. 1 through its architecture and overall design. The Cal. 1 is dark and industrial, coated with ADLC (Amorphous Diamond Like Carbon), and the base plate texture resembles that of Gauthier's other notable works.
To call this a sleeper watch is a tremendous understatement, as this watch shares a pedigree with the likes of the 'Logical 1', one of the more celebrated modern independent watches by one of the premier watchmakers of our time.
Although this is a totally different animal compared to what Gauthier has done in the past, it leverages a practical time-telling function in the 'jump hour' configuration. The dial is clean and unmolested, with a line of symmetry running straight through the center of the dial. The typeface chosen for this piece is an apparent deviation from the classic Roman numerals and Breguet Arabic present in other RG works. Still, it works very well with the modern approach that the designers have taken on this piece.