By Osheen Arakelian
Romain Jerome has released a new timepiece in collaboration with one of Switzerland’s most well-known custom motorbike manufacturer, HardNine Choppers. With their common passion for machinery and cutting edge design, they have been able to create a unique timepiece to go along with a unique one of a kind custom motorcycle. That’s where the name H9C-DNA comes into play with the two unique works of art being sold only as a pair and not individually. But as this is a wristwatch publication we’ll be focusing on the timepiece that’s been released that will accompany the custom motorcycle.
What stands out more than anything is the skeletonized skull that has been embedded into the dial of the watch and hand painted in the same unique purple metal flake that you’ll see on the motorcycle. Although the watch does look larger than life the case only measures in at 44mm in size and is finished off in black PVD-coating making it a lot more comfortable if you prefer something a little smaller than a 47mm or 48mm beast. Inside the case you’ll find the caliber RJ004-M Mechanical movement with 21 jewels and 48 hour power reserve. The movement is visible through the use of a skeletonized dial and the intricate five layered skeleton movement is finished off with angled bridges that are made to resemble the structure of a V-Twin motor. Finishing off the case is a red gold bezel that breaks up the black and the use of gold hour and minute hands also helps with legibility and keeping track of the time (albeit without any numerals on the face some may find it difficult to read).
It wouldn’t be right to have only one half of the story so with that in mind here’s a quick rundown of this crazy custom motorcycle from the boys over at HardNine Choppers. The chopper is a customized Harley Davidson 750cc WLC 1943 originally owned by the Canadian army. The entire chopper has been reworked by HardNine Choppers owner Danny Schneider over a period of 6 months and consists of reshaping the entire body as well as reconditioning the original motor to what you see before you now.
Although not everyone’s cup of tea, this unique duo has already been sold but don’t worry if you are still interesting in purchasing the RJ H9C-DNA, Romain Jerome has created a further 9 limited edition timepieces(Speed Metal) featuring a mirror polished H9C skull on the dial and finished in PVD black instead of gold making it a much cheaper alternative than the gold and purple variant that was sold alongside the motorcycle. For more info, please visit romainjerome.ch & hardninechoppers.com
Photo credit: stemutz.ch
Osheen Arakelian – Contributing Writer
Drawing on a lifelong love of horology and a more recent introduction to appreciation of fine whisky, Osheen brought the two together with watch & whisky. He is proprietor of the site, which covers everything related to watches and whisky. In between completing a degree in commercial law and supporting a rich social life, he is out and about attending all the latest watch and whisky events Sydney has to offer. His passion has also taken him around Australia attending a number of events and he hopes to continue his career in the watch industry on a more serious level after he graduates. Read his articles here.
