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Raymond Weil Freelancer Skeleton 42mm Mens Watch
Ref. 2785-BKR-20000
Sits in Raymond Weil’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Raymond Weil watches we list, which start at £1,095.
Price range £1,095 to £3,595 across 36 Raymond Weil watches in stock.The Freelancer line has always leaned athletic, but this reference pushes further into overtly technical territory — the skeleton treatment is not a decorative flourish but a deliberate decision to expose the RW1212's architecture as the dial itself. That movement is Raymond Weil's own design, produced in close partnership with Sellita, and at 28,800 vibrations per hour it runs with the kind of regulated consistency the open display invites you to verify. The balance wheel sits prominently at six o'clock, which means the most visually active part of the movement is exactly where the eye settles. The all-matte black execution — PVD case, rubber strap, coated clasp hardware — gives the watch a coherence that fully blacked-out pieces do not always achieve, because the skeleton dial provides genuine depth rather than a flat surface to break the monotony. At 10.6mm thick, it is slimmer than the 42mm footprint and rubber strap might suggest, and it sits closer to the wrist than most sport-adjacent watches at this size. The twin push-button deployant clasp holds securely without the strap becoming awkward to release one-handed.
- Reference
- 2785-BKR-20000
- Brand
- Raymond Weil
- Collection
- Freelancer
- Case size
- 42mm
- Case thickness
- 10.6mm
- Lug width
- 22mm
- Case material
- Black PVD
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Black
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- RW1212
- Functions
- Skeleton dial
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Rubber strap
- Strap colour
- Black
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 50.4mm
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
Learn more about Raymond Weil
Raymond Weil founded his company in Geneva in 1976, which was close to the worst possible moment: Swiss mechanical watchmaking was being dismantled by quartz, and established houses were closing. Starting one from nothing took a particular kind of nerve.
The company survived and stayed independent, which is rarer than it sounds — most Swiss names of comparable size were absorbed into Swatch Group, Richemont or LVMH. Raymond Weil is still owned and run by the founding family, with his grandson Elie Bernheim as chief executive.
Music runs through the brand deliberately rather than decoratively. The collections are named for it — Maestro, Toccata, Tango, Freelancer — and the company has built long partnerships with orchestras, conservatoires and record labels.
The watches sit where Swiss watchmaking is still attainable: slim dress pieces, chronographs and skeletonised automatics, mostly on Sellita and ETA calibres, with the Millesime line taking a more vintage-minded direction in recent years.
- 1976
- Founded in Geneva at the height of the quartz crisis.
- 1983
- The Amadeus line begins the brand's association with music.
- 1996
- The Parsifal collection establishes its dress-watch identity.
- 2014
- Elie Bernheim, the founder's grandson, becomes CEO.
- 2022
- The Millesime line moves the range in a vintage direction.
Manufacturer’s guarantee
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 100m it is rated for swimming and snorkelling, though not for diving.
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Does it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
How long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 38 hours fully wound — so it will usually stop if you leave it off overnight.
What size strap does it take?
22mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 50.4mm, which suits wrists from roughly 17.5cm (7 inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's.
Cheapest place to buy
Goldsmiths is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
Who are Goldsmiths?
Goldsmiths has been selling watches in Britain since 1778 and is part of the Watches of Switzerland Group, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. They are an authorised dealer, so a watch comes with the manufacturer’s own warranty.
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