A 1980s legend reborn through collaboration with ©Nintendo.

For the past few years, ROMAIN JEROME has depicted the worlds of arcade games like Pac-Man, Tetris, Super Mario, and Space Invaders on its watch dials. This year, they unveiled "Donkey Kong," the game that first introduced Mario as a video game character.

This Mario character didn't have a name from the start; he was initially referred to as "Jumpman." The gameplay, involving jumping over obstacles and navigating platforms to rescue a princess, laid the foundation for subsequent game culture and is considered an epoch-making achievement for bringing narrative to games.

All characters are rendered using the cold enamel technique. Resin is applied within the three layers of pixels and then dried. The way the enamel fills the outlines feels analog and appealing. While the characters on the dial don't move, gazing at them evokes memories of being engrossed in games.

Manuel Emch, Creative Director of ROMAIN JEROME, describes the brand as "emotional art." He emphasizes that in an era where watches are not strictly necessary, they want to imbue their "creations" with stories.

"For me, a watch is an emotional object that evokes fond memories of the past. It's not just a tool that tells time, but rather a device that stops time, in the sense that it allows us to revisit memories."

Modern luxury watches are, in essence, precision instruments admired for their craftsmanship and symbols of status. This is true for watches from any brand. Furthermore, telling stories through watches is something many brands undertake. However, no brand approaches this with the sharp, up-to-the-minute perspective of ROMAIN JEROME.

Moreover, Emch was instrumental in reviving Jaquet Droz, a classical brand, within the Swatch Group. While these two brands are seemingly polar opposites, Emch applies the same methodology. Whether it's classical or contemporary, even if the inspirations differ, the passion he pours into the stories within his watches remains the same.

Page02.Full power charge, on the verge of magma eruption

Full power charge, on the verge of magma eruption

The "Eyjafjallajökull DNA Burn Lava" is a model that expresses the Earth's energy in a luxury mechanical watch. This model, the third in the series, is inspired by the historic eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull in the spring of 2010, which led to the closure of all European airspace.

The reds and yellows of the lava fissures, representing molten magma, are rendered in cold enamel. A lava rock actually collected from Eyjafjallajökull is set on an onyx base plate, with a three-dimensional bezel enhancing the atmosphere. The strap, with its textured surface similar to the bezel, is made from toad leather.

ROMAIN JEROME has incorporated the DNA of memorable human events into its timepieces. These span diverse genres, including land, sea, air (space), and collaborative models like those on the previous page. However, through these motifs, the brand conveys a story. It's a powerful, cool, and passionate narrative that is intuitively understood, even without words, evoking things that once captivated us.

For seasoned watch collectors, the world of ROMAIN JEROME might be beyond comprehension. Nevertheless, "We believe that by taking the time to explain carefully, our values will surely be understood," says Manuel Emch.

His gaze is likely fixed on future watch enthusiasts. At a time when the very existence of watches as an item is being questioned, he follows his intuition and looks directly towards the future. Unwavering conviction is incredibly powerful.