Seconde Seconde x GP
Everything but period correct. It was 3PM as I waited to meet Romaric of the famed IG account @secondeseconde inside a Taiwanese restaurant tucked away in the 11th ARR in Paris. Perhaps this was ominous of our coming endeavor that the first time meeting Romaric would be at Chez Ajia instead of some French bistro. You see, Romaric is atypical. He has over the past few years designed and sold unique replacement hands for luxury watches. However these hands are not your traditional dauphine or military hands meant to replicate the original intended design or be period correct. These are hands reminiscent of 8-bit video game aesthetics. His take on sword hands may garner a revolting look from any Swiss watchmaker but that is quite literally the point. Pun intended. Our hobby has long been about originality. It is a stuffy room with often stuffier enthusiasts. And it works. The originality and understanding of what is correct and born with the watch leads to collectability, and increasing value for our industry as a whole, but it does not necessarily always guarantee fun. Romaric knows what is correct and what is not, and sometimes the more interesting road to travel is the complete opposite of where everyone is trying to go. Romaric walks in and I notice he is very French but in the best ways possible. We spend the next hour or so discussing a possible collaboration for a fun Rolex watch that does not break the bank. For those that are familiar with us, they know how much we love the 34mm watches from Rolex. They offer unique collectability without needing to take them too seriously. Romaric suggested the 5500 series Air-King Rolex as the ideal platform to develop a replacement hour hand and have a play on the name. Project "King of Air" was developed. We know we have a good following of industrial designers, creative directors, and sneaker heads that have all lusted after a pair of shoes either as a kid. This hour hand is a nod to the king of air and is limited to just 23 hands. Romaric designs and has an old French hand maker produce these hands. I can only imagine the looks they give him when he submits his designs. In a very serious hobby, with serious dollars invested, sometimes it's just fun to do what we're not supposed to. Congrats to those that were able to secure one!
