Oster Jewelers x Schwarz Etienne ROMA SYNERGY by Kari Voutilainen
The Oster Jewelers x Schwarz Etienne ROMA SYNERGY by Kari Voutilainen is a limited edition model produced for the high-end Denver-based retailer. Angus Davies recalls visiting the brand in March 2020 and attending the birth of the ROMA SYNERGY, a model that has gone on to enjoy remarkable success.
In March 2020, I flew to Switzerland and spent a couple of days with the management team at Schwarz Etienne. I had been commissioned to write a two-part feature on a ‘forthcoming model’.
Synergy – pooling the talents of two parties
The model in question was named the Schwarz Etienne ROMA SYNERGY by Kari Voutilainen. It combined the watchmaking expertise of the Manufacture, based in La Chaux de Fonds, with the artisanal prowess of the Finish genius, Kari Voutilainen. The clue was in the name of the product: the collective talents of both firms produced a combined result surpassing the sum of its parts. Indeed, it was by pooling their talents that both parties produced an exceptional watch.
Schwarz Etienne
Founded in 1902, Schwarz Etienne is a movement specialist. It offers an array of watches bearing its own name and makes both movements and timepieces for third parties. Operating from a modern facility on the outskirts of La Chaux-de-Fonds, the watchmaking capital of Switzerland, Schwarz Etienne makes an array of movement components including regulating organs. This latter capability is rare, something I discuss at length in part one of the previously mentioned two-part feature.
Kari Voutilainen
Kari Voutilainen and his eponymous firm, Les Ateliers Kari Voutilainen are held in the highest esteem by the horological cognoscenti. Kari’s work is much in demand and the watches bearing his name are highly prized by auction houses located around the globe. The Finnish watchmaker is known for peerless finishing and endowing watches with exquisite artisanal crafts.
One area of expertise is the making of hand guilloché dials, painstakingly executed on a traditional rose engine lathe. Such lathes are no longer produced, hence vintage machines are much in demand on the second-hand scene. It is not uncommon to see centenarian machines still in use. Indeed, when visiting Kari’s atelier in the Val-de-Travers, I witnessed a member of staff using a machine dating back to 1907.
The inaugural versions of the Schwarz Etienne ROMA SYNERGY by Kari Voutilainen
Back in 2020, Schwarz Etienne released two versions of its co-branded watch, one with an ocean blue dial and a second with a sand grey canvas. Both models were housed in a stainless steel case measuring 39 mm and featured the Calibre ASE 200.00 movement, an automatic movement equipped with a micro-rotor. In the second part of my two-part review, you can read about these inaugural versions of the watch in minute detail.
The sweet smell of success
Since the initial launch of the Roma Synergy, Schwarz Etienne has enjoyed much success. It received requests for additional dial colours in limited numbers. For example, in 2021, the firm unveiled a ‘Cherry Red’ dial variant. The exuberant character of this unique piece proved very different to the understated appearance of the ocean blue and sand grey tones of the inaugural models.
Earlier this year, I spoke to a member of Schwarz Etienne’s team and discovered the firm has since played with numerous tones, often at the behest of clients. A glance at the brand’s portfolio reveals a plethora of hues to tantalise the discerning watch collector.
Oster Jewelers x Schwarz Etienne ROMA SYNERGY by Kari Voutilainen – green with envy
Earlier this year, the Swiss brand announced a collaboration with the prestigious Denver-based retailer, Oster Jewelers. The watch, the aptly named Oster Jewelers x Schwarz Etienne ROMA SYNERGY by Kari Voutilainen, is endowed with a dark green dial.
Interestingly, the model is offered in two case sizes, 39 mm and a new 42 mm option. Each version is limited to just 8 pieces, 16 pieces in total. Unlike earlier versions of the Roma Synergy, the micro-rotor on these latest models is gold-plated. The straps are aged brown leather and enlivened with punchy green stitches.
Lastly, the product shuns the usual cardboard packaging favoured by most of the watch industry in favour of a black leather laptop case. It perpetuates the Maison’s philosophy of supplying its products with useful alternatives to conventional packaging. For example, the Fiji Floral Seconds came supplied in a luxurious Noleti® handbag. In this instance, the black leather laptop case is exclusive to this model produced for Oster Jewelers
Oster Jewelers x Schwarz Etienne ROMA SYNERGY – closing thoughts
The marriage between Schwarz Etienne and Kari Voutilainen has proved incredibly successful and hopefully, it will continue to endure. According to the brand, the Oster Jewelers x Schwarz Etienne ROMA SYNERGY by Kari Voutilainen is an ‘exemplar of artisanal craftsmanship and mechanical virtuosity’, something I couldn’t express better myself.
Currently, the watch industry is enjoying unprecedented demand. Indeed, warm weather and blue skies seem omnipresent. However, it’s also the brilliance of superb watches like the Schwarz Etienne ROMA SYNERGY by Kari Voutilainen that is enticing more watch aficionados to explore the delights of independent watchmaking.
I’m sanguine about the outlook of independent watchmaking and I’m equally bullish about the future for Schwarz Etienne.
Further reading
https://www.schwarz-etienne.ch
https://www.osterjewelers.com/
Technical specifications
- Model: Oster Jewelers x Schwarz Etienne ROMA SYNERGY
- Reference: 39mm – WROVMA07SS01CUBLTD-A
- Reference: 42mm – WROVMA07SS02CUBCLTD-A
- Case: Stainless steel; diameter 39 mm or 42 mm; water resistance 5 ATM (50 metres); sapphire crystal to front; exhibition case back.
- Functions: hours; minutes; small seconds
- Movement: Calibre ASE 200.00; automatic movement; frequency 21,600 vph (3 Hz); 33 jewels; power reserve 86 hours; 198 components.
- Strap: Aged brown leather strap with gold leather lining
- Price: 39mm – US$ 34,300 (RRP as of 14.8.2022)
- Price: 42mm – US$ 36,800 (RRP as of 14.8.2022)
- Limited Edition: 8 pieces in each size, 16 pieces in total