Skulls are making their way onto space with the new Skylab 48 Skull collection. The independent Swiss maison rocks things up by adding a more unconventional touch to its technical skeleton timepiece. With its transparency and the distinctive skull, the 48mm case timepiece is a nod to the trend “Skulls n‘wheels” – which consists of placing skulls on cars’ wheels, rim and hubcap – stemming from street culture and mostly skateboarding.
The 80’s were skateboarding golden ages with prolific graphics which are still influencing the field today. Led by the best skaters of the period, including the iconic team The Bones Brigade, the trend that emerged and that shaped the entire skateboarding world, was to feature skulls on the decks and wheels.
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Aesthetical highlights
The bi-colour case brings contrast to the ensemble with the steel lugs, steel polished paws and the satinfinished black-PVD coated steel bezel. The Skylab collection is RJ-Romain Jerome’s first skeleton movement characterized by straight vertical and horizontal bridges. Each timepiece is enhanced with a skeletonized skull-shaped applique held by two functional screws to allow maximum transparency of the movement, revealing the barrel at 12 o’clock, the balance wheel at 6 o’clock and the train at 9 o’clock. Playing with the notions of skeleton and skull, the dial is a reference to skulls on wheels.
Technical highlights
The RJ-Romain Jerome Skylab 48 Skull subtly showcases a few technical intricacies. The balance wheel, which is usually visible from the case back, is unconventionally visible at 6 o’clock on the dial. The steel spring, on the case back side, combines three functions, the click, the lever and the trigger. The movement is composed of three layers formed by the plate, the bridges and the skull applique. The latter is placed on the motion-work which makes is not only a distinctive aesthetical element but a functional one as well. The skull applique is in anodized aluminum, except for the applique in silver which has been polished. The anodization process helps color aluminum and is very resistant to corrosion for a better quality timepiece and for the colours to stay bright. The collection consists of 12 different colours, each limited to 9 pieces.
