Hands-On: Raymond Weil Millesime Small Seconds 35mm ‘Menthol’
The Raymond Weil Millesime Small Seconds 35mm ‘Menthol’ skirts easy categorization. While you might encounter this Swiss timepiece in department stores or airports alongside more commonplace offerings, dismissing it as merely another “mall watch” would be a mistake. The Geneva-based, family-owned brand has been quietly elevating its design language in recent years, crafting pieces that can speak to serious collectors while remaining accessible to newcomers. This particular model exemplifies that evolution—it balances classical horological elements with contemporary sensibilities, delivering genuine Swiss industrial craftsmanship at an approachable $2,000 price point. For Raymond Weil, long known for value-oriented watches sold through high-traffic retailers, the Millesime represents something more ambitious: proof that accessibility and considered design need not be mutually exclusive.
First, a bit of recent history and an update on Raymond Weil. It’s a brand you might know as the maker of commercial-forward products seeking mass appeal and aimed at a wide audience of casual buyers looking for a quality Swiss watch at an approachable price that you may have seen at Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s or in that duty-free airport mall store. But lately, the company, started, managed, and owned by the Bernheim family in Geneva for just shy of half a century, has been churning out products that are also speaking to the more sophisticated and educated watch consumer – I’m looking at you, Hodinkee Community.
This newfound relevance was galvanized in 2023 with the launch of the Millesime collection. A French term from the world of wine meaning ‘vintage,’ the aptly named Millesime was a surprisingly restrained design object drawing cues from Swiss pieces from the past from a relatively high-volume and commercial Swiss brand that makes about 75,000 watches a year, many of which are destined to be bought in airports and department stores by mainstream buyers. The Millesime went on to capture the ‘Challenge’ prize category that year at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, showing that Raymond Weil could still hold its own among the best of the industry. The watch was a hit, and the Millesime model line quickly became a significant pillar of the business, accounting for approximately 40% of sales and giving the brand a boost in Europe, as the sophisticated and pared-down designs catered more to local tastes.
For 2025, Raymond Weil is launching nine new Millesime references, including a triumvirate of 39mm chronographs, as well as four smaller-sized time-only models with small seconds. Among these new diminutive three-handers, one novelty, ref. 2130-STC-60001 stands out to me. Perhaps not as classic in its colorway as previous iterations, this one features a black sector dial and a minute track in a minty blue-green shade that the brand calls ‘Menthol.’
That’s right. Menthol. Smooth move, Raymond Weil.
Released alongside more classic variants featuring dials in salmon, silver, and cream, the ‘Menthol’ accents appear very of the moment and modern, with the watch overall retaining those classic vintage nods. The minute-track color is, in fact, very un-vintage – save perhaps for the scheme on that pack of Kools your grandmother used to hide from you.
Yet this is certainly not a fashion watch. Though it definitely is in fashion. Au courant-sized at just 35 millimeters, it’s an on-trend offering wafting strong Calatrava vibes. While the boldly colored minute and small seconds hand track is what sets the ‘Menthol’ apart, the rest of the package is solid, compact, and approachably priced Swiss watchmaking that leans heavily on yesteryear.
The standout characteristic is the so-called ‘anthracite’ black sector dial (anthracite is a strain of coal that produces more energy than regular coal when burned and is also more expensive) that’s subtly two-toned, aiding in readability. The inner ring is decidedly more grey in scale than the outer, where the deeper black nicely offsets the white applied index markers. Beyond the plant-hued minute track is a brushed bezel housing the box sapphire crystal that adds to the vintage aesthetic.
The case wears larger than expected considering the 35 mm diameter, due in part to generously-sized drilled lugs – another nice vintage touch – that are polished on top and brushed at the side to match the case. An ‘RW’ embossed knurled crown winds the Sellita-based RW4250 movement smoothly. There is an open sapphire caseback that reveals the automatic movement.
If there’s a complaint, it’s that the winding rotor is somewhat noisy and sounds slightly jangly when shaking the wrist. The light-brown calfskin strap with a branded tang buckle is an excellent color choice that feels casually thrown together and not at all matchy-matchy. The strap is of solid quality but could easily be switched out or upgraded thanks to those drilled lugs.
Even with those longish lugs, the 35 mm case diameter makes the ‘Menthol’ a watch for any and all. With its classic Calatravesque shape and design, it certainly owes a hat tip to another family-owned independent watch brand in Geneva. Of course, when priced at $1,995, Raymond Weil is playing in a very different league, and the ‘Menthol’ with its surprising minute track color amid a classically-balanced design theme hits just the right amount of modern quirk. It’s that smooth and easy.
Find out more about Raymond Weil Millesime Small Seconds 35mm ‘Menthol’ here.
Hodinkee