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Raymond Weil is an entry-level luxury watch brand that manufacturers its timepieces in Switzerland. Although some people scorn at the name Raymond Weil because it is not as high quality as the top few brands. The Swiss watchmaker is one of the remaining few companies which is family-run and independent. Its designs aren’t particularly groundbreaking, nor magnificent. Although in all fairness to Raymond Weil, they do produce very solid luxury watches.
Compared to other Swiss watch brands, Raymond Weil has long been playing catch up since it was only founded in 1976. This is just a few years after the quartz crisis began, a time when many longstanding watchmakers were closing down.
The average sales price of a Raymond Weil watch is significantly below other Swiss manufacturers such as Audemars Piguet & Rolex. In general, you will be paying 5-10 times less for a Raymond Weil watch than these two brands.
Table of Contents
Parsifal Introduction
The Parsifal is the mainstay of the Raymond Weil brand. The collection is aptly named after the famous opera “Parsifal” orchestrated by Richard Wagner.
In its original, classical appearance, the parsifal is easily distinguishable from the other watches under the brand’s name. Set with heavy crown guards, the parsifal always protrudes slightly out towards the right-hand side. Numbers are always in Roman numerals format unless the watch is styled for a woman in which case they are sometimes substituted out in favor of diamonds.
Modern-day parsifals come in a variety of dial colors and are usually always all quartz ETA movements. The classic version of the parsifal is the original two-tone steel and gold plated bezel with a matching bracelet.
It’s also worth mentioning that there are some higher-end parsifals still floating around in the pre-owned market. These are often particularly good value since they use the classic automatic Valjoux 7750.
Tango Introduction
If the parsifal is the classic poster boy for the Raymond Weil brand, the tango is its wild younger brother. The Tango is much more of a blank canvas than the parsifal. Although both watches are available in both circular and rectangular shaped dials. There seems to be much more artistic license with the Tango as there are subtle undertones about what the watch should be and represent. But at the same time, there is much more freedom to stray away from the shackles of staying classical.
In comparison to the parsifal, crown guards are a lot less emphasized on the Tango model. Throughout the years it has branched out into classic, divers, and sports chronograph models. In addition to this, most tango models are 10-20% cheaper than their parsifal counterparts.
Shared Similarities
- Both watches are available in classic steel, or bi-metal formats
- The pair sell for a similar price on both new and preowned markets
- Both use same/similar ETA movements depending on the model
- Same dial sizes on non-chronograph models
Glaring Differences
- Crown guards are much larger on the parsifal
- Parsifal sticks to a single classical style, the Tango has a lot of variations
- The parsifal has high end variants available with very solid automatic movements
The many different designs of the Raymond Weil Tango range.
Alternative Watches
Tango
Despite Raymond Weil garnering a lot of criticism from watch snobs, there are not really too many other brands that do something similar. Perhaps you could argue that the Tango has various similarities to other watches such as the diver variation to an Oris Diver. Or perhaps the Tango sports model not being too dissimilar in appearance to a Tag Heuer Carerra.
It should be noted that Raymond Weil Tango is cheaper than both of these variations mentioned.
Parsifal
The closest stylistic match to a parsifal is perhaps a Cartier Santos. Despite being a square dial, the Santos also features outer screws and heavyset crown guards. This would also be described as a classic watch since it was first conceived in 1904. Strangely enough, it seems to have evolved to become more and more parsifal-like throughout its years of production.
The Cartier Santos will generally cost around 5x the price of a Raymond Weil Parsifal.
Bracelets
This is where the Parsifal gets its edge over the Tango. Whilst the tango is given a variety of bracelets dependant on whichever model is being purchased (sports, divers, etc). It doesn’t have a classic bracelet which is never changed.
The parsifal on the other hand has a very unique bracelet. It isn’t the best bracelet I’ve ever seen. But it is at least very unique. Their simple design is heavily polished on the cross-links so that they feel different from the main part of the link. RW always makes their bracelets well with screwed links and does not use cheap pins that other fashion models may use. Not to throw Tag Heuer under the bus, but parsifal bracelets are vastly superior to F1 straps.
Which Model Should You Buy?
Your overall decision should be based on your personal preference. There is not a massive price difference between the two models. The same can be said for the movements used. If you are looking for a higher-end movement in a Raymond Weil watch, the Freelancer is a good option to consider.
Really the main thing to consider when choosing between the tango and parsifal is the design of the two watches. If you want to buy a classic design which hasn’t changed in 50 years (and is unlikely to change in 50 more) then the parsifal is surely your best option. On the other hand, if you want to choose between a variety of classic, sports, and divers watches, then tango is clearly the watch you should choose.
The Tango is the more versatile of the two models and doesn’t really have a style. It is somewhat strange that Raymond Weil decided to include so many variations within a singular model. The tango has almost been left without a solid identity.
Check Price Of RW Tango On Amazon | Check Price Of RW Parsifal On Amazon
