Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo is thrilled to welcome you to Watches Online: The New York Sessions Featuring the 1979 Collection, Spring 2025, running from 10:00 AM ET, Tuesday, 1 April, to 12:00 PM ET, Tuesday, 8 April. Featuring more than 65 different high-end luxury wristwatches, the sale covers everything from A. Lange & Söhne and F.P. Journe to Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe, including the Romain Gauthier C Titanium Edition Two featured below.
– By Logan Baker
The first time I met Romain Gauthier was close to a decade ago in a quiet corner of Baselworld, long before the great exodus of brands to Geneva.
He had a Logical One on the table, its snail cam transmission gleaming under the booth lights. The watch was an engineering flex — mechanical poetry with teeth.
I remember walking away stunned not just by the complexity of what I’d seen, but by the calm conviction of the man who had built it. You got the sense, even then, that Gauthier wasn’t interested in chasing trends. He was building a universe — quietly, meticulously, on his own terms.
So when the C (formerly known as the Continuum) debuted in 2021, I’ll admit I was surprised — but only briefly. Yes, it was a sport watch. And yes, it was titanium, angular, and modern in a way we hadn’t yet seen from him. But the moment I turned it over and saw the movement — those finger bridges, the sculptural balance wheel, the signature S-slot screws — I knew exactly whose watch this was.
This is a piece about evolution. It’s about the C Collection from Romain Gauthier: where it came from, what makes it tick, and why it may be one of the most compelling sport-luxury watches in the independent scene today.
A Different Kind of Sport Watch
By now, we’ve all heard the story: every brand has to have a sport watch. The market demands it. But what happens when a watchmaker doesn’t just tweak a case and slap on a rubber strap? What happens when he rethinks the category entirely?
The answer is the C.
The C Collection is Romain Gauthier’s most contemporary work — his response to the genre, filtered through the lens of Vallée de Joux haute horlogerie. It’s a watch that breaks from classical codes without abandoning its roots. From the asymmetry of the dial to the unorthodox architecture of the movement, every line, every surface, every decision in the C has intent. It’s Gauthier in a new language, but the voice is unmistakable.
The Evolution of the Collection
The original Continuum Titanium Edition One launched in 2021 with a minimalist matte titanium case and a rubber strap set into the lugs. Limited to just 28 pieces, it marked a new direction for the brand — one that leaned into tactility, visual contrast, and architectural tension.
Edition Two followed in 2022, taking things further with a dramatic black ADLC-coated titanium case, bold red accents, and improved ergonomics. Just 38 examples were made. With it came the defining visual language of the C: faceted bezels, off-center displays, tapered indices pointing toward vanishing points — a nod to continuity, both literal and metaphorical.
Then came the integrated bracelet. Sleek. Ultra-thin. Designed entirely in-house and executed in Grade 5 titanium. It was Gauthier’s first bracelet — and frankly, it felt like it had always been there. The watch disappeared on the wrist in the best possible way. At just 85 grams including the bracelet, it wore like a whisper.
Subsequent Editions Three through Six introduced subtle shifts in tone and detail. Ice-blue flourishes in Edition Three. Champagne and burgundy in Edition Five. And in Edition Six — a partially openworked sapphire dial revealing the seconds mechanism and escapement, paired with vibrant orange accents.
Each new release pushed the concept further without breaking form.
The Dial
At a glance, the dial of the C seems simple. But stay with it for a beat longer, and the details begin to unfold.
The time is displayed off-center, with the hour and minute hands shifted slightly above the vertical midpoint. The running seconds sits down at 7 o’clock, surrounded by a starburst of printed indices that taper toward a vanishing point — creating a dynamic sense of depth. There are no enclosing circles. No symmetry for symmetry’s sake. Just a constant visual pull toward the infinite.
The hour markers — applied white gold batons and numerals — are faceted and polished, then filled with Super-LumiNova. On the black ADLC-coated dials, they’re filled with red. On the lighter dials, you get a softer, subtler glow. In every iteration, the tapering markers guide your eye around the dial, reinforcing the core theme: continuity.
Hands are 18k white gold, faceted and partially openworked. Even their proportions follow the dial’s architecture — longer than expected, bending slightly with the curvature of the dial. It’s a subtle touch, but it keeps the visual language consistent.
The crown is placed at 2 o’clock — not just to improve wearability (though it does that beautifully), but to reinforce the off-kilter symmetry of the design. In a world of sameness, it feels refreshing. Purposeful.
The Case
The case is 41mm in diameter and a svelte 9.55mm thick. Lug-to-lug, it stretches a wearable 49.5mm. But it’s the geometry that makes it sing.
Look at the bezel. It starts life as a circular form, then has six facets machined into it — catching light like a gemstone. The caseband is grooved, creating alternating satin and polished surfaces that ripple as the watch moves. It’s sculptural. Sharp without being aggressive. And unmistakably modern.
The lugs are broad but beveled, curving down to hug the wrist. On strap models, the rubber strap tucks seamlessly underneath the case — no gaps. On bracelet versions, the integration is masterful, each link beveled and brushed to match the case surfaces. The polishing appears on inset surfaces only, creating contrast without flash.
In the ADLC-coated models, the effect is even more pronounced. The black titanium absorbs light until a polished edge catches a glint, then disappears again. It’s stealthy. Sleek. Subtle. And again — deeply intentional.
The Movement
Flip the C over, and this is where Gauthier’s genius becomes fully apparent.
This is not a re-skinned HMS or Insight. It’s a new movement — manual-wind, with 60 hours of power reserve, beating at 4Hz — and it’s built entirely in-house, with titanium finger bridges and a horizontal gear train layout that emphasizes openness and structure.
The bridges are crafted from Grade 5 titanium and finished with Gauthier’s signature “dimpled” texture — applied by hand using a hammer and punch, giving each watch a subtly unique pattern. The edges of the bridges are double-beveled, while the flat surfaces are straight-grained. Around each jewel, a raised, polished border frames the rubies in high relief.
Look closer. The wheels feature circular, beveled spokes — again, not just for beauty, but for strength. The balance wheel is proprietary: free-sprung, with curved arms and cone-shaped eccentric weights for fine regulation. Even the pallet lever is a custom shape — triangular, for added rigidity.
Then there’s the stop-seconds mechanism.
Most movements use a lever to stop the balance when the crown is pulled. Gauthier uses a snail cam. When the crown is pulled, the cam stops the balance. But when the crown is pushed back in? The cam rotates and gives the balance a gentle impulse to start again. It’s mechanically satisfying and visually delightful.
And of course, the S-slot screws. They’re beautiful. They’re functional. And they’re distinctly Romain Gauthier.
The Power of Continuity
What I love most about the C is how it reveals itself slowly. From across the room, it’s understated. Under the loupe, it’s staggering.
It’s also a watch you can wear every day. Titanium makes it light. The 50-meter water resistance makes it versatile. The thin profile slips under a cuff. And despite being one of the finest-finished independents on the market, it doesn’t feel fragile.
In that sense, the C is a very modern kind of luxury. It’s not about shouting. It’s about intention. And that’s the ethos Gauthier has quietly cultivated for two decades.
Yes, it’s a sport watch. But not in the way we’ve come to expect. It doesn’t chase trends or mimic icons. It creates something new, grounded in tradition but executed with contemporary materials, architecture, and sensibility.
As collectors, we often talk about watches being “for us.” The C is precisely that kind of watch. If you know, you know. And if you don’t? That’s okay. The watch doesn’t need to shout. It already speaks volumes.
You can view the complete catalog for the Phillips Watches Online: The New York Sessions Featuring the 1979 Collection, Spring 2025, right here.
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About Phillips In Association With Bacs & Russo
The team of specialists at PHILLIPS Watches is dedicated to an uncompromised approach to quality, transparency, and client service. Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo holds the world record for the most successful watch auction, with its Geneva Watch Auction: XIV having realized $74.5 million in 2021. Over the course of 2021 and 2022, the company sold 100% of the watches offered, a first in the industry, resulting in the highest annual total in history across all the auction houses at $227 million.
About Logan Baker
Logan has spent the past decade reporting on every aspect of the watch business. He joined Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo at the start of 2023 as the department's Senior Editorial Manager. He splits his time between New York and Geneva.
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