March 24, 2008 We’re not exactly sure what’s being celebrated with Geneva-based Romain Jerome’s series of watches with "Titanic-DNA" – they’re all very high-end watches integrating real steel from the Titanic and the Harland and Wolff shipyard where it was built. After all, the Titanic’s sinking was one of the worst peacetime maritime disasters in history with 1500 lost souls. The Titanic was the largest passenger steamship in the world at the time of its launching and was touted as both high tech and unsinkable, so its demise caused a massive adjustment in the public’s previous blind faith in new technology. Geneva-based ROMAIN JEROME caused quite a stir last year with the Basel World release of the first Titanic-DNA watch and a year on, with its DNA range of watches established, there are new models, ranging from diamond-encrusted through pink gold and titanium, to our favourite which is appropriately rusted.
The discovery of the wreck in 1985 by a team led by Robert Ballard and the subsequent movie have made Titanic persistently famous in the years since, but Romain Jerome’s marketing plan clearly hinges on further inclusion of materials taken from a famous place or object into their watches got us thinking. The undisclosed future legends of the new Romain Jerome "DNA of Famous Legends" series had us guessing at what else would it be possible to buy/beg/salvage a chunk of, and infuse in a product to give it “authentic DNA.”
And what would be the most valuable ingredients from a marketing perspective? Bits from the Space Shuttle and the Concorde, guns such as the AK-47, famous warships ad infinitum could provide their atoms for inclusion in products to give them “genuine DNA”, and though Romain Jerome has been very successful with its approach to establishing “authenticity”, their methodology is certainly open source and easily replicated - it's indeed an easy way to give one's products authenticity, limited-series exclusivity, and hopefully beauty.
Anyway, the "Titanic-DNA" watch contains authentic parts of the Titanic ocean liner drawn from the ocean floor and is part of the new Romain Jerome "DNA of Famous Legends" collection unveiled this year.
The rusted steel comes in part from the Harland&Wolff; shipyards in Belfast, where the Titanic was constructed. The "Titanic-DNA" is available in a watchcase of platinum or gold with elements of titanium, ceramic, composite materials or rusted steel.