Gibson's Les Paul-inspired watch costs more than a Les Paul
Guitar giant pairs with Raymond Weil for opulent timepiece
This settles it: guitar watches are now officially A Thing. At NAMM, Martin unveiled its 2 Millionth Guitar and D-200 Deluxe with accompanying RGM watches, and now Gibson has paired with Raymond Weil for its own timepiece, the Freelancer.
Based on the Les Paul, the Freelancer's tachymeter bezel is enhanced with black PBV inspired by the lacquer on Black Beauty models, while its circular guilloché motif features six chords studded by fret-shaped hour markers - the Gibson Les Paul logo appears at 12 o'clock, too.
You'll also note the split-diamond inlay gleaming away next to the date window, while watch fans will be pleased to hear that the tempo of the timepiece is set by an RW5010 mechanical self-winding movement.
300 of the watches will be produced, encased in presentation boxes inspired by Gibson guitar cases.
That makes them collectors' items, and accordingly, expensive, carrying a £2,695 price tag when preordering from WatchShop - more than a 2017 Les Paul Standard, no less. Decisions, decisions...
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Mike has been Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com since 2019, and an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict for far longer. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and 15 years' experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Radiohead's Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. His writing also appears in the The Cambridge Companion to the Electric Guitar. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock as Maebe.
