【F】 Raymond Weil Toccata Heritage Vs. Serica Parade 1174

You would be forgiven for thinking you’d landed on another one of our Dress Watch Season battles, but, no, this is a regular Sunday Morning Showdown. Still, we’re sticking with a new dress watch released this week, the Raymond Weil Toccata Heritage. Thomas will defend it against the Serica Parade, represented by Daan.

If you are in the market for an oval dress watch around the €1,500 mark, these should be on your radar. The mechanical Raymond Weil Toccata Heritage costs €1,495 on a leather strap, while the Serica Parade 1174 comes in at €1,490. This might be the closest pricing we’ve seen in a Sunday Morning Showdown. Let’s see which takes the crown as the best oval dress watch in the segment!

But first, last week’s results

Before we do that, though, let’s have a look at last week’s results. Jorg and Mike pitted two bicolor integrated-bracelet sports watches against each other. Jorg defended the Girard-Perregaux Laureato Fifty, while Mike fought for the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Automatic 36mm. Ultimately, the Girard-Perregaux won with a respectable 64% of the votes. Some Fratelli mentioned that they preferred its proportions over those of the Tonda PF. Parmigiani’s design revealed itself to be divisive, with some commenters applauding its originality while others criticized the short hour markers and empty dial.

Interestingly, it seems to have been a matter of taste. Many of the arguments were used both in favor of and against each candidate, proving just how differently we see things. With that out of the way, let’s continue with today’s battle. Thomas, Daan…step into the oval, please!

Thomas: Raymond Weil Toccata Heritage

Good morning, Daan! And good morning, my dear Fratelli! Let me start with an admission: this week, we both would have picked the Serica if we could. Still, I like to think I am enough of a professional to argue for the Toccata. Let me channel my inner B-Rabbit to do so. I was only 15 years old and heavily into hip-hop when Eminem’s movie 8 Mile came out. Naturally, this lanky pubescent heap of awkwardness was instantly hooked. I learned something from the main protagonist, B-Rabbit, too: sometimes you have to diss yourself to prevent your opponent from scoring the obvious points. This is probably a good place to start today.

I will take this one on the chin straight away: the Raymond Weil Toccata Heritage is indeed a blatant homage to a Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse. There, now you don’t have to say it, Daan. And yes, your Parade is far more original. Also, yes, Serica has the sympathy vote as the young, small brand that’s showing great ambition and progress. Yes to all of that.

Still, I think the Raymond Weil Toccata Heritage has a few aces up its sleeve. Allow me to elaborate…

The Raymond Weil Toccata Heritage is easier on the eye

As Jorg eloquently outlined in his introduction article, the Toccata Heritage isn’t a pure Patek homage. Indeed, an Ellipse with lugs existed from day one, but so did several similarly shaped watches from different brands. Jorg suggested that you could view this as a sub-genre of dress watches, and I reckon I should echo that argument here. Additionally, Raymond Weil added some characteristic updates, such as a different handset and a display case back. I would even go so far as to state that the Toccata’s handset is more interesting than Patek’s.

Setting all of that aside for a moment, I feel the Toccata Heritage is easier on the eye than the Serica Parade. Especially the first-generation Parade, with the rifled striping on the dial, felt a bit contrived and uncomfortable to the eye. Admittedly, the recent linen-dial versions look a lot better. Still, the case could be considered a bit cumbersome for a dress watch. The whole thing seems to be trying quite hard to be different.

There are no such issues with the Raymond Weil Toccata Heritage. Sure, it lifts many of its design cues straight from historic watches, but it does so with great elegance. Every ingredient comes together nicely, forming a watch that feels natural and clear.

Other reasons to pick the Toccata

Of course, the above argument is subjective. I simply think the Raymond Weil Toccata Heritage is prettier, although it’s less special. However, I also have a few more objective arguments to make. For starters, with a sub-7mm profile, the Raymond Weil is exquisitely thin. Admittedly, the Parade isn’t exactly fat, but due to its brutalist bezel and lugless design, it does look noticeably thicker on the wrist than Toccata Heritage does. For a dress watch, I strongly prefer the Toccata’s ergonomics.

Second, the Toccata features a hand-wound movement. I consider this a must-have for a dress watch of this style. The Parade, meanwhile, houses an automatic caliber. In one sense, this is a relief, as its small, recessed crown is uncomfortable to wind. Still, I don’t think that counts as a proper argument in favor of a self-winding movement.

While we are on the topic of movements, I would always pick a Sellita over a Soprod. Cost price is really the only argument to go with Soprod, but since that isn’t reflected in today’s contestants’ retail prices, that’s a point for the Toccata Heritage.

Daan: Serica Parade 1174

You’re right, Thomas; the Raymond Weil Toccata Heritage is a well-done homage to a Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse. Indeed, it’s also easy on the eye thanks to its all polished case, soft sunburst dial, and more conventional shape. If a Golden Ellipse is your grail but you’re not willing to spend more than €10,000 on a decent example, I can completely understand why you would get the Toccata Heritage instead. However, I can’t imagine a Raymond Weil watch can actually still your hunger for a Patek Philippe, so why wouldn’t you get the much more original Serica Parade for the same price instead?

As you already said, Thomas, the Serica Parade isn’t the dressier watch of the two. It’s the brand’s first dressier design, but with its bold bezel, it strongly refers to the sporty character of the other watches in the collection. That’s exactly what makes it feel so different from other (dress) watches. There aren’t that many examples that live on the edge of sporty and dressy. The Echo/Neutra Rivanera is another good example that’s almost just as attractive as the Parade. I prefer the latter, though, as it feels just a tad more original.

Admittedly, the Toccata Heritage is perfectly proportioned for the dress watch that it is. The Parade is indeed a bit on the larger side for a full-on dress watch. But for the sporty dresser that it is, it works well on a wide variety of wrist sizes.

An automatic movement is more convenient

I know many people expect dress watches to use hand-wound movements since these help keep the watches slim and elegant. But even with its automatic movement inside, the Serica Parade is still only 8.6mm thick. That’s perfectly acceptable, especially if it means you won’t have to worry about winding it every day. Plus, thanks to its sportier look and 100m water resistance, the Parade could easily be your daily wearer. Isn’t it great then that you can simply put it on your wrist in the morning, knowing that it will do all the winding for you?

With its 30m water resistance rating and more formal look, the Raymond Weil Toccata Heritage doesn’t seem very versatile. At least to me, that means that I probably won’t wear it that many days in a row, so I suppose its hand-wound movement is appropriate. However, the Parade’s more versatile character speaks to me more, and the automatic movement inside is a convenient bonus.

It’s not perfect

Even though I’m a big fan of Serica in general and of the Parade, I still think it isn’t perfect. The stadium-like brushed and polished stainless steel case is my favorite part of it. However, I don’t feel that Serica founders Jérôme Burgert and Gabriel Vachette have found the perfect dial configuration yet. I didn’t quite like the engravings on the first black and gold sunburst dials. And, as Jorg also mentioned in his introduction article, the new linen dials are a bit too shiny for my taste. Still, I greatly appreciate the effort to create something original that doesn’t quite feel like anything else on the watch market.

Even though I think Raymond Weil did a good job with the Toccata Heritage, it also feels like a somewhat uninspired release. I’m sure many of these watches will sell, but if I had to choose, I’d support the smaller brand that’s brave enough to take the risk of trying something new.

Cast your vote now

There you have it — another battle of dress watches! Which of these two oval offerings do you prefer? Would you choose the Toccata Heritage, a classy homage, or do you prefer the more original but slightly sportier Parade? Please cast your vote below, and let us know in the comments why you voted for either one of the contestants.