Villains are more fun. Thanos was the undisputed star of Infinity War; without Lex Luthor superman is a bland spandex-wearing alien and where would the Dark Knight be without his famous rogue’s gallery? It’s not hard to see why, in their latest pair of haute horological masterpieces, RJ is more than happy to embrace their dark side.

Since their founding in 2005, RJ Watches has had an appreciation for the geekier side of pop culture, from vintage arcade cabinets a la Pac-Man to the expansive world of comic books. It’s the latter on which they’ve leaned in their off-kilter way for an official collaboration with DC and the villains therein.

Whenever anyone says that DC has the best villains, you already know which iconic antagonist they mean: The Clown Prince of Crime himself, The Joker. Whether you prefer the Mark Hamill animated version, Heath Ledger’s seminal anarchist of whatever the hell Jared Leto was doing, The Joker is the single most famous super villain ever put to paper.

It’s a big shadow to build a watch in, but RJ have shown that they’re up to the task. The new Arraw timepiece bears all the hallmarks of The Joker, from his make-up in the form of a hand-painted dial to his literal calling card engraved across the 45mm titanium case.

Indexes inspired by a deck of cards and the Joker’s own logo add yet more thematic nuance to the dial, finished with a bright purple or green leather strap: the livery of the man once known as Jack Napier. That said, if you want a little more subtlety, it also comes on black rubber.

Not to be outdone however, one of Batman’s other seminal villains is commemorated in the second of the two DC collaborative pieces, one which you can guess as soon as you see the watch. Which villain has this kind of split personality? Whose signature is his life or death coin? Who is the definition of bi-polar criminality? It is, of course, The Penguin. Ok, ok, it’s Two-Face.

This version of the Arraw is inspired. The left side of the watch is as traditionally structured as RJ are likely to do, albeit set with a burned-out coin – struck specifically for the watch – set at 8:30. The other side however is as warped and distressed as Harvey Dent’s own mind.

The right half of the dial has been completely cut away to reveal the superb in-house movement underneath, while the case metal seems to have been etched by acid. Even the strap is split straight down the middle, perfectly balanced on the knife-edge of madness.

There are more differences between the two pieces than the stylistic choices of course – the Arraw Joker uses a chronograph as opposed to the time-only movement of the Arraw Two-Face – but both use RJ’s excellent in-house movements and the Arraw’s signature quartet of rubber bumpers.

Both pieces are limited to 100 pieces worldwide and both are fitting tributes to two of the most iconic villains in comic book history. The only question is which one better encapsulates your own villainous side? If you can’t decide, you can always flip a coin…

Price & Specs:

Model name: RJ ARRAW The Joker Dial/Case: 45mm diameter, grade 5 titanium, circular satin-brushed case Movement: RJ2042 Self-winding mechanical chronograph bidirectional movement

Functions: Central hours and minutes, small seconds at 3 o’clock, central chronograph hand, 30 minutes counter at 9 o’clock and date window at 6 o’clock

Frequency: 28’800 alt/h (4 Hz) Power reserve: 42 hours approximately Water resistance: 100 meters



Model name: RJ ARRAW Two-Face Dial/Case: 45mm diameter, grade 5 titanium, circular satin-brushed and structured case Movement: RJ004-M Mechanical manual winding skeleton movement

Functions: Central hours and minutes, small seconds at 9 o’clock

Frequency: 28’800 alt/h (4 Hz) Power reserve: 48 hours approximately Water resistance: 100 meters



Price & availability: EUR 13,600 (excl. taxes) for the RJ Arraw The Joker and EUR 17,200 (excl. taxes) for the RJ Arraw Two-Face, limited to 100 pieces each



Find out more on RJ Watches’ website.