Roger Dubuis founded his atelier in 1980 after working on complications for Patek Philippe. After working for 15 years on his own and doing work under commission for many brands, he hired Carlos Dias from Franck Muller to start his brand in 1995. In 2008, the Richemont Group acquired 60% of Roger Dubuis in a private transaction. In its founding year, the brand released its first two collections, the Hommage and the Sympathie. In 2005 the renowned Excalibur was born. A fully integrated manufacture, Roger Dubuis is rolling out sophisticated horological accomplishments producing around 4,000 timepieces annually.
After several years of deviating from its roots and capitalizing on partnerships with names like Lamborghini and Pirelli, the brand has decided to finally go back to its roots and in honor of its 30th anniversary it has just presented two new watches that are faithful to what Roger Dubuis himself envisioned for his brand. One of them is the Excalibur Grande Complication and the other is the Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar ref. DBEX1179 we have here.
The brand's commitment to haute horlogerie is evident through its participation in the prestigious Poinçon de Genève certification, ensuring the highest quality standards. In the case of this new watch, the Poinçon de Genève takes a prominent spot on the oscillating weight of the watch and also on the dial, which is a first and something that had to be approved by the Poinçon de Genève.
The new Roger Dubuis Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar is equipped with a 40 mm 18K pink gold case paired with a dial with different finishes and materials that include mother-of-pearl, pink gold, and silver-plated and satin-brushed areas. What a way to celebrate the brand’s 30th anniversary.
The biretrograde display features hands moving along semi-circular scales that return to zero at cycle completion. Roger Dubuis co-patented this mechanism in 1989, which became the foundation for the Maison's first timepiece. This model pays tribute to the co-founder's favorite "ecliptic counters"—named for their elliptical shape and function indicating months and dates.
The dial features a silver-plated double surface flange—ridged top, opaline slope—with transferred text; polished gold-plated hour markers with white SuperLumiNova; silver-plated satin-brushed dial with pink gold outline; mother-of-pearl inserts at 12 and 6 o'clock; pink gold-plated satin-brushed calendar displays with black transfers for the day of the week on the left side between 9 and 7 o’clock, and the date on the right side between the 2 and 4 o’clock position. A running seconds takes the 6 o’clock spot.
The case features alternating satin-brushed and highly polished chamfers throughout the caseband and the lugs. The Roger Dubuis Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar is delivered on a premium brown calf leather strap with volume construction and is interchangeable via the Quick Release System. The strap is secured by an 18K pink gold triple folding buckle.
Turning the watch over reveals the in-house automatic Calibre RD840 with day-date complications which is meticulously decorated to earn the prestigious Poinçon de Genève certification prominently displayed on the oscillating weight that is a modernized version of the 1996 oscillating weight from vintage Roger Dubuis timepieces. On the periphery of the movement, a meaningful quote from the Maison's co-founders in a cursive font can be found.
On the wrist, the Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar wears slightly bigger and more like a 42 to 43 mm watch because of its prominent hashed bezel and its long curved lugs. The watch is extremely nice and quite reminiscent of the gold old days of the brand. Happy to see Roger Dubuis going back to its roots and showcasing its savoir-faire.
Sticker Price CHF 50,000 Swiss Francs—approx. USD 59,000.
