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Presumably probably the most surprising novelties launched throughout this yr’s Watches and Wonders was a double-retrograde calendar watch with a 40mm pink gold case. Now, a timepiece of that dimension, in that materials, and with that complication — I imply no disrespect to double-retrograde indications — doesn’t sound too shocking if you consider the normal Haute Horlogerie gamers presenting their novelties on the salon. However on this case, the modestly sized, Poinçon de Genève-certified day/date watch was made by a model that usually makes extra voluptuous, exuberant, and indulgent timepieces. This comparatively introverted watch celebrates the model’s thirtieth anniversary and caught many, together with me, off guard in a optimistic means. Now it’s time for a hands-on with the shocking Roger Dubuis Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar.
Roger Dubuis is without doubt one of the manufacturers I adopted from the very begin of its inception. It was based in 1995, and the primary watch appeared a yr later. This all occurred once I was fashioned, so to talk, as a watch lover. Simply because the bands you listened to throughout your teenagers will all the time be a part of your life and listening to them on the radio whereas driving will convey instantly make you sing alongside phrase for phrase with a giant smile in your face, a watch or model from the years you found a brand new wonderous world of micromechanics that do the craziest issues, like displaying the proper date for a lot of a long time to return, offers you a fuzzy feeling that harks again to the “surprise years.” That’s what occurred once I first encountered the Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar.
Arms-on with the shocking Roger Dubuis Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar
Anybody with some data of the Genevan model will instantly acknowledge the place the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar (ref. DBEX1179) acquired its appears from. The brand new creation could be very clearly a mixture of the aesthetic used within the model’s very early years and the present design language. The result’s an attention-grabbing amalgam that works splendidly properly. The up to date components, such because the triple lugs and notched bezel, are introduced in a watch measuring simply 40mm in diameter — that’s a dimension S in Roger Dubuis’s XXL hyper-horology world — and paired to a dial that’s a harmonious mix of previous and current.
The contemporarily designed retrograde hand — massive, edgy, open-worked and constructed from brass to avoid wasting weight — on the left signifies the day, and the one on the suitable signifies the date on a crescent-shaped scale, which returns to zero on the finish of every cycle. Watchmaker Roger Dubuis co-patented a retrograde mechanism in 1989, which grew to become the premise for the model’s debut watch seven years later. The Bi-Retrograde Perpetual Calendar from the Hommage assortment displayed the day and date equally on its so-called “ecliptic counters.” On high of that, the watch additionally confirmed the months and the intercalary year in a sub-dial at 12 and a moonphase indicator at 6 o’clock.
Roger Dubuis Bi-Retrograde Perpetual Calendar from the Hommage assortment
The brand new Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar forgoes these further features, however it nonetheless captures the spirit of RD’s debut watch. It does so, for instance, by honoring the symmetry of the unique mannequin with a spherical badge displaying the coat of arms of Geneva surrounded by the title of the watch in a historic font at 12 and the small seconds at 6.
The shimmering seven-layered dial
Since we’ve our eyes on the dial, we’d as properly proceed right here. It’s a dial that consists of no fewer than seven layers, and it features a silver-plated double-surface flange, beneath which the pivoting factors of the 2 retrograde arms cover, making their motion and look extra intriguing. The silver-plated and satin-brushed dial options gold-plated hour markers with white Tremendous-LumiNova within the heart. It additionally shows a pink gold define and textual content. Moreover, there’s a pink-gold-plated satin-brushed calendar show with black transferred texts and dots. Highlights are, nonetheless, the mother-of-pearl inserts at 12 and 6 o’clock. Not solely do they appear to attach the ecliptic counters, that are extensive on the skin and slim in the direction of the middle, however additionally they pay tribute to Roger Dubuis. He was the primary watchmaker to make use of 18K pink gold and mother-of-pearl collectively.
The multifaceted watchmaker Roger Dubuis
Certainly, Roger Dubuis was not a conservative watchmaker. Immediately after graduating, he labored at Longines for 9 years, repairing a wide range of historic chronographs. He then transferred to Patek Philippe in Geneva. He joined the Grand Problems workshop and spent the following 15 years creating conventional Haute Horlogerie actions. However his creative view on watches was all the time unconventional, avant-garde, and daring.
Watchmaker Roger Dubuis at work
Earlier than founding his model, Monsieur Dubuis and fellow watchmaker Sven Andersen began Groupement Genevois des Cabinotiers in 1977. The thought behind it was to avoid wasting conventional watchmaking from the risks of quartz watches. In that interval, Dubuis additionally conceived a watch based mostly on a drawing by his younger daughter. All through the model’s 30-year historical past, many technically and aesthetically exuberant creations have come to life, reflecting the founder’s watchmaking expertise and style in watch design.
Having a style of the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar
“Honey, they shrunk the Roger Dubuis.” That was my first thought upon seeing the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar throughout a pre-Watches and Wonders dinner in Geneva. However instantly after that, I assumed the proportions had been spot on. The pink gold case measures 40mm in diameter and 11.25mm thick. The scale does matter right here, simply not in the best way of the favored saying. The lowered dimension issues as a result of it connects to the model’s heritage and modifications the general design. As you may see, decreasing the general dimension of the watch led to a notched bezel that now appears extra delicate than ever. And the identical goes for the triple-lug state of affairs — I nonetheless regard it as a state of affairs and never a lot a design component. The look of those lugs is toned right down to a stage that they don’t dominate the general design of the watch.
As you now know, the dial is an advanced piece of expertise, however additionally it is fairly enticing. The mother-of-pearl provides an expensive shimmer to a semi-open-worked dial, above which hovers massive arms within the present RD fashion. The combination of softness, stronger shapes, and a peek at what drives this timepiece is totally balanced.
Studying the watch
Earlier than I put the watch on my wrist, a peek on the again revealed the in-house, 240-part RD840 motion. This computerized caliber options the retrograde day and date shows and bears the celebrated Poinçon de Genève. Attaining this certification requires handbook motion ornament, hand-polished surfaces, and passing a number of chronometer exams.
The oscillating weight is a modernized model of the 1996 unique. And there may be extra. There’s additionally one thing to learn on the motion aspect of the watch. On the skin of the caliber, there’s the next quote from Roger Dubuis and the model’s co-founder, Carlos Dias. It reads, “C’est une montre actuelle, inspirée mais pas soumise au passé, qui se projette dans un futur qui nous appartient.” This interprets to, “It is a watch of right now, impressed however not restricted to the previous, projected right into a future that belongs to us.”
Sporting the watch
A watch of this dimension wears effortlessly. The lugs are on the longer aspect (I’m sorry for forgetting to measure the size of the case; I used to be too enchanted by the watch’s spell once I tried it on), however they created no drawback on my 18.5cm wrist. The slender form of the lugs did assist create a flowing and chic silhouette, which I admire. The ending of the case is of the best stage. However that’s, in fact, to be anticipated from a watch that earned the Hallmark of Geneva.
It is likely to be laborious to consider once I say this specific RD might perform as a each day wearer. However because of its dimension and refined look, I do suppose that’s true. And though the watch is available in pink gold, it’s not overly flashy. On high of that, the MOP dial particulars perform as an consideration seeker for its wearer, not the general public. The shimmering MOP makes you need to take a look at the watch time and again.
Pricing and availability
The Roger Dubuis Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar, priced at €64,000 / CHF 56,500, is a non-limited watch within the model’s common assortment and will probably be obtainable very quickly. In time, it’ll likely be joined by different creations with extra reasonably sized instances and history-inspired designs. Whenever you undergo the model’s again catalog, there are many treasures awaiting rediscovery and reinterpretation, begging to function inspiration in a means that honors the previous and suits the current and way forward for the model. Roger Dubuis created a watch that appeals to extra watch fanatics than it did within the latest previous. And it additionally laid a strong basis for future timepieces with a watch that charmingly relives the previous whereas not falling into the retro lure of simply reissuing one thing.
Though I do know the pricing is on such a stage that it gained’t be for everybody, it does supply extra watch followers the chance to enter the world of Roger Dubuis. The Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar might show to be the start line of an necessary subsequent chapter within the lifetime of Roger Dubuis.
