The Excalibur Knights of the Round Table is one of the most popular watches produced by Roger Dubuis, despite its 280,000 Swiss francs price tag and its strictly limited edition status (only 28 pieces are produced of each version). The workshops in Meyrin can only produce a maximum of two of these intricate watches per month, which means that there is inevitably a waiting list. The watch is so sought after that one was sold in an auction at Hong Kong last year for 30% more than the usual retail price. Just as a reminder, that 30% premium alone would buy you a decent tourbillon from many brands.
In its latest iteration, this popular watch brings the "low poly" technique familiar from early computer games to the design of the knights seated around the table. In a juxtaposition of medieval tradition and modern high-tech, these figures of legend are engraved by hand in solid gold using a completely new design reminiscent of something that has been generated by a computer algorithm. Each of the twelve knights points his golden sword towards the centre of the dial and is separated from his peers by a hand-carved block of solid blue enamel. Each dial requires no fewer than 45 hours of work.
This work of art is housed inside a 45mm diameter case in 18-carat rose gold and powered by the Calibre RD 821 self-winding movement, which is hand-finished down to the most minute detail in respect of the strict criteria of the Geneva Hallmark. Once again limited to only 28 pieces, this new version of a firm favourite is sure to see strong demand, and since Roger Dubuis has just 27 of its own-brand boutiques around the world, it will be a challenge worthy of the knights of the round table to see one.
