On the occasion of Geneva’s annual Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), the Manufacture’s R&D department has each year carte blanche to break existing codes, and go to innovative extremes. In 2019, Roger Dubuis collaborates with its partners Lamborghini Squadra Corse and Pirelli - chosen for their reputations of being at the forefront of technology and equally determined to shatter existing R&D boundaries - to create a highly complicated unique timepiece: the Excalibur One-Off.
A tripartite exclusive
Inspired by the worlds of Lamborghini Squadra Corse and Pirelli, the Excalibur One-Off is inspired by the recently unveiled Lamborghini SC18 Alston supercar, the first ever one-off hypercar created by the Lamborghini motorsport division exclusively developed for a client’s recreational use on the track. This timepiece features a futuristic design at the crossroads of modern art and innovative architecture and a calibre worthy of the most complex engine. Composed of an amazing variety of materials, this watch is representative of what Fine Watchmaking, a supercar manufacturer and a tyre king can do together.
Triple expertise
Following the same design philosophy as Lamborghini Squadra Corse, Roger Dubuis engineers have created a timepiece inspired by the supercar manufacturer’s aesthetic codes and aggressive allure, namely clean, precise lines, great depth and an eye-catching show of lights. The compact calibre has been developed around a single frame like the tubular structure of a supercar.
Since 1963, tyre king Pirelli has equipped every Lamborghini produced and currently manufactures bespoke tyres designed for the best performance, handling and safety of specific car models. Marked with an “L”, they are designed with the purpose of enhancing the car’s performance while ensuring a unique driving experience, both on and off the track.
The Excalibur One-off model features this distinctive L-branded strap with large air intakes and shaped to maximise breathability and resistance. The design and colours of this complex three-dimensional creation were also inspired by the interior of its supercar alter-ego. In addition, the mesh of this strap consists of nylon fibres that are exactly like those embedded in the inner structure of Pirelli tyres. The expertise of the Pirelli engineers helped Roger Dubuis enhance the quality of its strap by endowing it with very good torsional and traction resistance. This in turn makes it possible to achieve a skeleton effect through extensive openworking.
From hyper car to hyper watch
The Excalibur One-off timepiece is powered by the third calibre to be produced within the framework of this three-way partnership in the form of the purpose-built RD106SQ movement, mechanical double flying tourbillon inclined 90°. Built like a supercar engine, it emulates the V-shape geometry of the Lamborghini engines.
Directly derived from the gravity compensation concept embodied by the tourbillon, the disruptive double flying tourbillon is assembled on two planes, creating a 90° angle between them and linked with a differential. At 12 o’clock the Excalibur One-off features a double disc jumping hour with one hand for the minutes and a jumping hours counter (like on a Lamborghini, in which a single hand gives the number of revolutions and a counter shows the speed). The movement is framed by two sapphire components symbolizing the rev counters of a car. Further tribute is paid to the Lamborghini SC18 Alston supercar with a function selector reminiscent of a supercar mode selector which allows the user to choose the watch settings (W = wind the watch, S = set the time) – a brand-new and playful function for a super watch. A construction of this complexity required rethinking and adapting every tool used in the finishing of each piece to comply with the criteria of the Poinçon de Genève.
Lamborghini Squadra Corse is known for its mastery of carbon fiber, a material renowned for its resistance (safety) and lightness (performance) properties, which the supercar manufacturer uses in many of its creations and notably the SC18 Alston supercar. The robust 47 mm case of the Excalibur One-off features carbon SMC in the case, flange and bridge, along with a woven carbon case-middle. Ceramic, another automotive-related material widely employed for the brakes of supercars, appears in black on the bezel as well as in the red liquid ceramic minute markers.
