The Origins of a Dream
The dream of the Maison originated in the hearts and minds of Mr. Carlos Dias and Mr. Roger Dubuis. Their dream was to craft haute horology timepieces that were fundamentally Genevan, while also uniquely expressive. Still today, the Maison is guided by that founding vision.
Mr. Roger Dubuis’ love for the craft began in childhood, when he first set eyes on the church clocktower in his local Swiss village. This curiosity carried him through to a formal watchmaking education at age 15, where he acquired the student number, 208. Almost immediately, Roger’s commitment to excellence was evident. His diploma watch, powered by the Calibre 208, was certified by the esteemed Poinçon de Genève.
Keeping the traditions of haute horology alive was a goal for Mr. Dubuis throughout his career. A master watchmaker, he was devoted to restoring timepieces from the past, using his work to pass on knowledge from one generation to the next. In parallel to that philosophy, he was also dedicated to creating expressive timepieces.
His entire approach was a blend of tradition and modernity, and a philosophy of excellence, always unquestionably backed by the Poinçon de Genève certification.
A commitment to complications
To best demonstrate his passion for tradition, Mr. Roger Dubuis was particularly fond of interpreting the most iconic complications.
After co-founding the manufacture Roger Dubuis in 1995, together with Carlos Dias, the maison set about creating a series of perpetual calendars, sometimes combined with other complications, featured either in the Hommage or Sympathie collections.
In fact, in just its first 11 years, the maison developed many of the most renowned complications in watchmaking, including the minute repeater, the split-seconds chronograph, and the tourbillon.
Like Mr. Roger Dubuis, the manufacture has loved to reinterpret every challenging complication and has often combined multiple mechanisms in one calibre.
For example, the first Excalibur Grande Complication in 2009 featured an in-house calibre that combined an in-line perpetual calendar, a minute repeater, and a flying monotourbillon — all designed, produced, decorated, and assembled in our Geneva manufacture, and certified by the Poinçon de Genève.
Throughout the years, one complication in particular has truly captured the maison’s attention. The tourbillon is a gravity-defying mechanism, famed in the world of horology for its complexity and beauty. For Mr. Roger Dubuis, however, the real advantage was the compact nature of the mechanism, which created more room for expressivity in a watch whether that was for additional complications or extra aesthetic details, the possibilities were endless.
The tourbillon, therefore, has been reinterpreted by Roger Dubuis in all its forms: single, double, and positioned at the centre of the watch. It also inspired the creation of the Excalibur Quatuor in 2013, where four inclined balance wheels served the same original purpose as the tourbillon — to compensate for the negative effects of gravity on the performance of a watch.
Expressivity through aesthetics
The maison, of course, has worked on each complication in its own expressive way, creating individuality and a playful extension of the meticulous mechanics inside.
Whether through unconventional and unexpected case shapes or playfully theatrical dials, there has always been something to set the designs apart.
For example, in the late ’90s, the Sympathie featured a case with a shape between a square and a cushion while its name was a tribute to all the craftsmen designing and executing exceptional creations in the most sophisticated way. It also showcased a perpetual calendar through a biretrograde display. As a master watchmaker, Mr. Roger Dubuis had co-patented his own retrograde style in 1989 alongside movement designer Jean-Marc Wiederrecht. It therefore made perfect sense to include it in the maison’s earliest creations. The retrograde and biretrograde have become signature displays of the maison and have been showcased across the decades to celebrate each 10-year anniversary.
In the 2000s, the Too Much collection’s double dial was housed in a rectangular case a shape that inspired the creation of the Golden Square collection in 2001. Its look was both powerful, with its square shape, and elegant and modern thanks to its slight curvature. It also housed, in 2003, the maison’s first in-house tourbillon.
But it was the Excalibur collection in 2005 that gave Roger Dubuis expressivity a new turn. Representing the culmination of the first 10 years, it arrived with a round yet powerful case, accented by three lugs and a fluted bezel. Such controlled proportions and a large open dial gave ample room for creativity.
The Excalibur Double Tourbillon, born that same year, celebrated a famous complication with the retrograde signature of Mr. Dubuis, as well as a neo-baroque case and a dial crafted from mother-of-pearl one of the first times this material was used in a men’s watch.
The Excalibur also became the main playground for the skeleton an architectural way of shaping the dial and the movement that has characterized our maison over the past years.
Expressivity through emotion
Beyond aesthetics alone, the maison has been able to uniquely connect with the emotions of its friends via rich partnerships and legendary tales.
In 2013, the maison immersed itself in Arthurian mythology and began a valiant and iconic watchmaking quest that continues to this day. The journey has taken the maison into fantastical worlds while also unleashing a wave of innovation and meticulous savoir-faire — such as the ongoing Knights of the Round Table creations, where we see micro hand-engraved craftsmanship at its finest.
From the Round Table to the racetrack. Since 2017, Roger Dubuis has also partnered with Lamborghini Squadra Corse and Pirelli Design, enabling the maison to nurture and celebrate its passion for motorsport.
From using specialist tyre rubber in the creation of straps to featuring composite materials, colours, and shapes inspired by supercars, Roger Dubuis has spent eight years in the driving seat with these two specialist teams.
The journey ahead
Now, the next thrilling chapter of Genevan tradition, expressivity, and certified excellence begins. At Watches and Wonders 2025, two new timepieces were unveiled to celebrate the maison’s heritage, as well as the founding dream of Mr. Roger Dubuis himself.
Limited to just eight pieces, the new Excalibur Grande Complication celebrates the art of complications with a perpetual calendar, a minute repeater, and a tourbillon all delivered alongside fine and expressive aesthetics.
The Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar also reignites the favourite display of the maison’s founder and houses it in a refined design of classic materials.
Two thoughtful links to the past, and a meaningful way to light the path for Roger Dubuis’ exciting story ahead.
