WORLDTEMPUS - 12 February 2013
Roberta Naas
It has been eight years since Roger Dubuis first introduced its Excalibur collection, which is designed to evoke images of daring conquest and legendary courage. This year, in honor of that collection, the brand unveils one of its most advanced timepieces, a watch that was five years in research and development. The worldwide patented Excalibur Quatuor is powered by Caliber RD101 is made in two extremely limited versions.
The movement of the timepiece features four balance wheels (one in each corner and visible from the dial side of the watch) and five differentials to compensate for the effects of gravity much like a double tourbillon would. The four carefully positioned spring balances work in pairs to compensate immediately for rate variations caused by changes in position. What a conventional tourbillon achieves over the course of one minute, the Excalibur Quatuor achieves instantly according to Roger Dubuis.
Each example of this watch takes 2,400 hours to create, with 720 of those hours being used to complete the meticulous techniques for finishing the movement that the Seal of Geneva demands. The watch is offered in a limited edition of 88 pieces in 18-karat rose gold, each retailing for $422,000. Going a step further, the brand releases just three pieces of this watch in a case crafted entirely in silicon and holding a worldwide patent for the case material. Each of those three pieces will retail for $1 million.
Because of the rarity of the piece, Roger Dubuis had it uniquely displayed at the recent SIHH in a glass globe held in the claw of a larger-than-life, gold-painted Eagle sculpture with a 45-foot wing span.
The eagle sculpture, months in the making, was designed to celebrate the fact that Roger Dubuis is the only watch manufacture to stamp the Geneva Seal on its entire watch production (the eagle is the bird associated with Geneva). The Seal signifies discipline in the making of each movement component and indeed the ultimate watch. To further underscore the brand's respect for haute horlogerie and its relationship with the city of Geneva (and to bring even greater traffic to the booth during the fair), Roger Dubuis had live eagles on the wrists of special eagle handlers dressed in King Arthur court-style attire. It didn't hurt either that celebrity Gerard Butler, who recently became a Roger Dubuis ambassador, stopped by the exhibition as well.
In addition to the high-tech, high-mech Excalibur Quatuor, Roger Dubuis also unveiled important new products in its other key collections. Highlights include the new Pulsion Skeleton Flying Tourbillon; the Monagasque Tourbillon with baguette diamonds; the Velvet Diva with mystery diamond setting and a mesh bracelet; and the Hommage Flying Tourbillon with date. A few strong Excalibur watches also join Quatuor, including the sophisticated Excalibur 42 Chronograph with a striking blue dial and bold pushers, and the Excalibur 36 ladies model in 18-karat rose gold and set with nearly 5 carats of diamonds on the bezel and bracelet.
