On an unrelenting quest for expressivity, Roger Dubuis is forever finding new ways to highlight the performance and aesthetics of its tourbillon designs. At Watches and Wonders Shanghai 2024, we reveal the latest innovative example of this ambitious attitude.
Introducing the Excalibur Double Tourbillon Cobalt Chrome.
Built with a highly-resistant alloy, more often seen in cutting-edge industries, and driven by a challenging Double Tourbillon, this unveiling features Roger Dubuis’ exclusive Hyper Horology™ at its most powerful.
Twice the Complexity
The tourbillon, in all its forms, has been at the heart of Roger Dubuis for over 20 years. It is now considered a signature mechanism of the Maison – and one that has been constantly reinvented with unrelenting excellence.
Roger Dubuis’ first Double Tourbillon was released in 2005. Even then, the Geneva watchmaker was intent on doing things differently. With the Calibre RD01, Roger Dubuis linked two tourbillons with a regulating differential – a gear system that mitigates the effects of gravity by balancing the two tourbillons.
Adding this component to an already complicated mechanism is just one of the many challenges in Double Tourbillon creation. Further to this, more hours are required for fine-tuning and also for ensuring that each of the two mechanisms are aligned in terms of quality and reliability. Compared to a Monobalancier, a single tourbillon takes twice as long to adjust and assemble. For the Double Tourbillon – it’s around twice as long again.
In the new Excalibur timepiece, the two flying tourbillons are once again linked by a differential – but that’s only the first point of difficultly. To embrace twice the complexity, the watchmakers have also placed the tourbillons within a skeletonized framework.
For the wearer, this allows an unrestricted and breathtaking view into the manual- winding RD108SQ calibre, which is distinguished by 72 hours of power reserve– as well as its finely decorated surfaces and pure aesthetics. 17 different types of hand- finishing are used across the 319 components. A masterful standard of décor that requires technique, experience and patience. For Mr. Roger Dubuis, decorating the components of his movements was a way to perpetuate the art of traditional fine watchmaking, and by following the Poinçon de Genève criteria, it was also a way of ensuring the highest level of excellence. Besides artistry and technique, this independent certification also guarantees the provenance and reliability of the timepiece.
The Might of Cobalt Chrome
To protect a powerful calibre – you need a prestigious material. Going to the furthest reaches of technical proficiency, Roger Dubuis has turned to Cobalt Chrome.
Originally developed for the automotive, aeronautic, and aerospace industries, which are well-experienced in the need for reliability and resistance, this special alloy is fearless in the face of modern-day challenges. Along with its distinctive brightness and aesthetic advantage, Cobalt Chrome is more scratch-resistant than gold, highly corrosion-resistant, non-magnetic, and reliably strong for everyday wear.
Roger Dubuis has been incorporating Cobalt Chrome into its watchmaking since 2017, making it one of the Maison’s signature materials. In particular, the Geneva watchmaker uses this alloy for the upper bridge of its tourbillon cages, which not only offers a brilliant lustre, but also invaluable anti-magnetic properties.
For this new watch, the entire 45mm case is crafted in Cobalt Chrome. In production, the alloy is more technically known as Cobalt Chrome Cartech Micro- Melt® Biodur CCM™. A trademarked name that highlights its world-leading development, and the vast array of benefits it promises.
Colour Attributed to Nature
One final point of difference is the colour that Cobalt Chrome bestows. In nature, cobalt alone emits a natural blue colour. An energizing hue that has been admired since ancient times, with cobalt being used in multiple ways, from jewellery production through to paints and glass.
In tribute to that organic shade, Roger Dubuis has enveloped the skeletonized architecture of this watch in a distinctive blue colour, including the astral signature that is inherent within the Maison’s identity. It is a bold and powerful look, and one that is subsequently mirrored in the watch’s blue calf-skin leather strap, featuring the versatile Quick Release System.
The case is silvery-grey, which is how Cobalt Chrome arrives from the powder metallurgy process. This metal forming process is performed by heating compacted metal powders to just below their melting points. This allows for a complete homogeneity of the material – leaving impurity out – and making it noticeably brighter than stainless steel and titanium, radiating its own sheen that again helps it stand out from the crowd. Despite offering such numerous advantages, Cobalt Chrome still remains very rarely used in watchmaking.
Exclusivity in Blue
Limited to just 28 pieces, the Excalibur Double Tourbillon Cobalt is a symbol of modernity in fine watchmaking. Technical and refined all at the same time, it is the ultimate choice for those who appreciate flawless and mesmerizing style.
Making its world début at Watches and Wonders Shanghai 2024, it takes pride of place within a collection of four new tourbillons from Roger Dubuis, also including The Orbis In Machina Central Monotourbillon, the Excalibur Monotourbillon Blue Hour, and the Excalibur Monotourbillon White Gold.
Each new creation stands as an homage to Roger Dubuis’ enduring tourbillon craftsmanship. Fuelled by expressivity and unexpected innovation, the Maison yet again proves its passion for reinterpreting this historic complication – in all its forms, and with all its many complexities.
