BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
A visit to Roger Dubuis’ booth at Watches & Wonders Geneva is always a treat both for us as watch nerds there in person but also for you as watch nerds who get to look at our photos (that sounded insulting, it wasn’t meant to be, go find a Roger Dubuis dealer near you and try them out!). We’re pleased to add Roger Dubuis’ newest chronograph piece, the Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph, to our list of watches that were in the works but we didn’t get to see a sneak peek of at the show, but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about them now, does it?
Note: The image above is of a different-coloured model seen at Watches & Wonders Geneva, this photo should give you an idea of scale on the wrist.
The first thing we must remember when approaching Roger Dubuis is that, as ridiculous as that might sound, they aren’t your average luxury watchmaker. They don’t make a range of pilot’s watches, diving watches, dressy pieces, field watches, ladies’ pieces—the list goes on, but you get my point. There aren’t any prices on any of Roger Dubuis’ watches on their website either, so it’s clear that any piece they make will be exclusive and expensive.
The newest addition to Roger Dubuis’ collection, the Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph, is a true testament to their unconventional approach. The 45mm case, crafted from carbon, is a bold departure from traditional materials. Topped with a black ceramic bezel and unique notches, it’s a design that’s sure to turn heads. The 100m water resistance and quick-release rubber strap with green inlays add a touch of practicality to this piece.
In fact, green is one of the key themes of this watch, that’s thanks to Roger Dubuis’ partnership firm Lamborghini, which they’ve been working with for a long time now. Lamborghini’s racing team, Lamborghini Squadra Corse, is competing in the Le Mans Daytona Hybrid race, and their car’s livery is verde mantis, or mantis green to you and me. That means the skeletonised dial has been adorned with green detailing, such as the Y-shaped bridges (mirroring the racing car’s headlights; they even have lume in them) and some of the indices. Some, though, not all as there are splashes of red here and there to both provide contrast and wrap in the Italian theme of one of Italy’s most iconic companies.
The automatically-wound calibre RD780 features a 4Hz beat rate and a long 72-hour power reserve, but its main feature is the chronograph. It’s controlled by a column wheel and includes a vertical clutch and a “Second Braking System”, which apparently smooths out any jerkiness from the chronograph seconds hand; it’s a patent-pending system. The other patent-pending system is the unique minutes counter, which displays the minutes by rotating the numbers around, kind of like how a wandering hours watch displays the time. The chronograph is also a flyback chronograph, enabling you to reset it when it’s running. Finally, Roger Dubuis has tilted the balance wheel by 12 degrees which, they claim, means the balance wheel is more resistant to everyday knocks and shocks.
This piece is limited to just 88 examples accessible through Roger Dubuis’ boutiques at a princely sum of, well, we don’t know. The price for this model can be found upon request. What we do know is that this green version joins two other watches, one in red and black and one in khaki and orange. Roger Dubuis says that these watches are the ultimate expressions of racing machines on the wrist, looking at these watches that’s most definitely the case.
