By Jovan Krstevski
For the last three decades, Roger Dubuis has been mostly defined by its extreme, angular watches; skeletonized dials and loaded with tourbillons. The Excalibur line became their entire personality, loud and flashy with zero apologies. Which proved that it worked, but it also made people forget where the brand actually came from. That changes with their 30th anniversary piece, the Hommage La Placide Perpetual Calendar Biretrograde.
The 38mm x 11mm 18k pink gold case comes across as measured and confident, almost like the brand is taking a moment to remember where it started. Polished faces slip into brushed sides, giving the watch a smooth and grown up feel. The beveled lugs take a gentle curve that helps the case sit on the wrist the same easy way Roger Dubuis used to do so well.
The dial is classic old school RD with a biretrograde perpetual calendar laid out over a blue lacquered main plate, the kind of complication Roger Dubuis himself loved. Mother of pearl segments frame the retrograde day and date, and you get mother of pearl counters for the months and the leap year up top. Down at six you have an aventurine moonphase that really pulls you in, with a golden moon drifting across that deep sparkling sky. Even the brass retrograde hands are finished in pink gold for a little extra warmth.
Beating at 4 Hz inside is Calibre RD1472, a throwback movement built by combining the brand’s early automatic from 2004 with the perpetual calendar system they created in 1999. It is packed with three hundred seven parts, topped with a gold rotor, tuned with a swan neck regulator, and finished to Geneva Seal standards. Power reserve lands at about 48 hours, which fits the vibe perfectly.
The watch comes on a blue calf leather strap with a rose gold triple folding buckle, limited to 28 pieces, and retails at EUR 115,000 before taxes.
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