Swiss luxury watch brand Roger Dubuis brings two new timepieces to its iconic Excalibur collection. The watches include an Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar Cosmic Blue and Excalibur Biretrograde Perpetual Calendar, combining sportiness with a classic calendar function and true haute horlogerie, respectively.
Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar Cosmic Blue
The new Excalibur Bi-retrograde Calendar in Cosmic Blue combines the Maison's sporty identity with classic Geneva watchmaking, an automatic calendar movement, and the distinctive bi-retrograde display that has been one of Roger Dubuis' most defining features for decades. With its 40-millimeter stainless steel case, deep blue dial , and automatic caliber RD840, it is far more than just a new color variant.
Bi-retrograde display as a trademark
The bi-retrograde display is inextricably linked to the name Roger Dubuis. As early as 1989, the founder patented a version of this mechanism he had developed. Together with Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, he refined the classic retrograde principle, making it both more efficient from a horological standpoint and more visually striking. The goal was a design that combines technical sophistication with clarity while simultaneously evoking an emotional response. The decisive improvement lay in two aspects. Firstly, spiral springs were used instead of ribbon springs, positioned directly on the hand pinions rather than on the rack. Secondly, the cam was redesigned. These changes simplified assembly, improved reliability, and resulted in a more precise, stable, and legible display. In the new Excalibur Bi-retrograde Calendar, this principle lives on in typical Roger Dubuis style. The skeletonized, angled hands sweep across elliptical scales for the day and date before snapping back to their starting position at the end of their cycle.
Cosmic Blue as a stage
The new model is entirely dedicated to "Cosmic Blue," a signature color of Roger Dubuis designed to capture the moment between daylight and the depths of night. Depending on the angle of the light, it shifts between cooler and darker, vibrant tones. The dial is multi-layered, comprising seven levels. This layering visually distinguishes the various displays. Rhodium-plated hour markers with white Super-LumiNova ensure excellent legibility and add bright accents. The ecliptic counters feature a sunburst finish and a rhodium coating, while the central plate is circular-brushed and also finished in Cosmic Blue. Additional details include the small seconds subdial at six o'clock and the bi-retrograde emblem at twelve o'clock, both with an azuré finish and beveled angles.
Geneva Seal and open mechanism
Inside, the automatic caliber RD840 operates. It offers a 60-hour power reserve and is visible through the sapphire crystal case back. Of particular importance is its certification by the Poinçon de Genève. This Geneva Seal not only confirms the movement's origin but also signifies exceptionally high standards for construction, workmanship, and finishing. In the case of the RD840, this is evident in the numerous hand-applied finishes that elevate the precision mechanics to the level of true haute horlogerie. A total of 14 finishing techniques are employed, including beveling, matte finishing, circular brushing, Geneva stripes, perlage, mirror polishing, and machined tooth flanks.
Sporty-elegant
The case of the new model is made of 316L stainless steel. The combination of polished, blasted, and satin-finished surfaces creates a contrast between technical precision and luxurious presence. The material lends the watch a robust, everyday-wearable quality without compromising its fine craftsmanship. The timepiece is complemented by a multi-link stainless steel bracelet that combines comfort with classic sports watch aesthetics. Roger Dubuis also offers a blue rubber strap with a stainless steel triple-folding clasp.
Excalibur Biretrograde Perpetual Calendar
With the new Excalibur Biretrograde Perpetual Calendar, Roger Dubuis takes its iconic Biretrograde family in a significantly more technically sophisticated direction. Where the Cosmic Blue model presents the day and date in a sporty yet elegant setting, this new version combines the characteristic retrograde choreography with one of watchmaking's most traditional grand complications: the perpetual calendar.
Perpetual calendar as a signature complication
The perpetual calendar is one of the great complications of classic watchmaking. Its function is to correctly account for the varying lengths of months and leap years, thus ensuring precise timekeeping for decades. For the manufacture, this complication is closely linked to the personality of its founder. Roger Dubuis was known as a watchmaker who combined patient construction, technical sophistication, and aesthetic clarity. The perpetual calendar embodies this aspiration in a unique way. The new Excalibur displays the day and date on elliptical retrograde scales. As with the classic bi-retrograde display, the hands glide along their tracks and spring back to their starting position at the end of the cycle. The calendar mechanism is thus not only displayed but, in a sense, made tangible.
The new RD850 caliber
Inside beats the new automatic in-house caliber RD850. Comprising 435 components, it offers a 60-hour power reserve. This movement represents a further development of Roger Dubuis' bi-retrograde perpetual calendars and demonstrates how the Maison continues to refine its historical signatures. A particularly practical innovation is the integrated month corrector. This allows for direct and easy adjustment of the month display. Compared to previous designs, this makes adjustment significantly simpler, faster, and gentler on the mechanism. Especially with such a complex caliber architecture, this is an important functional detail, as it noticeably simplifies the handling of the watch. Like the RD840 before it, this movement also bears the Poinçon de Genève.
Astronomical lunar phase with long-term precision
A significant improvement over previous biretrograde calendars is the astronomical moon phase display at six o'clock. It is designed to represent the synodic lunar month of 29 days, 12 hours, and 45 minutes with exceptional precision. This ensures the display remains accurate for approximately 122 years before requiring its first correction by one day. Compared to conventional moon phase displays, which typically use only an approximate 29.5-day cycle and therefore require correction after just two to three years, this represents a considerable technical advancement. The moon phase display itself is also meticulously crafted. The main disc is made of aventurine and features a domed moon in 18-karat rose gold, laser-engraved to create added depth and texture.
Dial in nine levels
The new model features an open, multi-layered dial with a total of nine levels. Roger Dubuis calls the color palette "Astral Blue"—a hue inspired by the vastness and depth of the universe. This blue is combined with various materials and finishes to create a nuanced interplay of light. Key elements include a double-textured flange with a wide azure, ecliptic counters in Astral Blue mother-of-pearl with polished angles, a month disc also in Astral Blue mother-of-pearl, and the moon phase display . The mainplate is brushed and coated in gray, while the open caliber architecture offers a view of the retrograde bridges. These bridges are of particular horological interest.
Roger Dubuis specifically highlights their internal angle polishing, one of the most demanding traditional finishing techniques. Such internal angles are not created by machine, but only through patient handwork using specialized tools. In total, the RD850 caliber features nineteen different finishes. The watch is therefore not only a functionally complex calendar, but also a technically ambitious statement of modern Geneva haute horlogerie. The 40-millimeter rose gold case lends the timepiece a significantly more elegant, classic appearance than the stainless steel model in Cosmic Blue. It is worn on an Astral Blue calfskin strap.
This article first published in WatchTime.net
Images: Courtesy brand
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