The Excalibur: success set in stone for Roger Dubuis

Legend tells how Arthur became King of the Britons when he pulled Excalibur from the stone in which the sword had been embedded. When in 2005 Roger Dubuis presented a new collection named after the mythical blade, it did so with timepieces worthy of a symbol that epitomises values of chivalry and valour; values that inspired the Knights of the Round Table to set out in search of the Holy Grail. Another symbol, if ever there was. Having enriched its offering with three new worlds in as many years – the Monégasque collection for the world of casinos and gambling, Pulsion for the world of adventure, and Velvet for women – Roger Dubuis now returns to the origins of the Arthurian legend to show that the foundations have now been laid and the time has come to conquer.

Three years reconstructing the brand

“We worked for three years to rebuild the brand by adding these three collections which, together with Excalibur, now form our four pillars,” explains Chief Executive Jean-Marc Pontroué. “The time had come to return to Excalibur, which accounts for over half our sales, as a means of asserting the spirit of Roger Dubuis and engineering our drive forward.” And what an affirmation this is!

With the Excalibur Quatuor, the brand has pulled out all the stops. This watch is equipped with four sprung balances (the regulating organ) and five differentials in a high-frequency movement consisting of 590 components and beating at 16 Hz (115,200 vibrations/hour). This is Roger Dubuis’ answer to watchmaking’s endless pursuit of precision. In another major innovation, a limited series of three Excalibur Quatuor is housed in a silicon case. A second series of 88 pieces is proposed in rose gold.

Putting words into practice

The collection also extends to the Excalibur Table Ronde, a limited series of 88 pieces whose grand feu enamel dial is embellished with 12 tiny knight figurines sculpted from gold, two skeletonised watches with single or double tourbillon, not forgetting the Excalibur Chronograph and the Automatic small seconds. Gem-set models complete the line-up.

“If I had to define the spirit of the 2013 collections, I would say one word sums it up, and that is silicon. With the Excalibur Quatuor, not only have we produced a grand complication that took seven years to develop, we have also pushed boundaries to give it a very innovative exterior,” says Jean-Marc Pontroué. “The three watches in this series have already found takers, each of whom will receive a plane ticket so that they can come and personally collect their timepiece, and take a guided tour of the Manufacture. Once again, we’re intent on innovating and showing that the message we deliver corresponds to reality. How many watch firms can say they produce their own regulating organs? Roger Dubuis can. That this brand of Fine Watchmaking has such an appeal confirms our belief that these products strengthen the brand’s credibility. All of which bodes well for the coming months, as demonstrated by interest in the rose gold version. We will be able to produce 28 of these pieces this year.”

The modern-day Grail

A distinct approach to the measure of time with style and substance is, in essence, the brand’s leitmotif, in the words of Jean-Marc Pontroué. An approach whose full measure cannot be taken without mention of the Poinçon de Genève, a designation of origin as much as a guarantee of the highest standard of execution and finish that is stamped on Roger Dubuis’ entire production, the only watchmaker which can lay claim to such an achievement. “The brand has this culture in its blood,” concludes Jean-Marc Pontroué. A culture that has made horological excellence the modern-day Grail.