Roger Dubuis Celebrates 30 Years of Horological Brilliance with Two Spectacular Anniversary Timepieces
CONTENT: Yiew Kai Jie
This year marks an extraordinary milestone for Roger Dubuis, as the renowned Geneva watchmaker commemorates three decades of fearless innovation, technical achievement, and unmistakable design. Since debuting in 1995 as the dream of Mr. Roger Dubuis and Mr. Carlos Dias, the Maison has pushed the boundaries of haute horology—from pioneering complications and the signature retrograde display, to crafting some of the most expressive, certified masterpieces in Swiss watchmaking. To pay tribute to this 30-year journey, Roger Dubuis unveils two special timepieces that embody its relentless spirit: the Excalibur Grande Complication and the Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar.
Every chapter in the Maison’s story reflects its founder’s vision of combining Genevan tradition with inventive artistry. Mr. Roger Dubuis, a master watchmaker who fell in love with mechanics as a boy watching the village church clocktower, dedicated his life to both preserving and reinventing the codes of watchmaking. This legacy is nowhere more evident than in the Maison’s perpetual drive to master and reinterpret the most challenging complications—minute repeaters, split-seconds chronographs, and especially the tourbillon.
Produced in a strictly limited run of only eight pieces, the Excalibur Grande Complication stands as a tour de force of contemporary haute horlogerie. Encased in lavish pink gold (45mm), this monumental wristwatch brings together three of the most revered complications: a perpetual calendar with Biretrograde display, a minute repeater, and a flying tourbillon.
The perpetual calendar is a joyful symphony of mechanics and display, using semi-circular scales and skeletonized hands that sweep elegantly before snapping back—an homage to the Maison’s storied retrograde system. Able to track irregular months and leap years, it needs no manual correction until 2100. The minute repeater adds another dimension, chiming hours, quarters, and minutes with a haunting tritone (“the devil’s chord”) for an unforgettable auditory experience. Meanwhile, the flying tourbillon—crafted from lightweight titanium and mirror-polished in the form of a Celtic cross—embodies the Maison’s passion for both innovation and tradition. Each element is finished and assembled by hand, earning the revered Poinçon de Genève.
A tribute to the essential codes of Roger Dubuis’ early years, the Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar is refined, expressive, and modern. Housed in a 40mm 18K pink gold case, and featuring a luminous white mother-of-pearl dial, this timepiece showcases the Maison’s sophisticated biretrograde display for day and date—a signature first perfected in the 1980s and prominently featured in the debut 1996 watch.
The automatic Calibre RD840 drives the calendar with a 60-hour power reserve, while the caseback reveals a beautifully decorated oscillating weight and meticulous hand-finishing—hallmarks of the Geneva Seal. Further aesthetic touches, such as the historically inspired font and script, honor the roots and visionary outlook that define Roger Dubuis.
These two timepieces are not just tributes to the past—they represent Roger Dubuis’ indomitable forward momentum. The Excalibur Grande Complication, a rare object of desire, and the Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar, an eloquent link between classicism and modern mastery, exemplify the Maison’s commitment to “a watch of today, inspired but not restricted to the past, projected into a future that belongs to us.”
With this 30th anniversary collection, Roger Dubuis reasserts its place at the pinnacle of Swiss watchmaking, inviting both connoisseurs and newcomers to join in a celebration of invention, expressivity, and the timeless quest for excellence
