In a new exhibition to showcase the Roger Dubuis watchmaking patrimony, the maison held a special exhibition – “Watchmaker Like No Other” at the Penthouse of the Artyzen Singapore. Here is a sneak peek.
Roger Dubuis showcases their wonderful patrimony
In an interesting return to roots story, Roger Dubuis showcases their patrimony by paying tribute to the man himself and his dream to create one of a kind watches.
Roger Dubuis (1928 – 2017) – the watchmaker extraordinaire
The late Roger Dubuis was a maverick of his time. Unlike most other youngsters of his time, where the son typically followed on the profession of the father, Roger wanted to be a watchmaker, even though his father was a carpenter.
He began watchmaking school and was assigned the number 208 as his student number. This was engraved on his brussoire, which is shown below.
He worked at Patek Philippe as a constructor and watchmaker in the high complications workshop before he started out on his own in 1980 in a business of repair of watches and clocks. In 1995, he set up Roger Dubuis with Carlos Dias, who later was to become the CEO. The early days were marked by watches which were classical in nature, mainly dress watches with complications. They became endeared to the collector community with the now epic Symphatie watch case design, as well as the classical collection known simply as Homage. The brand was also known for its expression in high complication, especially the tourbillon and building skeleton movements.
Over the years, the brand has been increasingly involved in motorsport with their tie up with Lamborghini taking center stage to their collection. Their current catalog comprise almost completely of large sporty watches. The classical collection is sadly not being produced. The maison is still very small and exclusive, producing no more than about 1,500 watches a year, with a rather high starting price of CHF 50k.
Watchmaker Like No Other
This brings us right up to the “Watchmaker Like No Other” Show.
To us, this marks perhaps a turning point to return focus to the art of watchmaking. Paying tribute to the man himself and his considerable gifts as a watchmaker. One station in the exhibition is dedicated to the man himself, how he carved his name into the history books of watchmaking.
YouTube link here.
On display, are some of the interesting and core competencies of the manufacture. And yes, even as a small player making a very small number of watches, Roger Dubuis is a full manufacturer, an obsession of Carlos. The manufacture was created in 2001 in Meyrin and expanded in 2004. They acquired the rights to manufacture its own Lemania C.2310 chronograph and even had their own enamel workshop. By 2008, the maison had some 30 different in-house calibers. And eventually the company was taken over by Richemont, first in 2008 with a 60% stake and then in 2016 for full ownership.
But back to the exhibition. There was a demonstration station to allow visitors to have their hand at black polishing. This is a simple task, but yet exceedingly difficult to perfect. But perfection, or near perfection is necessary to achieve the mirror finishing that is the character of the black polish. Like the tourbillon cages of the Excalibur Double Tourbillon shown below.
The were also movements displayed to show the art of skeletonising. The Roger Dubuis way was not to start from a basic caliber and removing what could be removed while compromising on the structural integrity of the movement the least, but to start out with a skeleton frame and building the movement around it. This evident in even the maison’s first Monotourbillon.
This base skeleton frame is also used as a canvas to express creativity, like in the 28 Hearts featured on a Monotourbillon in the calibre RD88-DQ in 2008; the Monotourbillon Brocéliande from 2015, displaying enamel details echoing the beauty of nature or the 2018 RD510SQ-ST Monotourbillon “Shooting Star” movement that payed a tribute to one of Roger Dubuis symbols.
Novelties of the day
Two novelties were revealed in the exhibition. First the new Orbis in Machina Central Monotourbillon. Complex, extravagant and unexpected, the timepiece represents the distinctive duality of Roger Dubuis. From the front, it tells the story of daring engineering embellished with precious rubies. At the back, it celebrates the traditions and excellence of Geneva fine watchmaking.
And the second is a new expression, now Chapter 4, of the Knights of the Round Table, drawing inspiration from the Merlin story. This time, with the ancient Giant’s Causeway as the base of the dial.
The twelve knights used as hour markers around the dial are miniature figurines made by artisans in rose gold and applied with a patina for the vintage look.
Conclusion
Impressive exhibition. And a showcase of tour de force, demonstrating that Roger Dubuis still has got the goods to be able to deliver top level haute horlogeire in the classical sense. We hope that this is a mark of a fork. Which will one of the tines will end up with the return of the Symphatie and another with the Homage collections of old. While the other tines remain pointing the current directions of Motor Sport and Urban Culture. Of course, it will not be Roger Dubuis except that these new tines will have their own innovation. And exceptional level of craft examplified by the Poinçoin de Genève.
