Roger Dubuis is celebrating 30 years by looking back on its days as a trend-setting independent. The Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar deftly balances the spirit of Genevan watchmaking from the brand’s early years in the 1990s with the boisterous designs of the 2000s in a manageable size, but less manageable price.

While the style is reminiscent of the oversized Excalibur models that were far from ergonomic, the Biretrograde Calendar has been redesigned for wearability. The retrograde calendar mechanism on the front is an in-house construction, built on top of the brand’s own automatic movement that is unexpectedly sophisticated and classical.

Initial Thoughts

Roger Dubuis is a marque built on calendars, so the new Excalibur has historical resonance. The late Roger Dubuis was a Patek Philippe alumni who caught his big break working with Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, who would go on to found Agenhor, on a double retrograde perpetual calendar developed for New York jeweller Harry Winston. It was during the project that Dubuis met his future business partner, Carlos Dias, an entrepreneur who would help establish the Roger Dubuis brand and transform it into a hit maker in the 2000s.

The same double retrograde perpetual calendar mechanism would accompany the first Roger Dubuis model the brand’s debut in 1995. And the retrograde calendar also has a historical connection to Geneva, as a local watchmaker named Marius LeCoultre created the most prolific retrograde perpetual design of the 19th century. The complication, in other words, is right at home for a watch brand rooted in Geneva.

The return of the brand’s signature complication in a moderately-sized case would be a poetic way to celebrate 30 years, but this is not a perpetual calendar. It is a simple calendar, making the price tag CHF56,500 (equivalent to US$70,000), somewhat steep.

The calendar mechanism is executed in a refined manner and showcased on the dial. That, and the high quality of execution, including the Poinçon de Genève and a high-end base calibre, are in its favour, but this is still priced above a simple calendar from Vacheron Constantin for instance.

The lack of a perpetual function is disappointing, though the original models were also available as simple calendars. It is also likely that Roger Dubuis has a perpetual calendar in the pipeline.

Biretro

The Biretrograde Calendar retains the exact same layout as Roger Dubuis’ historical double retrograde, which was available in both perpetual and simple calendar formats. A calendar emblem in a circle at 12 o’clock echoes the same logo on the historical models.

Unlike the original version that was developed by Agenhor, the new double retrograde display was developed in house. It is also almost certainly much more reliable than the original, which was finicky and delicate, often prone to getting stuck.

The dial exposes the retrograde calendar works, which are elegantly shaped but robustly formed. Notably, the calendar mechanism is also symmetrical on both sides.

A 31-tooth wheel at three o’clock controls the date, advancing clockwise by one step each day at midnight, carrying a snail-shaped cam.

A spring pushes a lever (which is connected to the date hand) against the snail. The snail acts like a ramp, pushing the date lever further and further away from the centre, advancing the date each time.

Then, on the final day the lever falls off the end of the ramp, back to where it started, causing the date hand to jump backwards from the 31st to the first in an instant. The second lever jumps wheel forward one step when you press the correction pusher. This is mirrored at nine 0’clock for the day, but the wheel only has seven steps for the days of the week.

Excalibur

In terms of design, the Excalibur case has changed surprisingly little since Carlos Dias pulled it from a stone in 2005, just two years after Mr Dubuis retired. Back then, the brand was growing rapidly, helmed by the flamboyant Mr Dias until he sold the brand to Richemont in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

But the new case has been scaled down and almost surprisingly wearable. The original Excalibur was 45 mm in diameter, as was the fashion in 2005, but the Biretrograde Calendar is a modest 40 mm, more in line with today’s taste.

It still has the chunky tripe lugs and notched bezel that characterise the design, resulting in a watch that appears larger than it is. But on the wrist the downsized Excalibur wears well, though the integrated leather strap is stiff as such straps always are.

The new case is also quite svelte for a complicated Excalibur, at only 11.25 mm tall, though still reassuringly 100 m water resistant.

For comparison, the only other bi-retrograde model in Roger Dubuis’ current collection, the Excalibur Grande Complication that was also launched this year, is an ungainly 45 mm in diameter and 17.5 mm thick.

That said, the 40 mm Excalibur still much larger than the first-generation Sympathie models designed by the late Dubuis, which were 35 mm and then 37 mm.

Size comparizon with the Sympathie S37 similar to that worn by the late Dubuis himself

The case finishing has also been refined. The detailing is sophisticated compared to early Excalibur models, which were almost entirely mirror polished. Here most surfaces are finely bushed with mirror polishing only used for accents like the bevels on the lugs, and on the notched bezel.

The calfskin strap is so impressively bolstered as to resemble moulded elastomer strap, and nearly blends into the case. This was a trademark feature of the Excalibur since its inception, but never helped wearability. Even now the scaled-down case would be more wearable with a conventional strap.

As with other Richemont brands, Roger Dubuis uses a quick release system for the strap, allowing for easy removal of the strap without tools. Pressing the spring loaded tabs on the back of the strap frees the strap from the case, while the butterfly clasp is secured to the strap with a twist lock mechanism for seamless swapping.

Calibre and Cadrature

Inside dwells the RD480, an automatic distinguished with the Poinçon de Genève, a 60-hour autonomy, and directly-driven small seconds.

Visually, the movement is classical, which is surprising for a modern-day automatic. I suspect, as with many things, Roger Dubius took inspiration from vintage Patek Philippe, specifically the 27-460 AT and the earlier cal. 12-600 AT found in the Calatrava ref. 2526 – which some regard as most beautiful automatic of the 20th century.

The movement also bears the Poinçon de Genève, a hallmark that was a big deal in the 20th century. Historically, the “Geneva Seal” was stylistic and set standards for construction and decoration. Today it also includes (somewhat lenient) functional requirements for accuracy, timekeeping, and water resistance.

Most importantly, the hallmark guarantees the movement is fully finished in all respect, not only on the parts that can be seen, which isn’t always a guarantee, even at this price point. The obvious points of comparison are Vacheron Constantin’s cal. 5100 and Patek Philippe’s cal. 26-330, against which the RD480 holds up well.

The RD480 isn’t quite a best-in-decades calibre – the finger bridges could be less lumpy and a free-sprung balance would be appreciated – but it’s still better than most contemporary automatics.

Several details stand out, including the seconds. Though seemingly trivial, the directly-driven seconds is a detail that reflects the high-end construction of the movement, which is an in-house calibre that traces its origins back to the 2000s. Self-winding movements with indigenous small seconds displays are sparse, as most place the fourth wheel, which carries the seconds hand, in the centre of the watch, and instead add another train on the dial side for the seconds.

The RD480 is, however, slightly small for the 40 mm case, leaving the small seconds looking cramped on the front, though the bright, iridescent nacre inlay around the dial helps maintain balance. Though not obvious at first, the panels across six and 12 o’clock are mother of pearl, which helps the dial look less aggressively mechanical.

The small size is better disguised from the back thanks to a rotor that is significantly larger than the movement. The calibre is encircled by a spacer ring engraved, “C’est une montre actuelle, inspirée mais pas soumise au passé, qui se projette dans un futur qui nous appartient”.

That translates roughly as “This is a watch of today, inspired by but not bound to the past, which looks ahead to a future that belongs to us”, which is apt, though the use of recessed-pusher correctors in the case band to isn’t very forward thinking.

Concluding thoughts

The moderate size of the Biretrogade Calendar is appreciated, sitting nicely between the 36 mm and 42 mm models (not to mention the enormous 45 mm and 48 mm), and captures the spirit of Roger Dubius’ early days surprisingly well despite the contemporary design language.

While a perpetual calendar would be welcome, it’s reassuring to see the brand tackle a more manageable complication first, rather than repeat past mistakes in terms of size. The robustness of the in-house calendar, compared to the originals, can’t be overstated.

Key facts and price

Roger Dubuis Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar
Ref. DBEX1179

Diameter: 40 mm
Height: 11.25 mm
Material: 18k pink gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 100 m

Movement: Cal. RD480
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, retrograde day and date.
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 60 hours

Strap: Calf leather strap with matching 18K pink gold clasp

Limited edition: No
Availability: Exclusively at Roger Dubuis boutiques
Price: CHF56,500

For more, visit Rogerdubuis.com