Roger Dubuis Excalibur Moonlight Unique Piece

Rarities, Roger Dubuis' program dedicated to the creation of unique timepieces, including bespoke, is now revealed to the public. Each timepiece created through the program is an act of Haute Horlogerie in its most inventive, creative, and innovative form. To illustrate the Rarities program, the Maison presents Excalibur Moonlight, a central monotourbillon that pays homage to the "Movements of the Sky" through artistic crafts.

"Just for Friends," with these few words engraved on the back of his first watches, Roger Dubuis dedicated his creations to all those who appreciated his watchmaking mastery and creative genius. A community of aficionados sensitive to this visionary approach to time, understood as a selfaffirmation. To perpetuate this singular and unifying spirit, the Roger Dubuis Maison created Rarities, a program exclusively dedicated to the production of unique pieces, including bespoke watches. Located on the third floor of the manufacture, behind a mysterious red door, this workshop brings together watchmakers, engineers, and designers, all united with the goal of bringing to life the wildest dreams of Roger Dubuis watch enthusiasts and collectors. At the heart of Rarities, everything is possible; here reigns the exclusive spirit of exceptional watchmaking. From materials to complications, from finishes to artistic crafts, the choice is made according to the client's inspirations, who actively participates in the creative process, with only one imperative: to create unique pieces with high watchmaking content, sublimated by the expert hands of master artisans.

An innovative calibre protected by two patents

To showcase the full depth of the Rarities program, the Maison unveils the Excalibur Moonlight, an innovative piece designed to be the stage of the "Movements of the Sky," Roger Dubuis' annual theme. To embody this scenography, the Manufacture's designers and watchmakers imagined an interpretation of the celestial vault with the Moon, stars, and the twelve constellations of the zodiac revolving around a central tourbillon. Faithful to the Maison's great tradition in creating complex, inventive, and perfectly legible dials, this Excalibur Moonlight thus offers a four-level temporal vision. Reading the time becomes a pretext for astral contemplation, a link with these stars that make us dream.

Housed at the heart of the 45 mm black DLC titanium case is the Poinçon de Genève certified RD115 movement. First presented in 2022 and adapted for this new piece, this calibre is characterized by its central tourbillon. Its architecture, which positions the regulating organ at the centre of the movement, meaning there is no space for traditional hands. On this Excalibur Moonlight, the hour and minute hands are thus positioned on two rotating discs. Imagining an alternative display meant rethinking the gear train which resulted in two patents. The first patent concerns the movement's "planetary" gear train with differential: it consists ofa more compact finishing gear train, that doesn't alter the multiplying effect between the barrel and the tourbillon cage, beating at 3 Hz. This system ensures a sufficient energy level to maintain the oscillations of the balance spring in the tourbillon throughout the 72-hour power reserve. The second patent relates to the time-setting mechanism. Given that traditional hands have been replaced by two rotating discs mounted on ball bearings around the tourbillon, a solution was needed to disengage them during time setting. The Manufacture’s watchmakers invented a clip-release system controlled by a push-button. When activated in the S (setting) position, it releases the hand to allow time setting. By pressing the same button again, the selection lock moves to the W (winding) position, reconnecting to the mechanism’s winding system.

Finesse of execution

This inventiveness applied to the RD115 calibre is mirrored on the dial side. The movement is topped at its periphery by a blue CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) treated brass flange, bearing applied rhodium-plated indexes filled with black Super-LumiNova®.

The second level is the rotating hour disc made of translucent bluish Murano-type glass, a glassware known for its elaborate manufacturing and colouring techniques. This disc offers a representation of the stars forming the twelve constellations of the zodiac with the name of each delicately written in full in luminescent paint. The same refinement of line is found on the upper bluish rotating minute disc. Also made of translucent Murano-type glass, it is adorned with astral-inspired motifs with a luminescent representation of the moon phases. This complex construction is completed on the fourth level by an engraved appliqué reproducing the texture of the lunar surface. Positioned on the 1-minute tourbillon cage, it rotates at the rhythm of the seconds.

The astral theme of the Excalibur Moonlight also adorns the back of the watch. The translucent sapphire crystal has been laser-engraved with a multitude of dots inspired by the stars of the Milky Way, each tiny cavity hand-filled with luminescent material. In the dark, they radiate a soft green glow, like the constellations and motifs on the front.

Through this same sapphire crystal case back, the RD115 calibre reveals its architecture, reminiscent of Roger Dubuis' first models, with its cut-out bridges, here positioned in an arc. This airy construction offers an in-depth view of the meticulous work of hand-finishing executed on each of the calibre’s 283 components. In total, 19 different decorations are observed, including perlage on the main plate, drawing and anglage on the bridges, also finished with circular Côtes de Genève, graining on the wheels, satin polishing on the casing ring, and snailed finishing on the barrel. The attention to detail also led the watchmakers to imagine a particular decoration for the barrel cover. This features various astronomical constellations in silver powdered varnish transfer on a black background. Their position can also be determined according to the owner's calendar specificities, for example, to represent them as they appeared on their birth date. A personalization that only a perfectly integrated manufacture can offer.

This Excalibur Moonlight watch is worn on a midnight blue calfskin strap with a three-blade folding clasp. Interchangeable, this strap features a highly architectural structure, in symbiosis with the face of this watch projected into the stars.

Technical specifications

Roger Dubuis Excalibur Moonlight

Reference: RDDBEX1221

Unique, one-off piece

Case

• Material: Titanium case with DLC treatment
• Diameter: 45 mm
• Thickness: 15.20 mm
• Water-resistant to 5 BAR/ 50m

Dial and hands

Level 1: The flange

• Brass Blue CVD coating, satin brushed
• Transferred sliver text
• Indexes in polished brass, rhodium coated with black SLN

Level 2: Hour disc

• Blue enamel
• Hand painting for zodiac constellation + name of each constellation (SLN)
• Secondary stars and galaxy in hand painting without SLN

Level 3: Minutes disc

• Blue enamel
• All the design are in white transferred
• The moon phases are in SLN

Level 4: Tourbillon cage

• Center of the cage in brass engraved by hand ( beginning lazer then finished by hand)
• Moon face

Hands

• Hour, minute hands in brass, satin finished, rhodium plated with black SLN

Movement

• Calibre RD115-4
• Automatic with 22K pink gold rotor
• Decorations: Circular-grained, shot blasted and trued-up wit NAC coating
• Frequency: 3 Hz, 21'600 vph
• Power reserve of 72 hours
• Diameter: 16 lignes
• Thickness: 12.20 mm
• Number of parts: 277
• Number of jewels: 29

Functions/Indications

• Hour and minute function indicator

Strap and buckle

• Calf leather strap, interchangeable.
• Titanium with black DLC treatment, interchangeable triple folding

MSRP: TBC

For more information, please visit rogerdubuis.com