Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli
The Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli is housed in a 45mm titanium case, suffused with black DLC. It features interchangeable straps that include ‘rubber inlays from certified race-winning Pirelli tyres’. In addition, this latest model allows the wearer to swap the strap, bezel and crown in seconds, ingeniously changing the appearance of the watch. However, disciples of Roger Dubuis can relax, while some details are new, several of the brand’s much-loved attributes remain in evidence.
Cars and watches go together like strawberries and cream. Quite often petrolheads are horophiles and vice versa. This fact has not escaped car companies and watch brands. For decades Formula One cars have been adorned with numerous brand names and logos, some of which pertain to watches. When a watch brand associates itself with a race team, it does so to heighten brand awareness, but it also shares some of the favourable glow granted by podium glory.
For most watch brands this is where the story ends. However, Roger Dubuis, the wonderfully unconventional Manufacture, has associated its brand with a prestigious car marque, but employed an ingenious take on the concept.
In 2017, the Genevan Maison announced a partnership with Lamborghini. This surpassed mere bodywork decals stuck to the body panels of race cars. Indeed, the two companies introduced each other’s clients to one another. Roger Dubuis has also released various models inspired by the Italian marque’s Aventador and Huracán supercars.
Surprisingly, in the same year Roger Dubuis cosied up with Lamborghini, it also joined forces with Pirelli. In the world of Formula One, all competing cars are shod with Pirelli tyres. This effectively validates the tyre firm’s technical prowess and heightens awareness of the Pirelli brand. The implication is Pirelli is a leader in its field, a reputation, by default, that casts Roger Dubuis in a favourable light.
However, Roger Dubuis has taken its partnership with Pirelli further than other watch companies participating in motorsport. The Swiss Manufacture has fitted the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli with interchangeable straps that feature ‘rubber inlays from certified race-winning Pirelli tyres’. The resultant straps brim with excitement and provide a physical reminder of motorsport and, most importantly, podium success.
The new Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli model also features another clever feature. Inspired by frenetic pit lane activity where tyres are swapped within the blink of an eye, this latest model allows the wearer to swap the strap, bezel and crown in seconds. Ingenious engineering obviates the need for tools. With breathtaking alacrity, this high-end watch can be transformed from a cool blue number to a fiery red ensemble. This capacity to transition from one shade to the next is made possible courtesy of the Maison’s clever ‘lock technology’. Roger Dubuis’ system securely holds the strap, bezel and crown in place while allowing the wearer to simply add/remove parts without the need for tools.
While some aspects of this watch are new, other elements are typically Roger Dubuis. The model eschews a conventional dial, thereby revealing an openworked movement, a speciality of the Manufacture. A micro-rotor obviates the need for manual winding, yet allows the wearer to admire the numerous movement components in full. And finally, while Roger Dubuis makes avant-garde, bold timepieces and isn’t afraid to innovate and challenge convention, it still adheres to the strict requirements of the Poinçon de Genève, creating watches worthy of the description ‘Haute Horlogerie’.
The brand’s press release (July 2021)
Heart racing, tarmac scorching, the wheels scream into life. When visionary engineers meet incredible watchmakers, iconic timepieces are born. 3, 2, 1: Introducing the new Excalibur Spider Pirelli, the first Roger Dubuis fully versatile timepiece fuelled by adrenaline and crafted with winning motorsport tyre rubber. The latest Roger Dubuis innovation to emerge from an exclusive collaboration with Pirelli, Excalibur Spider Pirelli shows what happens when the finest minds from different industries come together to share their unrivalled know-how, breakthrough research and boundless creativity. Driven by a desire to create adrenaline-charged masterpieces for a fearless tribe, serial innovator Roger Dubuis and motorsport performance pioneer Pirelli present the newest interpretation of the Excalibur Spider collection, which sees iconic calibres heightened by interchangeable straps that features rubber inlays from certified race winning Pirelli tyres.
A ROGER DUBUIS WORLD-PREMIERE: INTERCHANGEABILITY IN ONE CLICK
On the road to victory, a few seconds is crucial. It makes all the difference. Inspired by the renowned motorsport Pit Stop, each element of the new Excalibur Spider Pirelli is interchangeable, from strap to crown and bezel – all with a simple click. A Roger Dubuis world-premiere, not only is this an extremely customisable timepiece, it also features innovative lock technology. With an uncompromising focus on a clicking sensation and sound both reassuring and thrilling, the Quick Release System on the strap and crown is now taken to the next level at the bezel, with a precise position alignment that fixes the clock with one click. A click that tells you it’s time to go. When suddenly you’ve accelerated beyond the limits– ahead of the game.
A SIGNATURE SKELETON
The Excalibur Spider Pirelli is an adrenaline-charged mechanical masterpiece. With a calibre that includes Roger Dubuis’ first automatic skeleton, the transparent view of its self-winding movement is held directly on the inimitable Roger Dubuis star. It also features a micro-rotor, one reduced to its strict essence at 11 o’clock, turning seamlessly with that of the wrist. The perfect balance of weight to wind the RD820SQ is further achieved through the use of innovative materials, such as DLC Titanium, both lighter and more luxurious than stainless steel. As notorious for avant-garde aesthetics as for traditional craftsmanship, Roger Dubuis’ Excalibur Automatic Skeleton is a signature of the Maison.
Of the hundreds of hours of manufacturing time for this 45mm timepiece, as much of a third of this time is devoted specifically to the prestigious Poinçon de Genève, with each and every component carefully finished by hand at the Roger Dubuis Manufacture in Geneva. Equipped with a 60-hour power reserve, this impressive feat of mechanical engineering is just a further example of the horological boldness of the Maison.
A WINNING PIRELLI TYRE FOR THE WRIST
Just like in motorsports, it takes a team effort to make it easier, faster and simpler than ever before to switch gears and customise a timepiece. Now with three additional kits in red, white or blue – the iconic Pirelli colour codes – the Excalibur Spider Pirelli transforms from full black to a pop of bold colour in a click. Petrolheads take note! Available in a limited run of just 88 kits per colourway, these are timepieces crafted from race-winning tyres for the wrists of life’s winners. Brimming with racing design codes, the inner design of the strap displays the recognisable Pirelli CinturatoTM Intermediate pattern and the additional colour kits are thicker than the base bezel to mirror the look and feel of the distinctive Pirelli tyres, those that squeal on their way to the finish line.
LIVE LIFE IN THE FAST LANE
What if a click was all the impetus needed to trigger change? A provocative sound resonating with the craziest minds, pushing them to act? Effortlessly interchangeable, this is a click that changes the game entirely, one that empowers those who hear it to experience the world exactly the way they want. Epitomising its larger than life attitude, Roger Dubuis believes wearing a strap made of Pirelli winning tyres is what will get troublemakers beyond the finishing line. So heat up the engine and get ready to live life in the fast lane. Ready to feel the thrill?
Further reading