Roger Dubuis Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar RDDBEX1209 Watch Review
Recently launched, the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar RDDBEX1209 features several familiar Excalibur details, including a fluted bezel, crown guard and triple lugs. Moreover, it’s endowed with the brand’s signature ecliptic counters and bears the Poinçon de Genève. However, where this watch differs from some of the company’s other models is that it is more accessible, opening up Roger Dubuis ownership to a wider audience.
‘A new manifestation of Expressive High Watchmaking’
Imagine if you will, being a young artist in the 17th century. Your eyes witness beauty in the natural surroundings with cerulean skies melting into seas of ocean blue. However, it would be unlikely that you could ever replicate such colours on canvas, as blue pigments at the time were prohibitively expensive. Ultramarine, the most famous blue pigment, was extracted from lapis lazuli, a semi-precious stone originating from Afghanistan, but owing to its scarcity and notable cost, it was usually reserved for Christian iconography. During the early 18th century, artists saw the emergence of synthetic and inorganic pigments, allowing them to incorporate blue hues in their work. Over the years, new colours became available that were more affordable, facilitating a new world of creative expression.
Recently, while cradling the new Roger Dubuis Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar in my hands, I thought about blue pigments used in art. Yes, the dial of the new model is dressed in a bewitching shade of ‘Cosmic Blue’, but that was not the primary reason I thought of natural ultramarine. When blue pigments became more affordable, the resultant art was enjoyed by a larger audience. Now, with the release of the Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar RDDBEX1209, the Swiss Manufacture has just unveiled its most accessible watch to date, a fact that piqued my interest and led me to write this feature.
At this juncture, I have to point out that Roger Dubuis, the brand known for ‘Expressive High Watchmaking’, has not suddenly chosen to make affordable timepieces. On the contrary, the materials, complex mechanisms and ultra-refined finishing prevent the Geneva-based Maison from making mainstream watches. However, with a retail price of £38,800 (including VAT), the Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar RDDBEX1209 makes Roger Dubuis ownership suddenly viable to a wider audience. Allow me to explain how this has been achieved.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar RDDBEX1209 – dial
According to the Manufacture, the blue dial was inspired by the ‘Earth’s night sky’. Indeed, in the Swiss brand’s press release, it explains that, ‘…an immense blue universe emerges. It is here, in these infinite observations of the planets and stars, that Roger Dubuis has embraced the wondrous and vast colour from above – and placed it on the dial of a new calendar timepiece. A compelling shade, expressed through classic fine watchmaking and the Maison’s own signature precision and sporty sophistication.’
While blue dials have become commonplace, the execution of the display on the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar RDDBEX1209 is extraordinary. The centre of the dial is circular-brushed with each fine circlet beautifully toying with light. A small seconds dial is located at 6 o’clock, sporting an azuré finish (snailed) and fringed with a gleaming, bevelled ring.
Disciples of Roger Dubuis will immediately recognise the design of the hour and minute hands, a style the firm has employed on most of its products. Formed of white gold and featuring truncated tips, they are an evolution of the classic Dauphine-style hand, but partially openworked, brushed and incorporate SLN. The hour markers are trapezoidal shaped, rhodium plated, lined with white SLN and reside on a ‘double surface flange’ enriched with a broad azuré finish. This is just one of several examples of where Roger Dubuis masterfully plays with colours, depths and textures to glorious effect.
The headline act is unquestionably the biretrograde calendar. This mechanism, co-developed by Mr Roger Dubuis and Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, was patented back in 1989. It has become a speciality of the house, featuring on several of the brand’s creations, including the highly impressive Excalibur Biretrograde Perpetual Calendar, launched earlier this year. Two ecliptic counters stand centre stage, a day indication (left) and a date indication (right), each paired with its own dedicated hand. The left hand, with its red tip, sweeps downwards over a brushed track, eventually reaching Sunday. And then, in the blink of an eye, the hand snaps back to ‘Monday’ and commences a new journey. In contrast, the hand for the day indication moves upwards and, as the 31st ends, the hand flicks back to ‘1’ and the process begins anew. What makes this particularly enchanting is that the retrograde hands move in opposite directions. Moreover, the wearer is indulged with views of cams and levers performing their choreographed dance.
Throughout the composition, Roger Dubuis masterfully employs symmetry, augmenting intelligibility and improving aesthetic cohesion. For instance, the ecliptic displays mirror one another, while a snailed circle, positioned below noon, bears the Poinçon de Genève (see later) and the words ‘Biretrograde’ and ‘Calendar’, acting as a visual counterbalance to the small seconds dial below.
I will discuss the decoration of the watch’s movement later; however, it would be remiss of me not to point out some of the finishing visible to the front. Adjacent to the brushed ecliptic tracks, the cocks are adorned with anglage and Côtes de Genève motif, the screws are highly polished and, together with the jewels, reside in polished sinks. Everything you can see exudes refinement.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar RDDBEX1209 – case
Featuring a fluted bezel, prominent crown guard and triple-lug strap attachment, the design of the Excalibur, first introduced in 2005, has always been bold in character. Over the years, the watch has been offered in 45 mm and 48 mm sizes, which has never proved a problem for me, although my left wrist has a circumference of 19 cm. However, the new Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar RDDBEX1209 measures 40 mm in diameter, hence it should suit a greater number of wrists.
Over the years, Excalibur models have been executed in an array of materials, including gold, titanium and cobalt. Using any of these materials heightens cost. For instance, titanium and cobalt are particularly difficult to machine and take much longer to process, factors that incur additional expense. On this occasion, the brand has made the case from 316L stainless steel, an honest material that is less expensive, both in terms of raw material and production costs. Personally, I am a fan of 316L steel as it is corrosion-resistant and robust. Furthermore, should it suffer any superficial scratches, a competent watchmaker can restore it to its original, factory-fresh condition.
Unlike most of its siblings, the Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar is presented on a bracelet. Close examination of each link and facet reveals a remarkable attention to detail. For example, the bracelet is a complex arrangement of links with a centre row resembling a steel stitch threading through the middle of the bracelet. The last three links, positioned either side of the clasp, are retained with sturdy screws ie no fickle pins. In common with other Excalibur models, the watch also features the brand’s QRS Quick Release System, allowing the owner to swap the bracelet for a calf leather strap (also supplied in the box) without the need for tools. But most importantly of all, having had the watch on my wrist, I can attest that it is very comfortable to wear.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar RDDBEX1209 – movement
While the Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar RDDBEX1209 is more affordable than the Manufacture’s high complication models, the execution of the movement shows no signs of penny-pinching. On the contrary, this new model upholds the Maison’s revered standards and bears the Poinçon de Genève (aka Geneva Seal) with the hallmark gracing both the dial and movement.
Visible via an exhibition caseback, the automatic calibre RD840 is enriched with a multitude of refined finishes. Indeed, the Swiss marque states that 14 finishing techniques have been applied to the movement, namely ‘wheel-bevelling, burnisher-bevelling, frosting, circular graining, Côtes de Genève, truing, internal drawing, external drawing, rounding, perlage, tip polishing, mirror polishing, tooth polishing, and rounded tooth polishing’.
Formed of 18-carat pink gold, the oscillating weight is partially openworked and was ‘inspired by the Maison’s first design from 1996, reinterpreted with a contemporary edge’. In fact, the channel encircling the bridges (a trottoir) plays host to an inscription, “C’est une montre actuelle, inspirée mais pas soumise au passé, qui se projette dans un futur qui nous appartient”. Which means, ‘this is a watch of today, inspired but not restricted to the past, projected into a future that belongs to us’.
Beyond the aesthetic allure of the movement, there are numerous refinements to be found. For example, the balance is fitted with a sliding stud holder with a mirror-polished rounded head – it could have been supplanted with something cheaper, but that wouldn’t have been consistent with the brand’s no-compromise standards.
Closing remarks
Eagle-eyed horophiles may have recognised that the watch bears a strong resemblance to the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar RDDBEX1179 launched last year to coincide with the Maison’s 30th anniversary. The watch’s case shares the same dimensions and is also fitted with the same automatic calibre RD840.
Where the new Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar RDDBEX1209 differs is that the case is made of 316L stainless steel and comes on a highly practical bracelet, though a calf leather strap is also included with the watch. But otherwise, you still get the same exquisite dial detail with its ecliptic counters, the same intricately formed case profile and the same exalted finishing found on all watches carrying the Poinçon de Genève hallmark.
No, this is not a timepiece positioned at the accessible end of the price spectrum. On the contrary, any attempt to create an affordable interpretation would risk diluting the Maison’s elevated status and, I suspect, would not sit comfortably with existing Roger Dubuis’ owners who value its uncompromising standards. However, the advent of the Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar executed in a stainless steel case allows a greater number of people to experience the magic of ‘Expressive High Watchmaking’.
Further reading
Technical specifications
- Model: Roger Dubuis Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar
- Reference: RDDBEX1209
- Case: 316L stainless steel, diameter 40 mm, height 11.25 mm, water resistance 10ATM (100m), sapphire crystal to the front and exhibition case back.
- Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, retrograde day & date displays
- Movement: RD840 calibre, self-winding movement, frequency 28,800 vph (4Hz), 40 jewels, power reserve 60 hours, 244 components.
- Strap: stainless steel bracelet with integrated Quick Release System (QRS) with triple folding clasp. Additional calf leather strap with stainless steel triple folding buckle. Both are interchangeable thanks to QRS.
- Price: £38,800 including VAT- RRP as of 9.6.2026