Roger Dubuis Excalibur Liu Wei MT
The Roger Dubuis Excalibur Liu Wei MT is a collaborative effort, uniting the extraordinary creativity and talents of the Genevan watch company and the multi-talented Chinese artist, Liu Wei. Based on the Roger Dubuis Excalibur ‘monotourbillon’, the watch embraces urban-themed art, utilising two panes of engraved sapphire crystal, lacquer and UV paint to deliver a wholly original aesthetic.
Inspired by an urban world
Typically, when visiting an art gallery, the onlooker is indulged with historical paintings. The exhibits often include portraits, architecture and rural landscapes, wonderfully conveying subjects from near-forgotten periods in time.
Today, many of us dwell in urban conurbations where accommodation, leisure and work coexist. Architectural structures and public spaces are the new fields, hills, lakes and streams that now inspire Millennials and Generation Z. Furthermore, beyond the many imposing structures in our midst, there is a brave new digital world where fibre optic cables pulse with light, communicating with others in the blink of an eye.
Liu Wei – a multi-talented artist
It is against this backdrop that Chinese artist, Liu Wei creates his own expressions of urban art, using the mediums of drawing, painting and sculpture. The multi-talented artist inhabits cities, regularly celebrating architectural lines and embracing the ubiquitous neon hues that bathe our pavements and solicit our custom.
Often showcasing his work in the most renowned museums and exhibitions, Liu Wei has recently collaborated with the ultra-high-end Maison, Roger Dubuis. Located in Geneva, Roger Dubuis is known for producing bold exemplars of Haute Horlogerie or, as the brand prefers to say, ‘Hyper Horology’.
Hyper Horology since 1995
While some of its Genevan neighbours, watchmaking’s old guard, have operated for hundreds of years, Roger Dubuis is comparatively young. Founded in 1995, the brand is not constrained by tradition. Instead, it has repeatedly conceived new, avant-garde horological creations that push the performance envelope of watchmaking, repeatedly delivering a refreshing dose of ingenuity in the process. In particular, the Swiss firm has made the flying-tourbillon a speciality, sometimes endowing models with one or even two examples of the gravity-defying mechanism. Furthermore, the Maison has not been afraid to experiment with new cutting-edge materials, especially where these represent progress.
Complying with the Poinçon de Genève – one of the most respected certifications
However, while Roger Dubuis makes neoteric, almost other-worldly timepieces, it continues to embrace expert finishing and chronometric performance. Indeed, most of the company’s products bear the prestigious Geneva seal, or ‘Poinçon de Genève’. Each ticking piece of art conceived by the brand is independently examined by Timelab, the custodians of the Poinçon de Genève. Components are refined with deft use of hand in order to remove any signs of machining. Likewise, watches are subjected to a myriad of tests to validate they deliver high levels of precision.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Liu Wei MT – Hyper Horology or Hyper Art?
Now, Roger Dubuis has collaborated with Liu Wei, creating a limited edition of 8 pieces, a number that will inevitably resonate with Chinese consumers. Based on the Excalibur MT, a ‘monotourbillon’ that was updated last year, Liu Wei has not been afraid to employ his skills to the max, creating a watch that breaks with convention with its playful use of colour.
Unusually for Roger Dubuis, a marque synonymous with making skeleton watches, the Excalibur Liu Wei MT is fitted with a dial-like layer of sapphire crystal. This layer is engraved with vertical lines both on its upper surface and underside. Each engraved line, or groove, is hand-filled with either lacquer or UV paint. The resultant aesthetic looks geometric and evokes thoughts of numerous neon lights eager to attract the attention of passersby.
To the rear of the watch, a sapphire caseback serves as a further canvas for Liu Wei to express his vision of contemporary art. The pane of sapphire is laser-engraved with horizontal lines, aligned perpendicular to those shown to the front of the watch.
The hour markers are presented on a flange. Appearing understated during daylight hours, they come out to play at night, emitting a green emission in dim conditions. Meanwhile, the brand’s name and the watch’s place of origin evince a punchy shade of blue during nocturnal hours.
Roger Dubuis deliberately makes provocative watches. ‘Excessive’, ‘polarising’ and ‘conspicuous’ are certainly words that could be applied to this high-end brand. However, I’ve toured the Manufacture on a couple of occasions and witnessed first-hand its fastidious attention to detail, something that is validated with the award of the Geneva Seal.
I suspect that not everyone will appreciate the appearance of the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Liu Wei MT. Art has a tendency to divide opinion. Personally speaking, I think the watch is worthy of the terms ‘Hyper Horology’ and ‘Hyper Art’ and wonderfully captures the vivacity of urban life.
Further reading
Technical specifications
- Model: Roger Dubuis Excalibur Liu Wei MT
- Reference: RDDBEX1028
- Case: Grade 5 titanium, diameter 42 mm, water resistance 10ATM (100m), sapphire crystal to the front and exhibition case back.
- Functions: hours, minutes
- Movement: RD512 calibre, hand-wound movement, frequency 21,600 vph (3Hz), 19 jewels, power reserve 72 hours.
- Strap: premium calf leather strap, interchangeable with Quick Release System – QRS. Titanium cover with titanium blades.
- Price on application
- Limited Edition: 8 pieces