Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph Watch Review
The Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph features the all-new movement RD780 Calibre, a fully integrated movement endowed with a column-wheel and vertical coupling. Ideally suited to timing consecutive laps, the model’s links with motorsport and high-performance materials are clear to see. Angus Davies provides an overview of this sublime expression of Hyper Horology.
Supercars – maximising the seemingly incompatible
In the octane-rich world of supercars, the pursuit of progress never stops. A rare band of marques seek to optimise characteristics, eager to outperform their rivals. The best of the best frequently try to maximise two mutually exclusive goals. For instance, making a car faster is likely to increase its emissions, yet the finest firms somehow augment performance while reducing CO₂. This engineering excellence can be seen elsewhere with luxury brands producing stronger yet lighter cars, two attributes that seem incompatible. The finest rivals engaged in this automotive space race dwell in the rarefied heights of luxury.
Roger Dubuis – Hyper Horology
The Genevan watch brand, Roger Dubuis, is no stranger to luxury. Indeed, the firm produces timepieces that some commentators term ‘Haute Horlogerie’. However, this company prefers the term ‘Hyper Horology’, used to describe a fusion of avant-garde design and materials, coupled with uncompromising über-craftsmanship.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph – column-wheel and vertical clutch
Now the brand has released an ultra-sophisticated flyback chronograph. While there are other more accessible chronographs on the market, the new Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph dwells on a higher plane.
This watch shuns the pedestrian approach of using a base movement paired with a chronograph module. Instead, Roger Dubuis has favoured the optimal configuration of a fully integrated movement endowed with a column-wheel and vertical clutch. Moreover, it has equipped the clutch with its innovative, patent-pending ‘Second Braking System (SBS)’.
The brand states SBS ‘drastically decreases flicker and brings extra stability to the chronograph seconds hand. Sharp. Reliable. Incredibly reactive’. Certainly, one of the problems which afflicts cheaper chronographs, especially those fitted with an oscillating pinion, is the tendency for the central chronograph seconds hand to stutter just after actuation. Such hesitation may be small, however, it does compromise the validity of the time recorded. Another benefit of using a vertical clutch is that it confers a silky pushpiece action par excellence.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph – skeletonised movement
Upholding Roger Dubuis tradition, the Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph features a skeletonised movement. Similar to a supercar (don’t forget Roger Dubuis enjoys a close working relationship with Lamborghini), this watch showcases its engine for the delectation of the owner. In this instance, the column wheel is positioned to the front awaiting instructions from the wearer. A date display sits underneath, adjacent to 6 o’clock, while a tachymeter scale frames the display.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph – inclined balance wheel
Roger Dubuis has located the balance wheel at 9 o’clock, exposed and tilted at 12°. Its elevated position is said to raise the ‘level of inertia to the same standard as a tourbillon. This ensures a strong resistance to everyday knocks, as well as the negative effects of gravity, which the Maison has long been obsessed with solving’.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph – silicium
Interestingly, the Maison has used silicium for the escape wheel, pallet lever and pallet stones, all of which are diamond coated. This material is non-magnetic and has low-frictional characteristics, obviating the need for lubricants and mitigating wear.
Flyback Chronograph – RD780 Calibre
While the movement, the new RD780 Calibre, is brimming with cutting-edge know-how it has also been subjected to the critical stare of the Poinçon de Genève, the independent inspection body more widely associated with classical watchmaking. This third-party accreditation forensically scrutinises parts at random to ensure all signs of machining are removed. To achieve this an inordinate amount of hand craftsmanship is employed. Rest assured, having toured the Manufacture, I can attest that the finishing isn’t sacrificed on the altar of neoteric style.
120° RMC – Rotating Minute Counter
An innovative minute counter is positioned adjacent to the crown. The 120° RMC (Rotating Minute Counter) is described as having a ‘radical isotoxal shape’. It records elapsed minutes using a patent-pending tripartite hand marked with three values ‘0, 1 and 2’. The hand rotates, collaborating with a series of static values, 0-9. Stylish yet functional, the 120° RMC proves a fascinating alternative to the static counters employed on most conventional chronographs.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph – motorsport and watches
At the beginning of this article, I made reference to the automotive world and, specifically supercars. This was no accident as the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph incorporates numerous nods to the world of high-performance motoring. For example, the pushpieces are skeletonised, shunning surplus mass. Likewise, the bezel is formed of ceramic, a material used for supercar brake discs. In this instance, the material has been chosen for its fade-free, scratch-resistant characteristics. Turn over the lightweight carbon case and discover the oscillating weight incorporating five arms, designed to replicate the appearance of a supercar’s wheel.
With its plethora of motorsport-inspired details, it seems very appropriate that the prestigious marque chose to unveil the new Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed 2023. Motorsport and watches are happy bedfellows, something the Genevan brand has clearly recognised with this latest creation.
Further reading
Technical specifications
- Model: Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph
- Reference: RDDBEX1046
- Case: C-SMC carbon case, diameter 45 mm, water resistance 10 ATM (100 metres); sapphire crystal to front, exhibition case back.
- Functions: hours, minutes, centre seconds, flyback chronograph
- Movement: RD780 Calibre, automatic movement, 39 jewels, power reserve 60 hours, 333 components
- Strap: rubber strap with black rubber inlay, interchangeable with Quick Release System – QRS
- Buckle: black DLC titanium cover with titanium blades, triple folding, interchangeable with Quick Release System – QRS
- Price: £87,000 (RRP as of 1.8.2023)
- Boutique exclusive