Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Revuelto Flyback Chronograph Watch Review
The Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Revuelto Flyback Chronograph is the latest timepiece created by the brand known for ‘Hyper Horology’. Ultra-modern, boldly styled and rich in horological virtue, this is the latest addition to the brand’s chronograph portfolio. Angus Davies looks in detail at this watch bearing the Poinçon de Genève on its torso.
Image – Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Revuelto Flyback Chronograph
A new expression of Hyper Horology
In recent years, Roger Dubuis has been associated with flying tourbillons and double flying tourbillons. The company has also gained a reputation for making automatic watches featuring micro rotors. However, for the brand synonymous with Hyper Horology, it seems 2023 is the year of the chronograph.
Image – Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Revuelto Flyback Chronograph
Roger Dubuis Monovortex Split-Seconds Chronograph
It all began in Geneva at Watches and Wonders 2023 with the release of the Monovortex Split-Seconds Chronograph. Sometimes termed a ‘rattrapante’, the Monovortex has the capacity not only to measure elapsed periods like a regular chronograph, but also to measure splits using a dedicated rattrapante hand. Endowed with two column wheels, the rattrapante is the ultimate expression of chronograph ownership and is considered by watch aficionados to be a high complication. In this instance, the Manufacture went further by combining the complication with a gravity-defying tourbillon.
Image – Roger Dubuis Monovortex Split-Seconds Chronograph
Housed in an ebullient red case made of hyper-tech MCF (Mineral Composite Fibre) and measuring 47 mm in diameter this watch encompasses an array of additional hues, including pink gold, black and grey coated titanium and various carbon accents.
The Rotating Minute Counter aka 120° RMC
One of the key features of the Monovortex is the new ‘Rotating Minute Counter’, known as the 120° RMC. The patent-pending display shuns the use of conventional static counters. Instead, a tripartite hand, marked with three values, ‘0’, ‘1’ and ‘2’, rotates past a series of digits, numbered 0-9. By adopting this system, Roger Dubuis delivers its beloved skeleton look without marring this openworked aesthetic with two or three counters.
Roger Dubuis – a rich tradition of making chronographs
Unequivocally avant-garde, the Monovortex Split-Seconds Chronograph is not the first Roger Dubuis chronograph. Shortly after the company was founded in 1995, it began to offer chronographs.
For many purists, myself included, the firm’s Calibre RD 28, unveiled in 1998 remains a sublime example of high-end watchmaking. The fully-integrated, hand-wound movement featured a mono-pusher and minimal bridges that afforded sight of numerous movement components in motion. Moreover, it was also endowed with a column-wheel and a swan-neck regulator. But most of all, it carried the prestigious Poinçon de Genève (see later).
Over the years, the brand’s portfolio of chronograph movements has grown exponentially. Indeed, back in 2012, the company offered four chronograph movements: an automatic flying tourbillon mono-pusher chronograph (RD580); a chronograph with semi-instant 30-minute counter and tungsten micro-rotor (RD680); a chronograph with 45-minute counter (RD78) and its openworked sibling equipped with a micro-rotor visible on the dial (RD781). Each of these calibres came with the assurance of two forms of certification, the Poinçon de Genève and COSC.
Image – Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Revuelto Flyback Chronograph
The brand has subsequently released additional chronographs such as the RD681 used in the Excalibur 42 Chronograph. I could continue to recite calibre references and models of yesteryear and talk about previous split-seconds chronographs…. Save to say, Roger Dubuis has an impressive track record of making chronographs. Moreover, it should be remembered that the Maison has always existed among the rarefied heights of Haute Horlogerie, a fact often validated with the Poinçon de Genève (Geneva Seal).
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph RDDBEX1046
Returning to 2023, Roger Dubuis released a further chronograph in July, the Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph RDDBEX1046. This model features a flyback mechanism. Like a regular chronograph, the wearer presses the pushpiece at 2 o’clock to start/halt the stopwatch function and resets to zero by pressing the pushpiece at 4 o’clock (assuming the chronograph is not running).
Image – Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph RDDBEX1046
However, with a flyback chronograph, when the stopwatch function is operational, the wearer can press the pushpiece at 4 o’clock and, in one step, the chronograph will stop, reset and restart within the blink of an eye. This facility is particularly useful when timing consecutive events.
The Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph is also equipped with the aforesaid 120° RMC. Housed in a 45 mm case formed of C-SMC carbon, the watch brims with modernity.
Calibre RD780
Most notably, this model incorporates a wholly new movement, the Calibre RD780, the brand’s ‘fifth generation chronograph’. Having spent time touring the company’s Manufacture, it comes as no surprise to learn this ultra-modern movement is packed with many refinements.
Fully integrated chronograph
Like some of its previously mentioned antecedents, the RD780 Calibre is fully integrated. A modular movement comprises a base calibre intended for displaying hours, minutes, etc with the addition of a module on top to perform all chronograph duties. An integrated movement is preferable as it is designed to be a chronograph from the outset. This means the movement is generally slimmer. Furthermore, when the chronograph is actuated there is minimal drag.
By way of explanation, starting the chronograph on a modular movement draws much power from the base, causing the amplitude of the balance to drop, adversely influencing the rate.
Modular movements are generally cheaper, but that is a secondary consideration when creating an exemplar of no-compromise watchmaking such as the Calibre RD780.
Column-wheel and vertical coupling
Another refinement relating to the Calibre RD780 is how the chronograph mechanism draws power from the gear train. Low-cost chronographs often use a combination of a cam and an oscillating pinion. The cam is effectively the control centre, accepting instructions to start, stop and reset to zero via the pushpieces. The oscillating pinion is a clutch-type device that engages and disengages the chronograph mechanism. While these systems work, they lack the refinement one would expect from a company of Roger Dubuis’ standing.
The Calibre RD780 employs a column-wheel and vertical coupling. This pairing is costlier to produce, but it delivers notable benefits. Firstly, when the chronograph is actuated by pressing the pushpiece at 2 o’clock, the central chronograph seconds hand embarks on its journey without any discernible hesitation or stutter. Indeed, with this movement, said hand instantly leaves the starting blocks and sweeps smoothly. Secondly, pressing the pushpieces rewards the index finger with a delicious dose of tactile delight; no graunch, just an abundance of creaminess.
Second Brake System (SBS)
Roger Dubuis has gone even further with its anti-wobble measures by equipping the movement with its patent-pending Second Brake System (SBS). The brake is attached to one of the clamps. As the brand explains, ‘It brings extra stability to the chronograph seconds hand and drastically decreases its flicker. Those with a keen eye will certainly notice its sharper stop.’
Tilted balance
Part of the Roger Dubuis paradigm is an unwavering desire to mitigate the adverse influence of gravity on chronometry. Indeed, this is the overriding rationale for making models equipped with a flying tourbillon, double flying tourbillon or indeed the Quatuor, a watch featuring four inclined balances.
In this instance, the Manufacture has equipped the Calibre RD780 with a single balance, tilted at 12°. By inclining the balance, it reduces the influence of gravity and, by default, positional errors. Furthermore, the tilted balance also makes the watch more resilient to everyday shocks.
Unlike most watches which are regulated with an index, this movement is fitted with a variable-inertia balance. The effective length of the hairspring is fixed and the rate is altered by adjusting weights positioned on the rim of the balance wheel. On this occasion, the timing screws are positioned inboard, mitigating air perturbation, a factor which can adversely influence isochronism.
A variable inertia balance offers superior precision and, should the watch be subject to a minor shock, the movement is less likely to require remedial regulation.
The escape wheel and pallet stones are diamond-coated silicium, hence they are antimagnetic. In using silicium Roger Dubuis has swept aside another factor that could potentially impair chronometric performance.
Twin barrels
The Calibre RD780 is fitted with twin barrels which confer a power reserve of 72 hours.
Poinçon de Genève
Roger Dubuis makes ultra-modern, bold and thought-provoking timepieces. However, the firm also adopts a no-compromise approach to product excellence; a mindset synonymous with Haute Horlogerie. Should you ever witness the staff at work in the Manufacture, you will see them embrace traditional finishing techniques, removing signs of machining as well as burrs or swarf that could impair the motion of moving parts. In addition, you will see artisans impart finishes that endue movement parts with a flawless appearance. For example, if you examine the exploded image of the Calibre RD780, you will discover that the mainplate and bridges are adorned with perlage and endowed with a sandblasted finish.
This widespread quest for excellence involves the Maison exploring new materials and techniques that confer advancement. In its pursuit of continuous improvement, Roger Dubuis will regularly explore new ideas in consultation with the Poinçon de Genève; always mindful that its onerous standards must be complied with at all times. (I’ve talked about the Poinçon de Genève previously in two features on Manufacture Roger Dubuis, should you wish to know more).
For a watch and its movement to bear the prestigious Poinçon de Genève, it must be made under strict controls all of which are independently audited by the certification body. The requirements of the Poinçon de Genève are some of the highest in the watch industry. Strictly policed, they create much work for the staff at the Manufacture, but they provide peace of mind for the consumer.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Revuelto Flyback Chronograph RDDBEX1045 – Shanghai launch
In September 2023, at Watches and Wonders Shanghai, Roger Dubuis unveiled yet another chronograph, the Excalibur Spider Revuelto Flyback Chronograph. Limited to just 88 pieces, this watch was inspired by the Lamborghini Revuelto, ‘the very first sports V12 hybrid plug-in HPEV (High Performance Electrified Vehicle)’.
Roger Dubuis and Lamborghini share a close working relationship with personnel from both companies meeting several times a year to exchange ideas. This sharing of information has benefited both brands’ clients.
The Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Revuelto Flyback Chronograph is dressed in shades of green and orange. This latter hue is upholds Lamborghini’s love for presenting cars in eye-popping hues.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Revuelto Flyback Chronograph – dial
I use the term ‘dial’ very loosely as Roger Dubuis has pared back the dial as much as possible in order to afford sight of the barrels, wheels, balance, etc. The Manufacture has a track record of making impressive openworked watches, optimising the design to disclose various components while at the same time ensuring high torsional rigidity.
The hour and minute hands are broad, partially openworked and feature prominent orange tips lined with Super-LumiNova. The central chronograph seconds hand is fully orange and supremely slender. Where many openworked watches come unstuck is that the indications can sometimes become lost among a sea of exposed parts; however, that is not the case in this instance. The design of the hands, including the bold use of colours, ensures the readability of the dial is beyond reproach.
Besides the ingenious 120° RMC mentioned earlier, the dial bestows additional doses of loveliness designed to delight the hardcore horophile. A digital date display (mechanical, of course) is located at 6 o’clock. Its appearance contributes to the avant-garde character of the watch. The column wheel is presented dial-side, positioned just above the date. The wearer can see the column-wheel rotate with each press of the pushers. Another smile-inducing detail is the tachymeter scale. Typically Roger Dubuis, it sidesteps simplicity, bestowing another instalment of ‘wow’! The tachymeter is presented on an eccentrically-shaped ring that affixes to the adjacent minute track with 8 bolts. The conjoined parts are spaced slightly apart, affording glimpses of the dial detail below and playing with depths, thereby further augmenting eye-appeal.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Revuelto Flyback Chronograph – case
Like the aforementioned Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph RDDBEX1046, the Revuelto is also housed in a 45 mm case formed of C-SMC carbon. This material is a carbon fibre reinforced polymer material that is very light, augmenting wearer comfort.
To the rear of the watch, a pane of sapphire crystal affords sight of the Calibre RD780. The oscillating weight resembles a wheel of a Lamborghini. Between the spokes of this ‘wheel’, the wearer is able to see the vertical coupling clutch, poised to engage/disengage the chronograph mechanism.
The watch is presented on a black rubber strap with a contrasting green rubber inlay. It is paired with a black DLC titanium triple folding clasp and features the brand’s Quick Release System, providing a simple means of swapping the strap for an alternative without the need for tools.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Revuelto Flyback Chronograph – closing thoughts
The styling of every Roger Dubuis watch is bold, courageous and the very antithesis of ‘playing it safe’. However, while the appearance of the firm’s models may polarise opinion and be subject to much debate, they are unquestionably crafted to an exalted standard. Furthermore, the Swiss marques’s blend of mechanical excellence and flawless finishing is of the highest order. Billed as ‘Hyper Horology’, each detail is the product or protracted consideration coupled with a palpable quotient of innovation.
These über-neoteric watches are exemplars of Haute Horlogerie and stand in comparison with traditional timepieces made by the grandees of watchmaking. This quality is independently certified by Poinçon de Genève, providing reassurance that a timepiece bearing RD on its crown is crafted to an uncompromising standard.
This culture of excellence is manifest with the Revuelto, a peerless flyback chronograph from a company with an impressive history of making watches designed to measure elapsed periods of time. Quite simply, this is a watch deserving of your attention.
Further reading
Technical specifications
- Model: Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Revuelto Flyback Chronograph
- Reference: RDDBEX1045
- 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: black rubber strap with green 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 on request