In Conversation with Antoine Hastoy: The Roger Dubuis Vision

Roger Dubuis is known for pushing the boundaries of traditional watchmaking. How do you balance technical innovation with artistic expression in your latest collections?

Let’s illustrate this with the Excalibur Biretrograde Perpetual Calendar that we just launched. The timepiece showcases a brand – new caliber– the perpetual calendar RD850, which we have conceived with some strong improvements: a silicon escapement, a month corrector to update the calendar easily, and an astronomical moon, guaranteeing an accurate moonphase for 122 years. We have coupled these mechanical innovations with expressivity on the dial that is built in layers and contrasts thanks to dark Mother-of-Pearl and an array of different finishes. The biretrograde display -providing indication for the day and the date- comes to animate the dial as well. This is a perfect illustration of how our timepieces would feature high horological content while being at the same time distinctive and creative in their aesthetics.

Could you tell us about the key novelties Roger Dubuis introduced at Watches and Wonders 2026? And your theme, “Movements of the Sky”?

Our annual theme is “Movements of the Sky” because we took inspiration from the stars and the planets for our creations. We looked at the sky from both an astronomical perspective, but also from the intangible from which legends are born. The perpetual calendar I mentioned above is one of these novelties; it was complemented by the Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar, a day-date in steel with a dark blue dial that we imagined as a reinterpretation of a watchmaking classic. We also connected again with the legendary universe which is one of our territories of expression by offering new feminine creations. The Excalibur Brocéliande on one side: a 38 mm watch inspired by this mythical place of the Arthurian legend showcasing an open-work adorned by mother-of-pearl leaves and pink gold stems. And, on the other side, the Lady of the Lake, a 36 mm timepiece created as an echo to Viviane, a key character of the same legend of the Knights of the Round Table. For this timepiece, we worked on creating a watch with a jewel feel and in tones that would refer to Viviane’s character. So, overall, our approach was both a traditional and scientific way of measuring time; and one that was more aspirational and imaginative.

What are the technologies that the brand is known for?

I will just share a few … Roger Dubuis pays special care and puts a lot of work in material innovation: thanks to our partnership with Lamborghini Squadra Corse, we have worked with carbon, being able to create an entire calibre in this material (that was certified by the Poinçon de Genève, a first for this prestigious institution). We have also worked with titanium -with the Excalibur Monotourbillon Titanium, for example- or cobalt chrome, a material traditionally used in the aerospace industry that shows excellent resistance to scratch and magnetism as well as an incomparable shine. The result is the stunning Excalibur Monobalancier Cobalt Chrome. And we went further, in pure Roger Dubuis fashion, as we also use these two materials for the components of our movements, especially in the tourbillon cage, showing our fully integrated approach. Actually, having an integrated Manufacture and producing in-house our calibres, allows us to have a very innovative approach in the conception of our calibres, whether it comes to shaping a three-dimensional skeleton thanks to state-of-the-art equipment, or developing patents -for example, we currently have in our collection 4 movements with patents. Our production facility where designers, engineers and watchmakers work together provides us with a lot of agility to create and test on the spot, allowing us to show our expressivity even in the way we conceived our calibres.

What inspires Roger Dubuis while creating a watch?

At Roger Dubuis, we nurture our inspiration from our heritage and history and from our DNA -an expressive high-watchmaking realized following Geneva horological traditions. And then of course, we get inspired by our creative exchanges with our long-lasting partners -Pirelli and Lamborghini Squadra Corse- and by the exploration of our territories of expression, like the legendary universes that are a very rich playground for our expressivity!

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