Roger Dubuis

I would like to come back to one of the most interesting watches of the past SIHH. I use the word "interesting" because it describes well my feeling about it. It is not my fav watch of the SIHH, it is not my fav Roger Dubuis novelty but it plays a very important role in the strategy of the brand.

This watch is the Pulsion Chronograph.

Why it is so important?

The Pulsion Chronograph is currently the most affordable watch of the Dubuis new line of the collection and the consequence is that it has to become the flag bearer, the key stone of this Pulsion line. I would say that the success of this watch may decide the future of the line, if additional pieces would join it (I'm clearly thinking about a 3 hands Pulsion watch).

The Pulsion Tourbillon:





The only other Pulsion watch available is the Pulsion Skeleton Flying Tourbillon available in PG in a LE of 188 pieces and in titanium, not the same price tag, not the same purpose with its exclusive design.

With the the Pulsion line, along with the Velvet one, Roger Dubuis completes the new organization of its collection based of 4 pillars.

The first pillar is the Excalibur line, maybe the one which symbolizes the best the last years with its daring if not excessive atmosphere. The Excalibur watches are powerful and big watches even if this year a more reasonable step was taken. I will come back to this in another post.

We could appreciate in 2011 the elegance of the Monegasque line  which has found its roots in the iconic Sympathie case. It is without any doubt the refined side of Roger Dubuis.

The Velvet line is dedicated to ladies and set watches. Roger Dubuis team worked a lot on the different shapes (case, dial, bezel) which all together create a sort of eye-deceiving effect... we don't know if the watches are round or tonneau shaped!

And the last... the Pulsion line. What is its purpose?

I would say it is not that obvious for me to answer but my feeling is that its objective is to fill the gap between the Excalibur and the Monegasque lines, to meet the expectation of customers who want a Roger Dubuis piece with the daring attitude of the Excalibur mixed with a quiet atmosphere coming from the Monegasque. Of course, it seems to be a quite narrow path especially with clients who don't want mid-water options from their fav brands. And here we touch the most difficult task for Dubuis: to manage to occupy a subtle space between two other lines, to define a "sportive and elegant" line but at the same time to propose watches with their own features and personalities.





And I bo believe that Roger Dubuis managed to do it thanks to a great job done a specific part of the watch which is not that often on the foreground of the stage when we present a watch: the sapphire crystal.
The idea behind this crystal is to cover the whole watch. It also plays the role of the bezel thanks to its engraved luminescent numerals. The crystal is screwed down on the case and the effect which is given by this trick is similar in a sense to the HM2 SV by Max Büsser & friends. When you look at the side of the Pulsion chronograph, you are clearly able to see the different layers of the architecture and of course, a large part of the screws.
It is the reason why the Pulsion chronograph is so special: it attracts the light and it can get a very brilliant side. The crystal also contributes to the dynamic design.

The architecture of the Pulsion Chronograph. You will notice the shape of the pushers:





The case has a sportive shape but it is also less radical than the Excalibur one. We can see between the two lugs a slightly prominent part which gives us the feeling that the "3 lugs" case of the Excalibur was softened to make this Pulsion case. But there are a lot of differences between them.





The case diameter is 44mm which is quite big. but hopefully the lugs are very curved to improve the comfort on the wrist and to reduce the feeling of size.

The movement of the Pulsion chronograph is the RD680. We know very well this movement because it was introduced with the Monegasque in 2011. It is an automatic micro-rotor caliber with tungsten micro-rotor. It has  a 4hz frequency and around 50 hours of power reserve. It features a semi-instant 30-minute counter.

RD680 movement in the Monegasque case:



I love its lay-out and even if it doesn't reach the impressive beauty and the excellence of the RD78, its finishings remain flawless and it deserves its Geneva seal. But again, I was more attracted by its lay-out than by its finishings by themselves.

We can also take advantage of it... dial side and well, this is the point which least convinced me. Actually, I don't like half-open dial. I like them when they are solid, I like them when they totally open but half-open is not a good idea in my point of view. The readability of the watch is not improved and the dial spoils a bit the interest brought by the crystal. Moreover due to the presence of the tachymeter scale, everything becomes a bit confusing. But if you love hidden details... this watch is for you!





Frankly speaking, I would have much prefered a Pulsion chronograph with a solid dial. On the other side, the indexes and hands are beautiful with perfect finishings.

Pushers and crown are easy to operate and as I said before, the watch is very comfortable on the wrist. So don't expect bad surprises on a daily wear: you won't be disappointed by it.









3 Pulsion Chronograph  are available: Titanium, Black Titanium and Pink Gold. My fav version is the Titanium one due to its colour and because Titanium matches perfectly the crystal creating beautiful shades of light.

My conclusion is that thanks to the nice use of the crystal, Roger Dubuis managed to create a new chronograph with its own personality in a very crowded segment: the elegant and sportive chronographs. But I would have prefered it with a solid dial to better take advantage of the crystal and to get a more timeless design.

I would like to thank a lot the Roger Dubuis team for the warm welcome during the SIHH.

Fx
This message has been edited by foversta on 2012-07-11 13:39:26

And as I am a faithful guy, I can't forget it.

With this monopusher, RD put the bar very high.

Too high, maybe, when I see this last one.

Best, and thanks for the write up!

Nicolas

The Monopusher is also in my mind but well... I would be also happy with a Sympathie chronograph. Yes the case is huge but I love its shape!

Thanks for your input!

Fx

 

...FX for your great post.

I don't know what my feelings about the Pulsion are. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't. I've never seen it for real so I have only the impression of many pictures. A couple of weeks ago I was at the RD boutique in Geneva but unfortunately they don't have a piece available.

I guess I'm a little bit negative in mind because the Pulsion replaces the Easy Diver line. For me the Easy Diver was the iconic Roger Dubuis watch for years. The Easy Diver stands for all the thinks I liked at RD. All the thinks I can't find at the Pulsion watch. As I wrote to the SIHH report from Oliver, it looks to me like the JLC Amvox Chrono or a Tag Heuer watch...

I don't belive that I will buy a Pulsion...sorry guys.

stere

I concur with Stere, I miss the Easy DIver. The Easy Diver is an iconic piece, even in its latest evolution, conveying power, exclusivity, sportiness, and class all in one design--- things not easily replicated.  The Excalibur was big, bold and in your face yet remained sporty and classy at the same time--another difficult to achieve vision.  Now, the Easy Diver is gone, and the Excalibur has been weakened, almost feminized, in all but the very top end of the line which has maintained the soul of the original Excalibur, albeit at a much higher price point.   On the other hand, The Pulsion, although I am certain it is a well built watch, looks like a mishmash of several different brands. I must admit, I have never seen one in the metal, but I do not find the photos compelling in the least. 

I will come back to the softened Excalibur because there are a lot to say.

Fx

Anticipating your Excalibur article --- Can we expect it soon? Thanks!  

It's like RD couldn't decide on a look: cutting edge? tool watch? traditional? quirky? hey, let's do a bit of each and see how it comes out! It is a compelling watch, however.

And to illustrate your post, here is a wristshot of an Easy Diver:



Fx

When I look at the piece as a whole it is alluring.

You comments about the partial open dial are interesting.  I can certainly see a solid dial being quite nice on this based upon how the numerals are executed.  It seems nowadays every brand is letting us peek into the movement from the dial side.  But I feel it works on this piece, and gives it more of an industrial and robust look.

Definitely a piece I would want to lay on my wrist to see for myself.  Thanks for the terrific post.

No message body

FrX,

Thanks for the opinion piece.

 

I was a tad confused at SIHH 2012 presentation.

They brought out the 4 videos that did not really explain the 4 watch lines except to emphasise: "Hey! We showed two lines before and now we have the remaining two lines that we can finally reveal...that we planned all along.... but could not tell you until today because you would not have understood until now how they all fit together in our master plan."

Then, they dragged out poor Mr Dubuis (nice guy) into the bright lights and said: "He's b-a-a-c-k-k !   Have a nice day at SIHH."

 

I agree and disagree about the Roger Dubuis Pulsion Chronograph observations.

A bit of background:

The current Mrs MTF and I started buying Roger Dubuis watches in 2000. usually matching colour scheme but different case shapes and sizes. These were the days when they made a bazillion "Limited Editions of 28 pieces"    All the watches developed illness and had to return to hospital many times. One watch even broke in my hands at the retail shop AND I still bought it... to-be-repaired before delivery! It went back to the hospital after delivery with the same manufacturing flaw...but that is a different story. This was before I found the PuristS and was educated......many pieces of RD watches soon "hit the secondary market".

 

Roger Dubuis Pulsion Chronograph is the most affordable and "safe" entry into RD watches today. It actually has a "useful" function. The sapphire glass as cover and bezel is a brilliant idea and distinctive. At this level and price, you want a distinctive watch.

The white 'Montblanc' motif on the screws holding the sapphire cover down is confusing.

This is a BIG watch, curved lugs or not, it is not a pansy hiding in the corner. It is a matter of personal taste but I guess the RD-crowd are not pansies. But the monolithic sapphire cover magnifies the size. If the watch case were smaller, the magnifying glass effect would have compensated. They missed the opportunity and could have got away with a 40 - 42 mm case for the best of both worlds:Satisfy the BIG watch lust but still have the normal watch size logistics......a novelty!

I like the mechanical work but the half-open dial is a bad idea. It reduces readability of the function and does not reveal much of the movement anyway. The primary function of a watch is ....er.....to read time. There is enough pleasure looking at the back of the watch if mechanical beauty is your lust.

 

Conclusion: For me, the well executed dial markers and hands deserve a solid dial to be shown to best advantage by a brilliant sapphire cover. I would even accept the large case size as a quirk of Roger Dubuis.

 

Regards,

MTF

 

 

...more than the execution.  I find it very hard to read.  I do, however, really like the sapphire crystal and bezel combined.  That is a hot look IMO!  So for now, the Monegasque remains my fave in the RD collection!  Very enjoyable article, Fr.Xavier!

Cheers,
Daos

i like the black titanium version because it gives it a stealthier, sleeker appearance.  something i find desirable in souch a behemoth of a watch.  the mixed face works for me and, i have to say, overall this is a very attractive item.  generally, the roger dubuis watches are a bit too vegas for my taste, but this one is interesting and stylish.

chris