Horological Meandering

A watch rarely seen on this excellent forum : Roger Dubuis Excalibur Chrono.



I've had last year the opportunity to visit the manufacture Roger Dubuis and I was deeply impressed
by their achievements : a true and full manufacture, with an impressive range of in-house mouvements.
They have the latest hi-tech machines but also very skilled people who meticulously perform a lot of
handmade operations.

All the movements produced by Roger Dubuis wear the prestigious Geneva Seal.
I don't want to get into a controversial debate about the Geneva Seal versus other "quality norms" : for me,
it was an important criteria as this watch is my first (and not last ! ) piece of haute horlogerie.

Take a look on this RD 78 movement :





I definitely need to buy a better lens for my SLR in order to capture all the details of this beautiful movement.

The dial is superb. I know the design of Roger Dubuis may not be to everyone's taste but it has the merit
of being very different : I like it ! In fact, and it will probably sounds strange to you, I first chose the RD 78
movement (chrono / micro rotor) and then began to consider the watch in itself !! I had a long hesitation between
an Excalibur and an easier (no pun intended) Easydiver. I finally took the more flamboyant Excalibur : you only
live once ! After all, I still have other watches... As I already have a black dial (Hublot), blue dials (IWC & Breitling),
white/grey dial (JLC), I picked up this very special bronze/sable dial - color changes according to the light,
from a luminous pale sable tint to a very dark bronze one. Amazing.









The watch comes with a black rubber strap, but I've also ordered a brown croco strap.







The packaging and "accessories" are complete and beautifully made.
I've received three boxes.



First the wooden box - but no watch inside !



Then a second box with the vacuum-packed watch and prints from
the different tests performed by the watchmakers.







Then the third box :



On the left, an interesting little book referencing all the movements from RD.



On the right, something you have to unfold...



Warranty card, two DVDs and the certificate for the Geneva Seal !





And now a few wristshots...











Thank you for looking and HAGWE !!!

Emmanuel This message has been edited by Emmanuel H on 2009-05-22 14:39:05

You should be really proud of this new, beautiful acquistion!  Your photography is superb!

I'm happy you enjoyed my pictures - I tried my best !

Emmanuel

No message body

Congrats on the new watch!

Roger Dubuis pieces always have a very nice presentation with nice accessories.

Thanks for sharing, and wear it in the best of health.

Jon (Z3)

... to have a nice presentation with nice accessories : it's part of the pleasure to discover a new watch.

Regarding this RD, everything was perfect !

Thank you for your comments,

Emmanuel

It's not often we see one of these Dubuis here in our forums. 

Btw, how's the feedback from the chronograph pushers?  Feels tight, loose, or just right?

Cheers,
Anthony

This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2009-05-22 16:15:10

How could I describe this ?

The best way would be to post a video where you would see the big smile on my face everytime I activate the chronograph pushers.

Honestly, it is incredibly smooth... it feels "just right" !

HAGWE Anthony,

Emmanuel

So if I see a gentleman walking around with a big smile on his face and playing around with the chronograph buttons on his watch, then I know it must be you

Congrats once again!

Cheers,
Anthony

No message body

Wear it in the best of health.

An impressive packaging, an awesome movement, and perfect on your wrist!

What to ask more?

Congrats, my friend.

Enjoy!

Best,

nicolas

It was worth the wait and I enjoy it a lot !

Emmanuel

Hi Emmanuel

 

Thanks for sharing your new RD with us.

 

All the RD watches have amazing presence and the Excalibur case particularly so. The dial, with the stylised floating Roman numerals could perhaps be described as neoclassical and is also very striking.

 

Thanks for taking us through all the packaging and presentation. It’s great to see this sort of attention to detail from Manufactures.

 

I have always been impressed with the movement architecture of RD watches. What are you impressions of the movement finish?

 

Will you leave it on the rubber strap for a more sporty feel? I think I prefer it that way.

 

Congratulations again.

 

Andrew

So you'll be able to see by yourself the amazing finish of the movement.

Regarding the strap, I always prefer rubber strap (sporty feel, comfortable and even more hygienic).
But I'll soon try the croco strap : pics to follow of course !

Thank you for your kinds words,

Emmanuel

Emmanuel, this is a watch I have never seen before but must say that it looks gorgeous.Your pictures are amazing

and showing the unique look of this RD.

May I ask the diameter of the watch, which btw looks just perfect on your wrist ?

Regards,

Gerard

Nice to see you here !

The diameter of the watch is 45 mm. My wrist is 18,5 cm which seems to be a very common size.

The watch is slightly more massive than the Hublot but still very comfortable.

Thanks for your comments !

Emmanuel

...the opportunity to view the movements of RD and the fit and finish is world class.

Congratulations on your new toy!!!

Yes, the fit and finish is amazing.
Every 20 minutes, I look at the movement...

Emmanuel

On your new flamboyant RD

Nice pictures too!

Was the timing results in the box or the shop printed for you?

From the result your watch is very accurate!  Check it out.

Kong

I started my own test period. Until now, it seems indeed very accurate.

Thank you Kong for your comments.

Emmanuel

This RD is a superb watch with great finishings and an awesome caliber. My only concern is that I find the subdials too close to the center. And I regret the presence of the third lug in the middle of the strap. But at least you have an original watch, a true piece of haute horlogerie. Congrats !

Fr.Xavier

I appreciate your answer since I am a long time reader of your posts.

Don't worry for the subdials being too close to the center : you need to see the watch in person.

I understand you don't like the triple lug... and for me, this triple lug is a positive point : all tastes are in nature !

Emmanuel

g





Emmanuel