It is always strange to discover the existence of a watch by seeing it for the first time in a boutique. It is the experience that happened to me a few days ago in the Bucherer store in Paris when I saw a very particular Roger Dubuis Hommage Automatic. Indeed, it was distinguished by its open dial, far from the usual guilloché dial of the collection.

If we had to summarize in a few words the Hommage collection, I would say it symbolizes the comeback of the brand to the classicism of the early years embodied by the "Bulletin d'Observatoire" pieces but with an aesthetic approach a bit more demonstrative as evidenced by the guilloche dial. Far from the exuberance of the Excalibur pieces and offering an easier approach than the Monegasque ones,  the watches from  the Hommage collection are also a beautiful demonstration of the expertise of the brand with a finishes quality confirmed by the Geneva Seal.



The criticism I make about the Hommage watches is the strong personality of the dial that can be tiresome on a more or less long term. The guillochage is very present and tends to break the timeless dimension of the watches of the collection. It is not a big issue since it is better, in my opinion, to have an overflow of energy than a piece that doesn't give off any emotion. I still think that the Hommage watches have the purpose to be complementary pieces in collections and not to be their basic components.  

The open dial version performs an aesthetic 180-degree turn. The guillochage is removed, but Roger Dubuis oblige, we couldn't expect a simple dial instead. The Geneva-based manufacture took the decision to open portions of the dial to give a more technical dimension to the watch. The result is surprising and works quite well. It was not an obvious outcome: the dial side of a movement is not what is more exciting. Fortunately, for readability and aesthetic choices, the dial offers an alternation between open and solid areas. The perlage, which could have been very heavy visually speaking, becomes a nice decorative element. The hour ring and the peripheral graduation greatly facilitate the readability of the time and give a circular dimension to the dial design.



The whole watch is attractive but, like its alter ego with guilloche dial, such watch can weary if worn daily. I consider it more like an original alternative to traditional dress watches and I would wear it for special circumstances. It doesn't lack character as evidenced by the relatively large 42mm case and the thick hands. But the magic of the dial opening and its finishes is  the fact that the location of the second hand, too close to the center, is less noticeable in this version.



The movement that powers this version of the Hommage is the automatic caliber RD620 with micro-rotor, the same of course as that of the guilloche dial version. This movement offers a 52-hour power reserve and has a high winding efficiency for a micro-rotor. Its visual rendering is nice and its finishes are flawless. However, I would have liked a brighter and more daring presentation of the micro-rotor. A watch of this level (and of this price, around € 28K in France), deserves a more rewarding visual rendering of the movement. This defect is not critical but a little more exciting decoration movement side would have been appreciated and would have been more consistent with the aesthetic approach of the dial.



This Roger Dubuis Hommage Automatic nevertheless remains a rather convincing watch because it manages to give a new dimension to the collection Hommage while retaining  a dose of originality.


Thanks to the team of the Bucherer Store in Paris.

Pros:
+ the aesthetic approach that renews the collection Hommage
+ the quality of the finishes
+ the pleasure of an automatic movement with micro-rotor

Cons:
- the presentation of the movement could have been more daring
- the second hand is close to the center of the dial even if it is less visible on this version

This message has been edited by foversta on 2016-06-25 15:40:08