PuristSPro's 2010 SIHH Live Reporting by Z3

Roger Dubuis 2010 Novelties

Roger Dubuis, love it or hate it (but you can hardly miss it), continues to offer aesthetically avant-garde and drastically "different" watches this year, coupled by some new movements. Say whatever you want, but you gotta admit this is a very COLORFUL set of novelties.

RD is revamping its entire collection in the upcoming years, as the new owner, Richemont, decides on the strategy and future of this brand - a young yet very innovative technical and design powerhouse, with rather turbulent and dramatic histories.

A piece of comforting news to some of us, from reliable sources, is that the brand will look back and tries to redesign and bring back some of the classics such as the Golden Square, the Sympathy, etc...

Here this year, amidst the typical jaw-dropping RD extravaganzas=), we see two refreshing understated redesigned Golden Squares that are actually quite elegant and wearable.

I will group the watches according to each collection (Excalibur, Easy Diver, King Square, and finally the two redesigned Golden Squares).

Then for those watches with new movements, I will first photograph the watch dial, then followed immediately by the photos of the new movements.

Ah...Roger Dubuis, always reminds me that it is POSSIBLE for time to stand still in the party-filled world of 2007.=)

Here we go!

From the Excalibur Collection

First of all, let me introduce a set of three PLATINUM novelties. These are the first set of platinum-cased watches that Roger Dubuis has ever made.

1. Self-winding with double micro rotor in platinum, flying Tourbillon, minute repeater (repeater is activated not using a traditional slider, but rather by twisting the bezel clock wise. (see the musical note on the bezel?) ). 45mm. 28 pcs made. US$545,000

2.Self-winding with double micro rotor in platinum, flying Tourbillon, minute repeater, 5 windows perpetual calendar. 45mm. 8 pcs made. US$645,000

3.Manual-wind. Double flying tourbillon with differential, tourbillon cages visible between 4 and 5 o’clock, and 7 and 8 o’clock. Both tourbillons make one revolution per minute, power reserve indicator visible at back of case, jumping hour (360°), retrograde dragging minute between 9 and 3 o’clock (180°).

Kind of confusing to read the time, doesn't it? when the hour hand operates on 360 degrees and the minute hand only 180...

Box of the new Excaliburs (all with 45mm Excalibur cases)

Self-winding by micro rotor, hours, minutes. Steel. 888 pcs made. US$19,000

Manual-wind., double flying Tourbillon w/ Baguette diamonds. WG. 8 pcs made. US$315,000

2 self-winding chronographs, in WG and RG. 

Self-winding, three time-zones. RG. 88 pcs made. US$63,200

The GMT +/- functions are activated not by buttons or pushpins, but rather by credit cards. (see the flat style recessed push slots on the side). Interesting concept as plastics are always readily available and would not scratch the gold. Also, having no protruding buttons on the side streamlines the case a bit.

Automatic bi-retrograde jumping date (date 1 to 15 on the left, 16 to 31 on the right), WG. 88 pcs made. US$40,900.

Comes with new calibre RD14B

Manual-wind. Double flying tourbillon with differential, tourbillon cages visible between 4 and 5 o’clock, and 7 and 8 o’clock. Both tourbillons make one revolution per minute, power reserve indicator visible at back of case, jumping hour (360°), retrograde dragging minute between 9 and 3 o’clock (180°). RG. 28 pcs made. US$250,000.

Automatic tourbillon with visible micro-rotor. RG. 88 pcs made. US$142,000.

The microrotor is iridescent!  It's fused with for the look and the added weight.

Comes with new calibre RD520.

Self-winding by micro rotor, Chronograph, Mass aperture at 1 o’clock. WG. 88 pcs made. US$51,900.

Comes with new calibre RD781.

From the Easy Diver Collection

Self-winding, hours, minutes. 46mm. Steel. 888 pcs made. US$12,900 (They dropped the prices for the time-only Easy Divers, smart move as it was getting out of hands)

Self-winding by micro rotor, Chronograph. 46mm. Steel. 280 pics made. US$32,500

Interesting orange accents on the bezel (fused rubber with steel), and rubber accents on the back

Two Ladies 40mm automatic easy divers. Steel, 888 pics made. Mother of pearl dial, diamond accents on bezel. US$15,700

From the King Square Collection

Manual-winding, flying Tourbillon, 40mm, Orange dial, black roman numerals, black tourbillon ring at 7 o’clock, black flange set with spessartites, shiny grey strap. WG. 8 pcs made. US$136,000

Self-winding, hours, minutes. 40mm, With vegetable scale dial (Dubuis wanted to make a tourqoise dial, but because it's endangered species, they chose a vegetable-scale dial instead to achieve similar patterns)

The faceted and step-wise crystals and cases of the King Square.

Two ladies pieces

The New Golden Squares

Self-winding, hours, minutes. WG and RG. Classically sized at 37mm. Sensibly priced at US$19,900

Hope you enjoyed the photos.

Cheers,

Jon (Z3)

P.S. Please excuse me if I can't respond to questions in time, as I am literally up to my neck with work with almost no sleep. (it's 5am here in Geneva, haven't had a chance to sleep yet, and I have a 9am appointment...).