A whole new world for Roger Dubuis in 2014

At the Watches&Wonders fair in Hong Kong last September, CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué lifted a corner of the veil on what would be the main trends at Roger Dubuis in 2014. The presentation which the brand made at its headquarters in late October last year confirmed which models will be focusing attention in the coming months. Many of these belong to a new collection: Hommage. It constitutes Roger Dubuis’ fifth fantasy world and joins Excalibur, associated with the Warrior character, La Monégasque, for Players, Pulsion, for Venturers, and Velvet, for Divas. Prior to this, the Manufacture had developed watches in honour of the man who launched the brand in 1995, one of the most noteworthy being in 2003, and more recently when the Hommage Minute Repeater confirmed watchmaker Roger Dubuis’ return to the fold. Still, nothing suggested anything on this scale.

"Gratitude towards our elders"

“We want to give a reminder of where the brand comes from, and how much it owes to the tradition of the Canton of Geneva, not least by the simple fact that no-one else to date has its entire production, based on 31 exclusive calibres, certified by the Poinçon de Genève,” declared Jean-Marc Pontroué. “Not that we are abandoning the distinctive identity that has forged our timepieces. All our watches have great substance delivered through organic creativity that draws on the post-industrial era and steampunk culture.” As Roger Dubuis himself explained: “When I set up the company in 1995, it was my ambition to create a watch that would convey my gratitude towards my masters, my friends, and everyone who had helped me in learning and perfecting my art. Naturally, we named the result Hommage. I feel very moved by this new collection because it is the work of a new generation and at the same time demonstrates an important sense of gratitude towards our elders.”

This new Hommage collection will launch with ten references, including four limited editions: five automatic winding with hours, minutes, small seconds and chrono, and five grandes complications versions including one with flying tourbillon, large date and power reserve. The complication models will be unveiled at the 2014 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, where the brand will première a new booth filled with references to this new world. As Jean-Marc Pontroué points out, Roger Dubuis is now structured around three mainstays: Excalibur, which accounts for roughly half its sales, Velvet which represents 40% of the product offering in value terms, despite no particular promotion of this line over the past two years, and the newly minted Hommage collection. Pulsion and La Monégasque, the remaining two worlds, are “on hold” in anticipation of a new marketing push.

Velvet enters the High Jewellery segment

In the Excalibur line, Roger Dubuis continues to drive its Quatuor, launched in 2013 and recognisable by the four inclined sprung balances connected by five differentials, a mechanism that was developed and produced in-house. The three silicon models have all found takers, as have the 88 pieces in gold, with delivery scheduled until the end of this year. Continuing in this vein, the Manufacture will present a Quatuor in DLC titanium, released as a limited edition of 188. Also under the Excalibur banner, and perfectly in line with the fundamentals of this collection, a skeleton version equipped with the new automatic winding RD 820 calibre is proposed at entry level. “Roger Dubuis was one of the first brands to produce contemporary skeletonwork,” notes Jean-Marc Pontroué. “This powerful architecture is found, for example, in our Excalibur watches with single and double tourbillon. Bearing in mind that the average price of a Roger Dubuis watch is in the region of EUR 50,000, we wanted to propose something at this price point. There will also be a gem-set version.”

In line with strategy, Velvet will be the third collection taking the honours in 2014, with a High Jewellery watch. Case, dial and buckle will be fully gem-set using three different techniques. The movement will be the new automatic winding RD 821. As Jean-Marc Pontroué points out, all the watches in the Velvet collection are gem-set, and appeal to male buyers as much as women. This High Jewellery Velvet will only be available on request in the brand’s own stores, of which there are currently 20 with a number of new doors opening in Asia, mainly Hong Kong and Macao. It will also be proposed as a limited edition of three with a gem-set bracelet. The final word goes to Jean-Marc Pontroué: “We are fortunate in that price is not a criterion when choosing one of our watches. This is why we are developing a bespoke watch service, in response to demand from customers who are interested in owning timepieces which are personalised down to the movement. Our objective is to deliver the finished watch six months after the order.” Something the brand is confident it can achieve.