The story in a second: Everyone’s doing skeleton watches these days. Few are doing them as well as Roger Dubuis. Skeletonised watches have been enjoying a serious renaissance and reboot over the last few years. Gone are the delicate and fiddly finishes that were traditionally used, replaced with a modern approach that’s more architecture than artisanal. And while Cartier and Hublot are the best-known advocates of this new school, the undisputed masters of the modern skeleton are Roger Dubuis. For the past 10 years they’ve been perfecting their spare and linear skeletonisation, with airy movement architecture and bridges in their trademark star shape. But what really sets Roger Dubuis apart is quality. Each one bears the Poinçon de Genève (or the Geneva Seal if you don’t parlez français), which means it’s had to meet 12 strict criteria. Boiled down, that means the watch will be finished to a ridiculously high standard. This is evident in the latest version of their double flying tourbillion, first introduced in 2009. Everything on this watch is chamfered, perlaged and polished to within an inch of its life. And a watch with not one but two 60-second tourbillons practically demands this level of detail. It’s… Read More

One of the watches we were most looking forward to seeing at SIHH was the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Automatic Skeleton – the Geneva brands brand new entry level watch in their iconic Excalibur collection. And in the metal it certainly didn’t dissapoint. Deceptively light for such a large gold watch (turns out cutting out most of the movement reduces weight a bit – who knew), and a really comfortable wear on the wrist. We shot the pink gold model with baguette diamond set bezel, and while the bling isn’t for everyone this watch would like killer on the high rollers baccarat table. And the movement, as you would expect from a brand who’s entire production qualifies for the Geneva Seal, is excellent. Often if a brand finishes a watch in a modern style like this they will cut corners on the quality of finish – citing ‘their industrial aesthetic’ and hi tech process. Not so with the Dubuis. The anglage and polishing is as good as anything you’ll see, and makes the movement stunning to look at up close. SPECIFICATIONS:  Roger Dubuis Excalibur Automatic Skeleton in pink gold set with diamonds Case: Ø 42mm, pink gold, bezel set with 60 baguette-… Read More