Roger Dubuis Excalibur Automatic Limited Edition – Knights of the Round Table

During the 2013 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, a lot of stunning new timepieces have been released. News from the top brands is always exciting especially when they all want to outdo one another; bigger booths, more elaborate shows and more intricately designed timepieces.

Lately many brands are grabbing back on their own history, to find inspiration for new models. Grabbing back on the past is what Roger Dubuis also did, however they grabbed back quite a bit further then any other brand ever did! Welcome the Roger Dubuis Excaliber Automatic Knights of the Round Table.

A prime example of a timepiece reminiscent of times long gone, an age of stout men and legendary battles is the new Roger Dubuis Excalibur Table Ronde, or Knights of the Round Table. This highly decorated timepiece screams Middle Ages throughout but is still looking very crisp and clean. Some may consider it over the top, or at least on the brink of being it. Sure it is quite an extravert creation, but the attention to detail and the level of craftsmanship give it just the perfect amount of ‘show’.

Roger Dubuis has embraced the middle ages more than once up to now, hence the name Excalibur. This legendary blade was supposedly embedded into a rock by Uther Pendragon only to be withdrawn by the true king. Another version of the Arthurian legend depicts that Excalibur was granted to King Arthur by the Lady of the Lake. Any which version is true, the legend of King Arthur is more than just folklore.

The Roger Dubuis Excalibur Table Ronde shows a scene that occurred regularly in the days of King Arthur and his knights. The scene depicts twelve knights, standing at the Winchester Round Table. Swords are drawn, and pointing at the Tudor Rose in the middle. Each knight is cast in 18k pink gold, by hand, and placed around the dial to function as hour markers. Being hand cast, Roger Dubuis created each single knight as a unique piece. Even the swords are held slightly different by each knight, almost making them life like, and adds to the visual impact of this watch.

The dial is a representation of the Winchester Round Table, dating back to the mid 13th century. This legendary table now hangs in the great hall of Winchester Castle in Hampshire, England. The reproduced Winchester Round Table features hand-painted enamel in green and white, and a centered Tudor Rose; the heraldic emblem of England. Surrounding the dial are all the names of the knights, written in old English. Although only 12 knights are portrayed around the dial, there were actually 24 knights in total. The hands of the dial are long enough not t interfere with the figurines, but still allow for accurate time-telling.

On the back-side of the watch, a royal crest is portrayed, in a deep royal blue color, adorned with three crowns. The crest is surrounded by the Knight’s statement: “Around this table, all in equality, will sit the most valiant knights. From this room, they will set out to seek challenges, to undo wrongs, to protect the weak, and to bring down the proud.”

The EX45 dubbed case measures, as you might have guessed, 45 mm and comes in 18k pink gold. It has the trademark Roger Dubuis fluted bezel and triple strap horns. It houses the RD822 automatic self-winding in-house movement. The movement allows for the hours and minutes to be displayed, nothing more is needed here. The strength of this timepiece does not lie within its complications, but in its aesthetics. The visual impact here is far greater than the mechanical impact. Both movement and case bare the Poincon de Geneve seal, as Roger Dubuis is said to be the only manufacture in the world to produce 100% of their watches according to the Poincon de Geneve standards.

The Roger Dubuis Table Ronde will be available in a limited production run of 88 pieces. Price is yet to be announced bit it I will set you back quite a few thousand-dollars, I’m sure. For more information please visit Roger Dubuis’ website.

This article is written by Robin Nooij, contributing writer for Monochrome Watches.