Roger Dubuis is Back to Classic Designs, with the new Hommage La Placide Perpetual Calendar

For many years, you’ve probably known Roger Dubuis for its bold, angular watches with openworked movements and tourbillon(s), most of them under the Excalibur collection. And while most are technically very impressive, this isn’t exactly the style that Mister Dubuis defined when he created the brand in the mid-1990s. The earliest watches, known as the Hommage and Sympathie series, were classic hand-wound chronographs inspired by the watchmakers who influenced him – for instance, Patek Philippe. But as Roger Dubuis is turning 30, the brand goes back to its roots with this Hommage La Placide, a watch that houses a classic RD movement, paired with the founder’s favourite Biretrograde display for the perpetual calendar, and with a design and proportions that are much more restrained than anything we’ve seen recently. 

Quick historical background

I am not going to go too deep into the details and story of Riger Dubuis in this article, as we will soon see this watch in the metal, and come back with a more in-depth story soon on MONOCHROME. But here are the basics. Roger Dubuis started his career as a watchmaker in the 1950s at Longines, in the after-sales department, restoring mostly old chronographs. He later joined Patek, where he stayed for almost two decades. During the 1980s, he created his own workshop, restoring clocks and watches, as well as modules and movements for prestigious brands.

And in 1995, the brand Roger Dubuis was founded together with Carlos Dias. The first watches, the Hommage Chronographs, were deeply inspired by classic mid-century stopwatches from Patek and powered by Lemania hand-wound movements. Later came the far more original Sympathie series. The Roger Dubuis Manufacture in Geneva was founded in 1995, and in 1999, the first in-house movements were produced. In 2005, the Excalibur collection was launched, and drastically changed the face of the brand, which was acquired (partially at first) by the Richemont Group in 2008. Mister Dubuis passed away in 2017.

The Roger Dubuis Hommage La Placide

The Hommage La Placide is a modern revival of pre-Excalibur models, with both original and remanufactured components, a combination of the brand’s first in-house automatic movement with a classic QP module, and much more restrained design and dimensions than anything you’ve seen in the past 15 years. This limited edition is here to celebrate the brand’s 30th anniversary and is named after Roger Dubuis’s childhood nickname, placide, due to his calm and gentle spirit. But let’s go straight to the design, which is far more moderate, with a classic round case in rose gold measuring 38mm in diameter and 11mm thick. Polished with brushed flanks, it features a smooth bezel and polished bevels. Quiet and surprisingly conservative.

The dial of this Roger Dubuis Hommage La Placide couldn’t be more RD, with its Biretrograde display for the perpetual calendar. The blue lacquered main plate is complemented by a circular brushed flange and mother-of-pearl calendar segments for the retrograde indications of the day and date. The months and leap year at 12 and the moon at 6 o’clock are also using MoP with a broader circular-brushed finish, and the gold moon sits atop an aventurine disc. This perpetual calendar display is made possible thanks to the RD72 module, first used in 1999. While using a known technical base, the main plate, large bridge, and 50% of the components, such as levers, springs, wheels, and pinions, had to be remanufactured.

This module is here paired with the RD14 base calibre, the brand’s first in-house automatic movement (launched in 2004), becoming the calibre Hommage 1472. These older movements have been restored were given an extensive check-up, undergoing quality control tests and full diagnostics. This fine movement, with swan neck regulator and original Roger Dubuis balance springs, has been improved with a complete recalculation of the gear train for greater performance. A newly made gold rotor winds this 4Hz movement with 48 hours of power reserve. It is certified by the current Poinçon de Genève standard (now performed on the entire watch) and features 15 decoration techniques.

A limited edition of 28 pieces, the Roger Dubuis Hommage La Placide Perpetual Calendar is worn on a blue calf leather strap with a triple folding buckle. The price will be EUR 115,000 (excl. taxes). And we’ll come back on this watch soon, with a hands-on article and our thoughts. More details at www.rogerdubuis.com.