Raging Against The Machine: Hands-On With Roger Dubuis’ 2019 Creations

Partnerships with automotive organizations and athletes are often intertwined within the world of watchmaking. But for Roger Dubuis, its recent collaborations with car makers Lamborghini, tire manufacturers Pirelli, and Mexican boxing sensation Canelo Alvarez goes beyond merely a marketing gimmick. All three celebrate an elite machine, whether it be a car, a watch, or a human body. The four models we're looking at today are specifically obsessed with exploring and pushing what that machine can do.

Another thing that’s cool about Roger Dubuis is that its collections are well curated — there are not dozens of different lines, so innovation is concentrated within existing references.
 

Take for example the Excalibur Automatic Skeleton Canelo Alvarez. The Excalibur collection is known for its mix of technical skill and stylistic opulence, and this model also adds something extra for the boxer by adding black and gold finishes.
 

Excalibur is Roger Dubuis’ signature collection, but this version sports a lot of Canelo’s personality. Launched last fall, it features a strap made from the champion’s own boxing gloves. And Canelo’s initials have been artfully applied to the jumper spring, a functional part of the watch movement.
 

The new Excalibur Huracán collection from Roger Dubuis draws inspiration from the company’s enduring partnership with the Lamborghini racing team.
 

Equipped with an all-new in-house movement made up of 223 components, this motion machine is made for those who love Lambos as much as they do watches.
 

This is also the second caliber developed for Roger Dubuis’ partnership with Lamborghini. Gearheads will get off on the 12-degree angled balance escapement with an automatic winding mechanism with a rim‑like rotor. And the strut‑bar style bridge recalls the lV10 engine of the Lamborghini Huracan supercar.
 

Speaking of Pirelli, the tire makers and Roger Dubuis are in year two of a “Perfect Fit” partnership driven by both company’s love of technical engineering, along with the innovation and creation of high-tech materials.
 

Last February, Pirelli launched a patented studded tire designed for peak performance on the ice. The Pirelli Ice Zero 2 tire is optimized by a patented titanium stud distribution and a tread pattern developed to achieve continuous grip and fast driving maneuvers.
 

The strap of the Excalibur Pirelli Ice Zero 2 incorporates this new pattern. And it comes with an additional free crown and an extra strap in case you need to make a quick pit stop — the band features QRS ‑ 'Quick Release System' for fast changes. Both crown and bracelet are placed in a dedicated pouch inside the watch box in the box.
 

The skeletonized timepiece revs it up with double flying tourbillon, one of the world’s highest complications in the realm of Haute Horlogerie. And the timepiece is powered by this Poinçon de Genève certified Calibre RD105SQ.

But by giving the design a sporty aesthetic, it also captures a devil-may-care attitude—a sauciness that we admire in race car drivers.
 

Limited to just eight-pieces, the Excalibur Pirelli Ice Zero 2 will also drive collectors crazy!
 

Collectors will also note that the secret to Roger Dubuis’ successful marriages is that none of these partners have given up their personalities.
 

They are also open marriages. Dubuis works with both Lamborghini and Pirelli and, in the case of the Excalibur Aventador S Bucherer Blue Editions, the brand has also collaborated with another horological house.
 

In this instance, the watch uses five patented technological innovations that were inspired by motorsport. The calibre’s balance wheels have been turned by 45 degrees and positioned in a V, making it resemble the pistons of the 12-cylinder engine of the Lamborghini Aventador S.
 

These different elements are all connected by a combination of titanium and coated carbon all in bold Bucherer blue.