Pre-SIHH 2016: 2016, Year of the Roger Dubuis Diva
Pre-SIHH 2016: 2016, Year of the Roger Dubuis Diva
The word is out, there’s no denying it: Roger Dubuis and women are engaged in a passionate love affair that has already gone public and is about to move to a whole new level.
At the SIHH 2016, Roger Dubuis is preparing to raise the curtain on a gorgeous array of Velvet timepieces offering irrefutable confirmation of its ability to meet women’s expectations by expressing various facets of feminine nature.
SIHH 2016 will provide yet another opportu- nity for Roger Dubuis to demonstrate its sta- ging abilities, this time in cinematographic Technicolor, with a World that is part ilm studio, part opulent theatre, part red-carpe- ted staircase. Exactly the backdrop required to stage the unveiling ive new Velvet stories. Lights, camera, action! Within this stunning setting evoking the world’s most star- studded ilm events, the Roger Dubuis woman and the watch she wears become the unmistakable stars of the Roger Dubuis World.
Vividly highlighting the jewellery expertise cultivated by Roger Dubuis, the Velvet collection pays triumphant homage to the timeless beauty of womanhood in all its multiple facets.
Representing an essential complement to its horological know-how as the ‘specialist of architectural and technical mechanics’ and the ‘pioneer of contemporary skeleton calibres’, this powerful emphasis on its intimate ties with femininity is now set to establish Roger Dubuis as the ‘jeweller of rare artistic masterpieces’.
These are not mere catch phrases, but instead fundamental attributes of a Manu- facture that boldly proclaims its ability to offer avant-garde embodiments of age-old traditions.
Having previously provided tantalising glimpses of its uncanny ability to speak to the female heart and soul through the Velvet collection, Roger Dubuis is un- leashing the full force of its seductive powers at the SIHH 2016 with ive dis- tinctive lines relecting ive facets of the Roger Dubuis woman: These intrinsical- ly sophisticated and dressy timepieces epitomise the ravishing charm of elegant and sophisticated “femmes fatales” with their strong personality and their taste for precious and exclusive horology.
In the words of CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué, “The Roger Dubuis Diva is the kind of woman who stands out from the crowd, who sets trends instead of following them, who turns heads but never allow success to turn her own head.”
The horological expertise cultivated by Roger Dubuis and clearly evidenced in its loyalty to the Poinçon de Genève standards of watchmaking excellence, also translates into a determination to present a irmly me- chanical ‘ist’ inside the Velvet glove.
This is done by providing movements desi- gned for women sensitive to the inner and outer beauty of their timepiece: natural-born Divas who instinctively transcend clichés and expect a timepiece that quite literally has it all.
The Blossom Velvet Pink is an anthem to loral fantasies that encapsulates the mysterious, instinctively possessive and captivatingly sensuous facets of feline femininity.
Its exquisitely sculpted and engraved mo- ther-of-pearl marquetry motif takes time into a dimension where counting the hours and minutes is replaced by serene contemplation of blooming nature.
The intense magnetism of inluent woman- hood is expressed through the Velvet Secret Heart with its hidden mechanical heart, gently but accurately guiding the twin retro- grade date hands – of which only one dainty crescent tip is tantalising visible at any given moment.
The sophisticated and romantic design is all about embracing the day and hugging every luscious curve of this coquettishly feminine creation. And to remind men that they are never far from its thoughts, Roger Dubuis clothes its chivalrous Excalibur knight in a handsome high-tech suit of armour for the Excalibur Automatic Skeleton Carbon.
The use of the ultra-light and extra-hard ibre sheet moulding compound creates a super- sporty appearance that powerfully enhances the virile charm of this 3D take on mechanical transparency.
Combining a soft, loral exterior with the sharp mischief of the Diva’s inner felinity, Blossom Velvet Pink is the quintessence of blooming femininity, a multi-petal expression of sensuality and glamour.
Above and beyond its loral name and mo- tif, the Blossom Velvet subtly hints at the feline facet of female nature. Captivating, possessive, instinctive and mysterious, the Blossom Velvet conceals its innermost ins- tincts beneath a demure and dainty exterior.
The Blossom Velvet Pink depicts wild blooms that transcend any speciic geographic location by appealing to the imagination and its indeinable loral fantasies, even conjuring up visions of powerful jungle vines beneath dazzling exotic lowers.
The 36 mm pink gold case is rimmed with two rows of brilliant-cut diamonds adorning the bezel and lugs, transforming the Velvet’s classic central “third lug” into a precious link. These sparkling gems surround the cha- racteristic split-level mother-of-pearl dial graced with an engraved and sculpted loral marquetry motif. The signature Velvet cen- tral tonneau or barrel shape – contributing to its trompe l’oeil effect and swept over by the hours and minutes hands – is delicately accentuated by diamonds.
Gifted artisans have played with softly cur- ved shapes and subtle shades of pink to form a unique loral décor skilfully fashioned from an exceptionally thick plate of Grand Feu enamel.
As Product Design Director Lionel Favre ex- plains, “this approach stems from a wish to create fascinating luminous effects when the light literally pours into the depths of the ena- mel and plays across the dial with every turn of the wrist.”
This method implied inding the exact pig- ments required for each subtly graded shade of the lowers and leaves. While laser cutting ensures the optimal precision one expects in high-end watchmaking, it is the polisher’s meticulous hand inishing that softens the shapes and ensures a delightfully gentle visual impression.
These exquisite blooms rest on dainty scrol- ling patterns evoking delicate stems and ten- drils. At the heart of each sparkles a diamond in a prong-free gold-tube bezel setting inser- ted into the centre of the lower, once again showcasing the Haute Joalllerie expertise cultivated by the Manufacture.
Lionel Favre also points out the natural absence of hour-markers in this decor that so eloquently expresses Roger Dubuis’ ap- preciation of the precious nature of time: “Who needs them when instead you can ask someone ‘what bloom is it?’ “
Beneath this vibrantly “alive” dial with its clever depth effects ticks a mechanical self- winding movement with a 48-hour power reserve, Calibre RD821 bearing the iconic Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark.
It beats to the tune of Roger Dubuis’ keen awareness that women who love aesthetic beauty also appreciate technical reinement. They can be every bit as instinctively posses- sive and mysterious about the time they keep as they are about the company they keep.
Firmly yet softly embracing the curves of the feminine wrist, the shimmering satin-inish fabric strap – in a blushing pink matching the dial – provides a perfectly smooth, lustrous backdrop for the 154 diamonds (totalling approx.1.9 carats) and the elaborately orna- mental dial. It is clasped in place by a pink gold adjustable folding buckle set with bril- liant-cut diamonds.
This loral wonder composing a poetic anthem to womanhood with all its subtly feline undertones is issued in an 88-piece edition. Femme fatale, mysterious feline, cap- tivating lower... The Roger Dubuis Diva and her Blossom Velvet Pink can choose to be whichever they wish or, better still, all three at once.
Roger Dubuis is pleased to announce that other varieties will be blooming in the Blossom Velvet lowerbed, but their nature and identity remain a budding promise.
The Velvet Secret Heart reveals a facet of fe- mininity that is inluent, intense, magnetic... in a word, irresistible! The expression of a woman who naturally expects a timepiece to be both gorgeous to look at and magniicent- ly technical. But just like its owner who wields her inluence by not wearing her heart on her sleeve, this creation conceals its inner com- plexities beneath a beguiling exterior that only hints at the mechanical heart beating inside.
Two rows of sparkling diamonds rim the bezel and the inner bezel ring, surrounding two arcs of a circle bearing the Arabic date numerals that in turn frame radiating Roman numerals and the classic tonneau-shaped centre of the Velvet... This beguiling time- piece boldly proclaims the fact that this is a Diva who likes to do things differently and who revels in paradoxes. Almost like a Russian doll, or like swathes of velvety fabric with a sparkling trim, the successive semi- circles can be “read” both as opening up towards the exterior, or as gently guiding the gaze towards the heart of its true nature: the central tonneau shape that creates the inimitable trompe l’oeil effect.
Except in this instance, this creation har- bours a second, “secret” heart that remains truly hidden, in an ultimate touch of feminine coquetry. Amid several fascinating plays on symmetry accentuating the distinctive charm of this model, the curved layout of the slanting Roman numerals and the extra- large upright XII and VI conjure up visions of a precious vase, brimming with the magic of time.
The RD821B movement with its double-retro- grade date function makes an ideal match for the tonneau shape since it follows the sym- metry of the dial and sensually hugs its every curve. This is the irst ‘small complication’ to enrich the Velvet collection with a touch of fascinatingly original technicality.
But in the ield of horological complications, “small” means anything but “insigniicant” – as conirmed by Product Strategy Director Gregory Bruttin, who provides some fasci- nating insights into the thinking behind this standout creation.
“While Roger Dubuis has a history of provi- ding retrograde calendar displays that have become embedded in its DNA and has acqui- red considerable expertise in this ield, there were two main reasons behind our decision to use this kind of approach on the Velvet Secret Heart. Firstly, the smaller (36mm) diameter of a ladies’ watch made it even more important to ensure the readability of this indication that is eminently useful in daily life and not merely decorative.
And secondly, the choice of a bi-retrograde interpretation provided even more space and enabled us to accentuate the intensely magnetic femininity of the dial by opening up an almost 360° panorama and hiding the hands.”
Right at irst glance, the way the numerals descend on either side of the dial – but in ascending order – tells the observer that this is no ordinary watch, just as its wearer is no ordinary woman. There is something clearly preternatural going on here that precludes the presence of classic hands sweeping in a clockwise direction.
Driven by the new RD821B calibre, each hand in turn completes its travel down the volup- tuous path of time and then jumps back to the start of its journey and disappears entirely as the other one takes over.Yet these intricacies remain almost entirely invisible, merely hin- ting at hidden depths discreetly suggested by the dainty crescent tip of the single date gently cupping each date in turn as if to em- brace the day...
An eminently technical mechanism thereby succeeds in suffusing a romantic glow that draws upon sophisticated technical know- how to stir profound emotions. And the se- cret heart of the bi-retrograde jumping date regularly skips a beat very much like that of the Diva who will adopt one of these eight boutique-exclusive creations. Each is itted with an opulent blue alligator strap perfectly matching the mesmerising shade of the dial and admirably complementing its exquisite femininity.
Just in case men were to feel just a tiny bit neglected in 2016, Roger Dubuis offers a dramatic bang-on-trend reminder that it remains as closely attuned as ever the world of the chivalrous Warrior, including today’s urban version of that legendary virile igure.
First presented at the SIHH 2015, the Excalibur Automatic Skeleton became Roger Dubuis’ irst non-tourbillon skeleton timepiece, powered by its irst skeletonised auto- matic movement. For its brave new charge in 2016, this all-conquering model now appears in a spectacular new interpretation clad in a high-tech composite known as carbon ibre sheet moulding compound (SMC).
In its latest iteration, the Excalibur Automatic Skeleton has been treated to some brand-new gear that proves an ideal match for its avant- garde tech-watch approach. A lightweight material greatly appreciated in the aerospace industry with its need for fuel-eficient aircraft, sheet moulding compound (SMC) boasts extremely high productivity and cost eficiency, while also enabling excellent part reproducibility and the possibility of creating components with complex shapes and inte- grated functions. SMC is produced by com- pressing carbon ibres with resin and steel moulded at extremely high temperatures, which is then reworked and compounded with resin.
Product Design Director Lionel Favre explains how “Mechanical reality with all its technical constraints must be taken into account at all stages in this sophisticated process. The result is a supremely sporty, patently technical look for a material that is twice as light and twice as hard as steel.” The resulting super-tech- nical look is complemented by an alliga- tor leather/rubber strap setting the perfect inishing touch.
Fans will need little reminding of Excalibur’s main assets, notably including a round case, luted bezel, triple lugs and distinctive Dau- phine-type hands.
This collection embodies a decidedly dif- ferent way of interpreting horological tra- ditions and as such lends itself particularly well to launting the vanguard role played by Roger Dubuis in the realm of contemporary skeleton-work. Each of the Manufacture’s pio- neering skeleton calibres is designed from scratch and embodies a unique merging of form and functionality.
Witness their unmistakable star shape that borrows from a recurrent theme in nature and manmade design, characterised by tips that often point to the hour-markers and thereby also ensure pleasing legibility on the dial side.
The RD820SQ automatic skeleton calibre is equipped with an openworked version of the signature Roger Dubuis micro-rotor introduced in 2005 and delivering winding power equivalent to that of a central rotor. Undaunted by the challenge of reducing the weight of this micro-rotor by skeletonising it while also maintaining its eficiency, the Roger Dubuis watchmakers also played with the height of the micro-rotor as well as raising the star shape to create fascinating 3D effects.
Despite the size and nature of the self-win- ding train and micro-rotor, these horological Warriors have also succeeded in keeping the skeleton-work delightfully transparent. Each of the 167 movement components is meti- culously hand-inished on all faces in accor- dance with the stringent requirements of the Poinçon de Genève certiication.
All eyes on subtly veiled sensuality and wo- men in red at the SIHH 2016. Portrayed against a breathtaking backdrop contributing to a dramatic setting that evokes the world’s most glamorous, star-studded ilm events, the Ro- ger Dubuis woman and the Velvet watch she wears become the unmistakable stars of the Roger Dubuis World.
Lights, camera, action! Roger Dubuis’ tireless- ly inventive Creative Director Alvaro Maggini has drawn inspiration from a wide variety of sources in creating a stunning environment combining the atmosphere of a Hollywood Golden Age movie set with the fascinating mystique of an opulent theatre. This powerful vision means that people entering this space are not merely observers and never passive spectators, but instead experience their very own red carpet moment.The play on perspec- tives, the subtle scenographic effects and the lighting all converge to spark a unique adre- nalin rush as they ind themselves in the spot- light at the centre of this magical stage. Are we witnessing a play dramatized and shot in a studio? A ilm being screened at a festival? A world premiere in one of the world’s most prestigious movie theatres? While this scenic ambivalence is endlessly fascinating, there is no ambiguity whatsoever about the starring role played by the Roger Dubuis Diva who steals the show with a blend of age-old piz- zazz and ultra-modern twists.
Because inside every woman is a Diva begging to be unleashed, while inside every man is an admirer of the contemporary femme fatale, the inspired and inspirational muse, Roger Dubuis invites all visitors to the SIHH 2016 to witness the dramatic unveiling of its unique World at 9am sharp on January 18th 2016.