The Roger Dubuis of 2025 is, in many ways, very different to the brand’s early years, and we’re not just talking about aesthetics. The new Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar is a nod to the very first watch, a biretrograde, that Roger Dubuis launched thirty years ago. It featured a biretrograde display that he had co-patented in the late 1980s with Jean-Marc Wiederrecht alongside a chronograph function.

The new Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar comes in a 40mm rose gold case (water resistance of 100m) with the two retrogrades – the day of the week on the left and date on the right, are on a silver-plated, satin-brushed dial white mother-of-pearl dial. Their unusual shape and curvature is a direct nod to the 1996 model, and the ‘BIRETROGRADE CALENDAR’ text is in their earlier font. There is also a small seconds at 6 o’clock.

Seen through the open case back is the automatic Calibre RD840. Beating at 28,800VPH, it has an oscillating weight whose (updated) design is also a reference to 1996, it has 60 hours of power reserve and a tribute to the brand’s founding — around the circumference is an engraved quote: “C’est une montre actuelle, inspirée mais pas soumise au passé, qui se projette dans un futur qui nous appartient.” Translated into English: “This is a watch of today, inspired but not restricted to the past, projected into a future that belongs to us.”

The Roger Dubuis Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar comes on a brown calf strap with a pink gold pin buckle and has an RRP of CHF 50,000.

[Photo credit: Roger Dubuis]

Categories: Roger Dubuis, Watch Profile, Watches & Wonders Geneva 2025