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Introducing the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Diabolus in Machina
At SIHH 2019, the brand released a number of impressive design feats, from carbon fiber movements to gem-set tourbillon cages. And late last year the Excalibur Blacklight series saw the brand using sapphire microtubes that light up under ultraviolet light, giving the watches a thoroughly 21st century feel.
Diabolus in Machina
This year marks 25 years of Roger Dubuis’ founding, but instead of focusing on past memorable models of the brand, they’ve chosen to focus on the spirit of innovation and invention that the late Mr Roger Dubuis embodied. For this digital Watches & Wonders 2020 launch, the brand’s chosen to modernize the minute repeater for the 21st century.
In addition, a crown function indication that’s connected to the stem allows one to know what position the crown is in: time-setting or winding mode. This is to ensure that the user doesn’t accidentally engage time adjustment when the minute repeater is engaged. Giving the complication a sexier and cooler appeal, they’ve also chosen to tune the gongs to C and G flat notes, which is a diminished fifth tritone. The sinister-sounding tone is made famous in the “Diabolus in Musica” chord, that was found in several notable symphonies and often associated with the Devil in medieval times. The sound is enhanced by the case material, which is light weight and hard, like titanium, which acts as a great acoustic conductor for the chimes.
The same RD107 minute repeater tourbillon caliber powers this watch, which is housed in CarTech Micro-Melt BioDur CCMTM, along with NAC coating on the bridges and plate of the movement. In fact, the gongs are made in the same material because it sounds out the tritone in the exact tone, according to the brand.
According to Roger Dubuis’ product development director Gregory Bruttin, the manufacturing process of the material (compressed from a powder), means that the material is utterly pure and also has a higher tensile strength. This results in a purer pitch for the tones in the minute repeater, and ensures a high consistency in the quality of sound across board.
This is a unique piece, named ‘Diabolus in Machina’, which in Latin means “Devil in the Machine”. It’s certainly a name we can associate with Roger Dubuis and its enfant terrible lead, Gregory Bruttin.
Movement
Self-winding RD107 caliber; hours and minutes; flying tourbillon; minute repeater; crown function indicator; chiming indication; 60-hour power reserve
Case
45mm case in CarTech Micro-Melt Biodur CCMTM; water resistant to 30m
Strap
Interchangeable 3D calf leather strap with titanium folding buckle[/td_block_text_with_title]