Roger Dubuis

1.) The original Hommage:

The original Hommage was a watch that Mr Dubuis liked to refer to as the reference to the Genevan watchmaking tradition. It should embody all the elements that made this particular school of watchmaking to famous and successful: elegant, timeless designs, superb craftsmanship and distinctive complications.

Mr Dubuis selected a conservatively dimensioned 37mm round case as the common denominator (a 40mm version has been introduced later). Dubuis considered such a case is a perfect stage for his own creativity which found its best expression in the distinctive retrograde displays presented by the company.

I chose a very special one, the highly coveted Hommage Triple Retrograde watch with a guilloched mother-of-pearl dial:

The watch displays time (hours and minute) on two sectors of a circle in the upper and the date in one on the lower half of the dial.

Isn't the level of detail and the masterful execution simply to die for? The combination of surface structure (here: the specific reflectivity of the MOP) and the engraving patterns demonstrates a deep understanding of dial design.

Another aspect very dear to my heart are these wonderfully vintage cathedral hands, individually heat-blued by hand:

The picture below is the same watch, just shot from a different angle and with different illumination. The dial suddenly appears brown... Note the wave-shaped guillochage and particularly the delicious blue reflection of the stack of hand-hearts in the centre of the dial:

Turning the watch over we see a finely brushed case band with integrated lugs. One area where the further development of the collection can be easily traced is the shape of the concave bezel and its relationship to the diameter and the height of the case:

A close-up of the side reveals something rather rarely seen: note that the lugs do not simply evolve from the overall case band, no, there is about 1mm residual case between upper bezel and the top of the lug. A tiny but distinctive detail!

Note also the finely designed crown. In this case it houses a pusher to set the hands.

The movement is an automatic movement Cal. RD57, a 25 jewel movement based upon the Lemania 8815 and used in the early days of RD. It comes with 40 h of power reserve (stored in two (!) barrels)) and a most beautiful rotor - a feast for the connoisseur!

Like all of the RD movements from this era, it features a swan's neck micro adjustment. The prestigious Poinçon de Genève is well visible right of the balance wheel:

On-the-wrist-feel? Just look at the pictures, do I have to say more?

2.) The early 2000s Hommage:

In the early 2000 years the Hommage collection was subjected to a significant refresh. While a 40mm version has been introduced already earlier, the overall design had not been altered yet. This changed after after about 7 to 8 years when the design was considerably streamlined in favour of cleaner lines with thinner (both horizontally and vertically) bezel, bolder dial designs, simple but succulent leaf-shaped hands and a larger (43mm) more 'lug-focussed'' case style with over-sized crowns.

I have a (very!) weak spot for this particular era of the Hommage. Its has an almost architectural simplicity in it compared with a boldness that does not wear out. In addition, there are just so many lovely small details to admire. Just look at how the moon phase aperture cuts into the 'VIII' of the hours ring:

The hands again have simply a lot of life in them... marvellous!

From the side the subtle but effective difference to the older versions comes clear. The bezel is much thinner, the case band thicker and the crown enlarged. The case is still brushed but the lugs no longer.

The vertical structure of the brushing pattern brings the pronounced curvature of the case band out quite well.

I really love this crown, with a great size to touch it and with a lot of details to admire:

This image below says a lot: the watch is all about the lugs, the contrast between brushed and polished surfaces reinforce this impression.

On the backside we find a new movement, the RD calibre RD14, now with 33 jewels. 48h of power reserve (up from 40).

Its barely visible here, but the outer rim of the rotor carries an engraved hand script reading Mr RD's motto: "Nous souhaitons toujours créer des montres actuelles, inspirées mais pas soumises au passé, qui se projettent dans un futur qui nous appartient" (translation: "We always wish to create timepieces of today, inspired by, but not subject to, the past which projects itself into a future that belongs to everyone"):

Here is why I consider this type of RD watch as the epitome of the collection:

I think its a design that will stand the test of time. Not too many details, just the right balance in combination with a very strong design. Really, really well done! It comes with only a slight drawback for users with small wrists: the long lugs may come with a comfort penalty for you.

3.) The Hommage 45mm:

4.) The Excalibur:

This may come as a surprise for many: The Excalibur as descendant of the Hommage! The shape of the case, with its outwards lugs (and an third one to boot!) and the sawtooth bezel?

But then, on the dial side, the family traits are all there. The usage of very few but bold details make it a very timeless watch:

The finishing touches of the watch are carefully selected sunbursts and radial finishings:

I have to applaud RD for paying attention to the correct representation of the different functions of the dial: timekeeping hands (here: red gold) are separated from the stopwatch functions (here: black):

Its a great compromise between a classical and unobstructed look of a manual movement and the convenience of automatic winding.

The printed rotor inscription:

A watch which looks perfectly at home even on smaller wrists (again, Oliver):

The question is: where do you stand?

Magnus

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