Ornatus-Mundi
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SIHH 2013: Roger Dubuis Hommage Tribute to the Minute Repeater [Live Pics & Videos!]
Continuing with the series of in-depth reports (the first one was - naturally - on the RD Excalibur Quatuor ) I'd like to draw your attention to the RD Hommage Tribute to the Minute Repeater:
The watch is a tribute (or a homage) in two respects: On the on hand it is of course, true to its name, a tribute to the complication of a minute repeater. But it is also meant as a tribute to the company's founder, Mr. Roger Dubuis. More on this in due time (in a separate article)!
Its really hard to withstand the allure of the watch and certainly would need more mental strength and character than I possess! The combination of an inhouse minute repeater with flying tourbillon really shows what a manufacture is able create. This even more so as this piece is driven by an automatic movement fuelled by two micro-rotors. Total parts count is 415, all finished to the standards of the Geneva seal.
Proud about their masterpiece, the watchmakers at RD decided to showcase their creation with a tastefully openworked dial:
Now here is where the difficulties - at least for me - usually start: I have to admit that I am generally not a fan of open-worked dials. I tend to get lost in details and often fail to appreciate the overall watch. But in this case I will concede that RD did it with taste and mastery and achieved a remarkable symmetry and congruity of case and dial:
Key to the success of their approach is in my opinion that RD opted for a simple round case (from the Hommage collection) and chose to structure the dial with two design elements, the two concentric rings and the tourbillon window. Thus case and dial serve as mutual counterpoints.
With this the watch appears less loaded and invites to go - quite literally - deeper:
No element is unduly accentuated in respect to another. The admirer is free to select his/her specific objects of interest. The fine hand finishing of each parts guarantees that intense inspection is certainly rewarded!
Did I say Poinçon de Genève? I personally could have done well without the literature on the bottom part.
The timepiece also highlights the new Hommage case with is a development from the legacy ones. The 45mm case has been slightly modified and now features redesigned lugs to improve wearing comfort and a bezel with a steeper acclivity:
The case band is treated with a very fine brushing decoration.
The Hommage collection's crown is one of my favourite details on this collection, and here the Hommage does not disappoint. Its fairly large, wonderfully detailed and a (sensual) pleasure to use:
The bottom bezel reflects the concave shape of the top bezel. A nice touch that makes the case appear thinner than it actually is:
After a full flip the Cal. RD08 presents itself naked in its full glory.
The two micro-rotors are crafted in Platinum and infuse the power 60h of autonomy. Note that I moved the watch just a tiny bit - and suddenly the light draws a totally different image of the clockwork:
Note also the centrifugal sound diffuser between the two hammers:
Or watch it in detail...
Now how does it sound? What I found remarkable is the richness of the hours gong. It is full with a deep body and good accentuation. The Minute gong revealed that some fine-tuning work still needs to be done, its sound was a bit exsanguinous and inconsistent between the several runs we tried. But (watch and) listen yourself:
Clearly it looks more like a 41/42mm watch. Even the thickness is not disturbing:
Thanks for reading,
Its really hard to withstand the allure of the watch and certainly would need more mental strength and character than I possess! The combination of an inhouse minute repeater with flying tourbillon really shows what a manufacture is able create. This even more so as this piece is driven by an automatic movement fuelled by two micro-rotors. Total parts count is 415, all finished to the standards of the Geneva seal.
Proud about their masterpiece, the watchmakers at RD decided to showcase their creation with a tastefully openworked dial:
Now here is where the difficulties - at least for me - usually start: I have to admit that I am generally not a fan of open-worked dials. I tend to get lost in details and often fail to appreciate the overall watch. But in this case I will concede that RD did it with taste and mastery and achieved a remarkable symmetry and congruity of case and dial:
Key to the success of their approach is in my opinion that RD opted for a simple round case (from the Hommage collection) and chose to structure the dial with two design elements, the two concentric rings and the tourbillon window. Thus case and dial serve as mutual counterpoints.
With this the watch appears less loaded and invites to go - quite literally - deeper:
No element is unduly accentuated in respect to another. The admirer is free to select his/her specific objects of interest. The fine hand finishing of each parts guarantees that intense inspection is certainly rewarded!
Did I say Poinçon de Genève? I personally could have done well without the literature on the bottom part.
The timepiece also highlights the new Hommage case with is a development from the legacy ones. The 45mm case has been slightly modified and now features redesigned lugs to improve wearing comfort and a bezel with a steeper acclivity:
The case band is treated with a very fine brushing decoration.
The Hommage collection's crown is one of my favourite details on this collection, and here the Hommage does not disappoint. Its fairly large, wonderfully detailed and a (sensual) pleasure to use:
The bottom bezel reflects the concave shape of the top bezel. A nice touch that makes the case appear thinner than it actually is:
After a full flip the Cal. RD08 presents itself naked in its full glory.
The two micro-rotors are crafted in Platinum and infuse the power 60h of autonomy. Note that I moved the watch just a tiny bit - and suddenly the light draws a totally different image of the clockwork:
Note also the centrifugal sound diffuser between the two hammers:
Or watch it in detail...
Now how does it sound? What I found remarkable is the richness of the hours gong. It is full with a deep body and good accentuation. The Minute gong revealed that some fine-tuning work still needs to be done, its sound was a bit exsanguinous and inconsistent between the several runs we tried. But (watch and) listen yourself:
As if that is not enough all the efforts listed above are clearly visible if you strap on the watch. I asked Oliver to act as my wrist model as he has a smaller wrist than me. Would you recognise this as a 45mm watch?
Clearly it looks more like a 41/42mm watch. Even the thickness is not disturbing:
RD delivers the watch on a folding clasp. I personally would prefer a simple tang buckle (but I am sure this a no-problem to solve ;-)).
To sum up I can only repeat what I said in my SIHH 2013 report: This is a magic piece, regardless of the wealth of complications inside. Just look at the below image and appreciate the glow that is in the details of the hands and the hour ring!
To sum up I can only repeat what I said in my SIHH 2013 report: This is a magic piece, regardless of the wealth of complications inside. Just look at the below image and appreciate the glow that is in the details of the hands and the hour ring!
On a personal account I would much, much prefer this movement to be hand wound. Its just conceptually inconsistent: A minute repeater invites to interact with its mechanisms and for this I think the daily winding of the watch counts as well. Particularly with such a wonderful crown! At least in this case the rotors do not block the view on any part of the movement.
Thanks for reading,
Magnus
This message has been edited by Ornatus-Mundi on 2013-05-27 07:32:56
More posts:
SIHH 2013: Roger Dubuis Hommage Tribute to the Minute Repeater [Live Pics & Videos!]
Continuing with the series of in-depth reports (the first one was - naturally - on the RD Excalibur Quatuor ) I'd like to draw your attention to the RD Hommage Tribute to the Minute Repeater : The watch is a tribute (or a homage) in two respects: On the o...
Nice looking watch!
Nice looking watch. Thanks for sharing it with us! Nice video! In the video it sounded like the watch had a quieter minute gong. I wonder how this is in reality. Great post Magnus! And thanks for donating your wrist Oliver!
Difficult to say...
as the situation (board room filled with watch journalists, some of them chatting loudly) was not very conducive to recording good quality sound files. What I noticed most was the impression I had that the minute gong not only was a (slight) bit muted com...
Crown position?
In the pics, fantastic pics in fact, it seems the crown is notably closer to the dial then the back of the case. Is that a trick of the light or actually the case? In total agreement about the words on the dial. Maybe a little G-Clef to remind you of the ...
Possible...
they may have started with a minute repeater and added the automatic drive train later. That would explain this. Best, Magnus P.S.: Glad you liked the pics!
Great post...
I actually found the sound quality to be better than what I expected, at least on version. Loudness was there, tonal quality was excellent. The only complaint is that the residual sound of the gear train was still quite audible. Having said that, the inn...
Thanks for the great pics and video
Love the watch and the view from the back. The double rotors are sexy :) Cheers, Anthony
