Searching for inspiration in the most unexpected places is in Roger Dubuis’ bones. The Maison has brought together again the URBAN ART TRIBE, world-famous urban culture artists who share common values, break the rules, showcase radical expertise and obsess daily over the design of the future.
They have been granted access to Roger Dubuis’ most important room: the manufacture itself, the home of the bold and the extravagant, to take on a new creative challenge: to reinterpret the astral signature of the iconic Excalibur monotourbillon.
Dr. Woo renowned tattoo artist and rulebreaker in his own domain is the first of three friends of the Maison to re-shape the future of Hyper Horology. Bringing his imaginations to life, Roger Dubuis and him are proud to showcase the signature Excalibur Monotourbillon reborn in his image. Enter the new Excalibur DR WOO monotourbillon.
THE EXCALIBUR MONOTOURBILLON: AN ICONIC TIMEPIECE
Roger Dubuis continued shaking up the world of haute horlogerie with the reveal of the new Excalibur Monotourbillon earlier this year. Enhanced with meticulous care, the timepiece is reinterpreted with sophistication and flair using modern and technical materials.
A contemporary masterpiece for the wrist, the design showcases clean cut lines on both case and movement. Creating the impression of a thinner look and feel, while heightening the sense of transparency and depth, the calibre is rebuilt from bottom to top in an architectural feat that sees the Roger Dubuis star now levitate freely above the barrel. A strong visual identity is created with a signature two-line pattern – seen between the notch on the crown and bezel, the star’s arms, the tourbillon’s cage, the hour’s marking on the flange, the hands – all of which cleverly appear as though they will meet but never do.
Always keeping the wearer in mind, the new RD512SQ calibre is stunning in its technical prowess. Now with a titanium lower tourbillon cage – twice lighter than stainless steel – and a mirror-polished Cobalt Chrome upper tourbillon cage, the weight of the piece is reduced to optimum effect. All of which allows the power reserve to be radically optimised to 72 hours, providing the option of leaving the watch unworn over weekends without the worry of resetting come Monday.
This dynamic aesthetic is amplified by the Poinçon de Genève, one of the most demanding signature in fine watchmaking and one that requires the manual decoration of each and every component of the watch, as well as unexpected and antinomic decorations in modern haute horlogerie, such as circular-brushed top surfaces and polished angles that demonstrate Roger Dubuis’ visionary approach.
Reimagined for a contemporary era, the icon continues its ascension in the shape of the Excalibur Monotourbillon Dr. Woo timepiece, proudly imprinted with each other’s signature markers. Every look we take at it encourages us to explore and expand our boundaries while the star will remain a muse for all.
FROM A TIMEPIECE TO A MASTERPIECE : REIMAGINED BY DR WOO
As brave as it is determined, Roger Dubuis finds kinship with those who dare to make a difference. Dr. Woo is one such disruptive soul. Creating hyper-realist needle designs that straddle the enviable line between alternative and mainstream, Dr. Woo has carved a name for himself in the tattoo industry with his signature style; minimalist, monochrome, single needle.
After months of a nourishing collaboration filled with awe and challenges, worlds and horizons have merged to give birth to an inspired timepiece. No compromise was made, and no creative wish ever left behind.
Learning that the star was a symbol just as important to him as to the Maison, this became the guiding force throughout the collaboration.
In his re-interpretation, Dr. Woo takes the Excalibur Monotourbillon’s astral signature and imagines it anew. Now, the calibre is no longer built on this shape, but instead becomes part of the décor. Envisioning a rocket ship that has to keep pushing forward, the star’s arms represent its travel through time.
Dr. Woo adds: “With this star of my own imagination housed in the iconic and inimitable Excalibur Monotourbillon, Roger Dubuis and I have reshaped the future of Hyper Horology together.”
Acting as a guide throughout his life, the geometric codes and planets peppered across the dial represent his mental cosmic map. From his world he brings other minimalist graphic symbols too: the moon as an energy source, triangles that bounce forth from the ground and full circles that represent the infinite connections we all have.
The details reveal themselves layer after layer. Some of them can only be enjoyed by the wearer, like the cosmic map on the case-back, enabling a deeper connection between the very special timepiece and the person who is meant to own it.
Yet unlocking the meaning to each sign and symbol is entirely in the eye of the beholder, becoming a new language to decrypt based on the meaning the wearer imbues into each one of them.
The fruit of Dr. Woo’s creativity is housed in a 42 mm case in EON GOLD, and takes watchmaking to a new dimension, a dimension where time is reinvented.
Underscored by rarity and limited to just 8 pieces, Hyper Horology has never been so exciting to watch and so inspiring for the creative minds out there.
NO RULES. OUR GAME.
