Roger Dubuis aims to return to its roots with the Excalibur Monobalancier Biretrograde Calendar

Roger Dubuis is now known as a pioneer of the flying tourbillon. The first complication the company's founder created was a calendar mechanism with retrograde movements on both sides. While this mechanism is now commonplace, achieving both aesthetic appeal and practicality was extremely difficult at the time. In 2025, the company, aiming to return to its roots, released a model incorporating this mechanism.

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The founder's vision for the Retrograde

　Roger Dubuis now projects a glamorous public image, but its craftsmanship is consistently rooted in the classics. The retrograde mechanism is perhaps the company's symbol. Having produced complicated watches at a long-established Geneva watchmaker, Dubuis later opened a small watch workshop and began repairing watches. There, Dubuis met his close friend Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, who would go on to found Agenau. Dubuis began designing and manufacturing perpetual calendar modules for a jeweler's project. The resulting product was the biretrograde mechanism, which would later become Roger Dubuis and Wiederrecht's specialty.

At the 12 o'clock position you can see the Geneva Seal and the "BIRETROGRADE CALENDAR" mark. They are emphasized to balance the "ecliptic calendar" that stretches across the left and right sides of the dial and the small seconds at 6 o'clock. However, it is extremely rare for the company to include the name of a mechanism on the dial.

Visible through the case back is the automatic movement, Caliber RD840. This movement is an improved version of the company's first automatic movement, Caliber RD14, and features a Geneva-style curved bridge.

　Retrograde movements, which immediately reset to zero when the hands reached their full travel, were difficult to design and manufacture even in the days of pocket watches, and even more so for wristwatches, which are prone to shocks. However, Dubuis perfected a retrograde movement that combined aesthetics with practicality, paving the way for subsequent generations.

　It is only natural that a company with such a founder would turn its attention to the bi-retrograde movement in its quest to return to its roots. Roger Dubuis has not simply revived this mechanism; by hollowing out part of the dial, it has further emphasized the symmetry of the design. Furthermore, the base caliber chosen is not the current flagship caliber, but the caliber RD840, an improved version of the caliber RD14, the company's first in-house automatic movement. While it does not boast dramatic performance, this automatic movement, which retains a strong Genevan style, is fitting for a brand founded by a Genevan watchmaker.

　The homage to the past is evident even in the design. The design was chosen to feature the iconic Excalibur. However, in homage to the time when an 18KPG case was first combined with MOP, the dial is adorned with MOP. The watch also feels as light and comfortable to wear as a classic dress watch from the company.

　The Excalibur Monobalancier Biretrograde Calendar skillfully sublimates elements from the past. I would like not only Roger Dubuis owners, but also those who have moved on from the brand, to take another look at this piece. From my perspective, this is what Roger Dubuis is all about.