Jamie Weiss
Most popular mechanical chronographs on the market today have some sort of connection to motorsports, but the reality is that the vast majority of chronograph owners don't use their chronographs to record lap times or 0-100km/h runs. Indeed, most chronograph owners barely use their watches' complications at all in the same way that most dive watch owners won't plunge their timepieces any deeper than the local pool.That's why I thought I'd try something a little different for my latest watch review. Earlier this month, I had the chance to attend the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia round at The Bend, Adelaide as a guest of Roger Dubuis. As soon as I got the invite, I put it to the Roger Dubuis team: Can I get a chronograph on my wrist so I can record some lap times? You know, use a chronograph for its intended purpose?Roger Dubuis was more than happy to oblige, strapping an Excalibur Spider Revuelto Flyback Chronograph on my wrist and even throwing me in the passenger seat of a Lamborghini Huracn Technica for a wild hot lap around The Bend, one of Australia's most dynamic race tracks. I got a real kick out of being able to use a chronograph like this for a proper motorsports purpose but I was also impressed with the watch beyond simply chasing high-octane thrills with it.Roger Dubuis' return to chronographsA Roger Dubuis Hommage H40 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph from 2003. Image courtesy of AntiquorumSince Roger Dubuis launched his namesake watch brand in 1995, it's always been associated with chronographs. Indeed, one of the initial two watch ranges Mr Dubuis kickstarted his namesake brand with – the Hommage – was, as SJX puts it, “an elegant modern version of the water-resistant Patek Philippe ref. 1463 chronograph of the 1950s”. Alongside perpetual calendars, chronographs have long been a signature complication of Roger Dubuis.The Roger Dubuis Monovortex Split-Seconds Chronograph, which was released last year.In 2014, Roger Dubuis launched its fourth generation of chronograph movements, but in the years since, chronograph watches have been noticeably absent from the Roger Dubuis range a real aberration, considering Roger Dubuis' partnerships with exotic car maker Lamborghini and Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli. Last year, however, Roger Dubuis finally returned chronographs to their range, with the Monovortex Split-Seconds Chronograph and the Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph, a welcome return to form.The Lamborghini Revuelto connectionAt the same time that Roger Dubuis revealed their next-generation chronographs, Lamborghini had one of its most impactful car reveals in its history: the Revuelto, the Italian marque's first-ever plug-in hybrid hypercar and the successor to the much-lauded Aventador. Powered by a 6.5L naturally-aspirated V12 engine in conjunction with three electric motors, it puts out a monstrous 1,001 horsepower, with a top speed of over 350km/h and a 0-100km/h time of 2.5 seconds.I'll leave the debate around the electrification of sports cars to the full-time motoring journalists, but what's undeniable about the Revuelto is that it looks exceptionally space-age. Lamborghini has been pursuing an extremely angular, almost fighter jet-like aesthetic in recent years, and the Revuelto is the most angular and aggressive realisation of that aesthetic in a mainline production car yet. Its headlights in particular are quite striking: oblique and fork-like, they signal the car's boundary-pushing intent.It’s these aggressive headlights which are often described as the eyes' of a car that Roger Dubuis has integrated into the limited-edition Excalibur Spider Revuelto Flyback Chronograph, which I had the chance to review. A bridge-like motif shaped like a Revuelto headlight frames the unique chronograph minute counters at 3 o'clock on this limited edition. This motif, as well as the watch's identifiably Lamborghini green and orange colour scheme, is a tasteful way of paying homage to this hypercar: it's subtle enough that even those who aren't particularly interested in Lambos will find it attractive, but distinctive enough for fans of the brand to get a kick out of it.A hypercar on the wristWhile I think phrases like a sports car on the wrist are often quite overused to describe watches, especially high-end skeletonised watches like Roger Dubuis' modern fare, I think it's a particularly apt way to describe the wearing experience of the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Revuelto Flyback Chronograph (especially considering its Lamborghini connection). On balance, I've probably had more experience driving ultra-high-end cars than wearing “hyper horology” watches (the latter is a significantly more stressful exercise, actually) and the Excalibur Spider Revuelto Flyback Chronograph is the watch I've worn that comes closest to the experience of being behind the wheel of an exotic sports car.I mean, just look at it! The openworked design, skeletonised chronograph pushers and pointy triple lugs all immediately evoke high-end vehicles. It particularly evokes a Lamborghini, which is why Roger Dubuis' partnership with the brand is so fitting: even without explicit Lamborghini design touches, Roger Dubuis' modern watches really do look like Lamborghinis for one's wrist. The materials used in the watch are also analogous to sports cars, like forged carbon fibre and titanium.It’s also just as technical as a high-flying Lambo. There are three features of the Excalibur Spider Revuelto Flyback Chronograph's Calibre RD780 that best demonstrate its technical chops. Firstly, its column wheel, which is visible from the dial side just above the date window at 6 o'clock. Not only is watching a column wheel activate one of the great pleasures of this type of chronograph movement, it also helps make its pushers much smoother to operate.Secondly, its vertical clutch. Of course, for a revhead, the term clutch immediately brings to mind a car, but the RD780's is particularly special as it features a patent-pending Second Braking System' which prevents flickering of the chronograph seconds hand upon reset. It's extremely noticeable and almost addictive to behold: I found myself activating the flyback over and over just to see that crisp reset, like the upshift of a sports car snapping the rev-counter down.Thirdly, rather than subdials, the RD780 features a unique 120 rotating minute counter at 3 o'clock, with two discs that rotate to display all the increments of this 30-minute chronograph. Not only is this system exceptionally easy to read, but it's also fun to watch again, evoking the rolling odometer of a car.Hot lap horologyThat's all very nice Jamie, but what about your hot lap? Well, it was pretty easy to use the Excalibur Spider Revuelto Flyback Chronograph to time lap times of the Lamborghini Huracn Super Trofeo EVO2 cup cars that were duking it out at The Bend (sadly, there were no Revueltos to time, as the car hasn't made its way to Australia yet), but using the watch to time my own hot lap? Well, that was a little harder.It’s pretty hard to look glamorous in a racing balaclava.First of all, my hot lap was at night. In truth, I was pretty stoked about this: I've driven The Bend a few times myself and been taken on a hot lap with a professional driver before, but only ever during the day, and not in a car as raucous as a Lamborghini. The only problem with driving at night is the lack of visibility. The Bend has very few track lights, which makes it really exciting (or scary) to go around it at night, but pretty hard to read a watch.A rolling start into a hell-for-leather send.The other thing that made it hard to read my Roger Dubuis during the hot lap was that my driver thought it'd be a great idea to show off a bit, really attacking the curves and almost getting a bit sideways around some of the more twisty turns of the track. Again, not complaining I was having the time of my life but watching the clock was all but an impossibility. “My” lap time in the end? 2:12, which works out to an average speed of around 136km/h (The Bend’s full-length International Circuit is 4.95 km long).Closing thoughtsLet's state the obvious: we live in an age where digital timing and smart devices have made timing motor races exceptionally easy. Back in the day, when both racing teams and spectators alike might have used chronographs or stopwatches to keep track of lap time, these days, digital laser timing means we can record car lap times and speed with uncanny accuracy, with spectators able to access live timing from their devices.More to the point, anyone looking to accurately time how fast a car's going doesn't need a six-figure-price-tag Roger Dubuis hyperwatch to do so. Any old chronograph with a high enough beat rate will do the job (or, let’s be real, a $50 Casio or the stopwatch on your phone). Nor do you need an expensive car like a Lamborghini to go fast or have fun on a racetrack. However, there's still something incredibly fun and satisfying about using a mechanical chronograph watch to time cars. In an age where mechanical watches are fundamentally pretty useless, it's fun even to play at some utility.But the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Revuelto Flyback Chronograph isn't really about being practical, in the same way that a Lamborghini is not a practical everyday driver. It's an art piece. However, the level of horological refinement going on in one of these watches is more than enough to get your pulse quickening and it was an absolute hoot being able to use one at the Lamborghini Super Trofeo.Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Revuelto Flyback Chronograph pricing & availabilityThe Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Revuelto Flyback Chronograph is a limited edition of 88 pieces and is exclusively available from Roger Dubuis boutiques. Price: US$107,500 (excl. tax), A$168,000 (incl. GST)BrandRoger DubuisModelExcalibur Spider Revuelto Flyback ChronographReference NumberRDDBEX1045Case Dimensions45mm (D)Case MaterialC-SMC carbon fibre, black ceramic bezelWater Resistance100mCrystal(s)Sapphire front and backDialOpenworked with Lamborghini Revuelto headlight motifStrapBlack rubber strap with green rubber inlay, black DLC titanium triple-folding claspMovementCalibre RD780, in-house, automatic, Geneva SealPower Reserve72 hoursFunctionsHours, minutes, seconds, flyback chronographAvailabilityLimited edition of 88 pieces, boutique exclusivePriceUS$107,500 (excl. tax), A$168,000 (incl. GST)
21.06.24