Borna Bosnjak
The Excalibur Monobalancier Titanium brings lightness to the original Excalibur designA case-matching multi-link bracelet completes the monochrome designEquipped with a micro-rotor, the calibre RD720SQ is an utterly avant-garde take on a time-only movementYou may be surprised to learn, as I was, that Roger Dubuis’ Excalibur collection is coming up on nearly two decades since its initial release. That very first model, equipped with double tourbillons and a retrograde display, was a sign of things to come for the brand, which was eventually fully absorbed into the Richemont Group by 2016. Today’s new release, the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Monobalancier Titanium, honours the shapes of the very first Excalibur Monobalancier, rendering them in toned-down, lightweight titanium, flipping the script on the brand’s OTT Watches & Wonders release.The edgy five-pointed star and offset hour and minute hands have become a signature of the Excalibur line. Along with the absence of a dial, all of the elements are rendered in similar tones, the only distinction coming from differently finished surfaces, a majority of which are brushed. The only exception to that rule is the gold-toned balance wheel between 8 and 9 o’clock and the purple synthetic sapphires used for the bearings.The grade 5 titanium case measures 42mm in diameter, with the long lugs, crown guards, and 24-tooth bezel adding imposing details. The matching titanium bracelet is especially interesting here, most notably for the design of its mid-links that remind me of stylised chain links.As is to be expected from a high-end piece like this, the RD720SQ calibre is just as high-end, with the view from the caseback mostly obscured by intricately skeletonised bridges. Equipped with a micro-rotor that’s better viewed dialside than from the caseback, the movement is Poin?on de Geneve-certified, with 72 hours of power reserve, consisting of 178 components, and beating at 28,800 vph.Roger Dubuis Excalibur Monobalancier Titanium pricing and availability:The Roger Dubuis Excalibur Monobalancier Titanium is available now. Price: TBCBrandRoger DubuisModelExcalibur Monobalancier TitaniumCase Dimensions42mm (D)Case MaterialGrade 5 titaniumWater Resistance100 metresDialSkeletonisedCrystal(s)SapphireStrapGrade 5 titanium braceletMovementRD720SQ, micro-rotor, Poin?on de GenevePower Reserve72 hoursFunctionsHours, minutesAvailabilityNowPriceTBC
03.05.23