Design icons, world premieres, and one-of-a-kind experiences were all part of a thrilling Roger Dubuis 2018 line-up, which began with the launch of the Excalibur Aventador S Green – a watch with five patents – at the prestigious 2018 Geneva International Motor Show alongside partners Pirelli and Lamborghini
The remarkable things that happen when visionary engineers meet incredible watchmakers have forged adrenaline-pumping liaisons between Roger Dubuis and Pirelli on the one hand, and Lamborghini Squadra Corse on the other. The “Perfect Fit” partnership between Pirelli and Roger Dubuis is grounded on their world-first attitude and their passion for performance, driven by materials technology. With Lamborghini Squadra Corse, the Manufacture shares a relationship powered by raging mechanics, daring money-can’t-buy customer experiences and a focus on extreme aesthetics.
Famed for its impressive line-up of world premieres and the largest event on the international motoring calendar, this year’s Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS 2018) ran from March 8 to 18. It was the perfect venue to stage the latest priceless creative encounter between two uncontested champions of off-the-radar innovative watchmaking and automotive design. In tribute to the energy that characterises this unique partnership, the 8-piece limited edition Excalibur Aventador S Green watch features a bi-material strap in black and sizzling green, with matching green rubber over-moulding on the case and crown, and green markings on the fluted carbon bezel.
A masterpiece of co-development between Roger Dubuis designers and Lamborghini engineers, with a focus on performance-driven aesthetics and exotic materials, the Excalibur Aventador S leads the pack by reinterpreting five essential elements of high-performance racing cars. The resulting innovative features are protected by five corresponding watchmaking patent filings.
The anti-gravity Double 45° V-Shape Balance Wheel conception of the RD103 movement reflects the geometry of high-performance V10 or V12 engines and the matching patent request refers to a “clock movement having angled balances”.
The Excalibur Aventador S transmutes the Autonomous Stability Program (ASP) widely used in supercars to connect and average the speed of two regulating organs to provide a single indication of time as accurately as possible, using twin “balanciers non-resonants” (non-resonant balance wheels).
While every ounce of superfluous weight is removed in the construction of super cars, in the RD103 this principle results in the removal of an entire gear train to offer a radically Weight-Reduced Mechanism with a distinctive power reserve.
Just like fine-tuning in a racing car gearbox, the RD103 calibre features Quick Friction Optimisation via “an adjustable escapement carrier for tilted regulating organ”, ensuring that each toothed wheel is adjusted to ensure as perfect a connection as possible so as little energy as possible is lost when transmitted from barrel to regulating organ.
In the development of high-performance engines, guaranteeing that each nut and bolt remains in-situ is a major concern that is solved by G-force Anti-Ejection Reinforcement. In the Excalibur Aventador S, Roger Dubuis engineers have translated this principle into a self-locking means – named a bouchon de clavette (cotter pin cap) – of maintaining each element in place on the barrel, the heaviest element of any ‘watch engine’.
Alongside this stunning array of innovations, the Excalibur Aventador S also boasts a reinterpretation of a classic jumping seconds complication.
Also on show at the 2018 edition of GIMS was a new edition of the Excalibur Spider Pirelli. On this special Pirelli edition of the best-selling Skeleton Automatic model equipped with Calibre 820SQ, the fluted titanium black DLC skeletonised bezel is complemented by a crown over-moulded with white rubber and matching white stitching on the strap. Representing the ultimate nod to the brutal winning streak embedded in the DNA of these two exceptional brands, the Excalibur Spider Pirelli strap is manufactured from winning Pirelli motorsport tyre rubber, featuring the distinctive tread profile of the latter on the interior.
During the show, guests from Lamborghini and Pirelli had the privilege of an exclusive invitation to the Manufacture Roger Dubuis in Geneva, the home of Swiss watchmaking. In celebration of this action-packed partnership triumvirate and complete with a line-up of Lamborghini supercars, each of these three scheduled visits will feature a dinner surrounded by Roger Dubuis production lines. Yet another money-can’t-buy experience in the very heart of micromechanical engineering.
