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This Roger Dubuis Hommage Bi-Retrograde Perpetual Calendar Chronograph is one of those watches we will recall 20 years with a forehead slap and an expression of anguished regret; why didn’t we get one of these when we had the chance?
Consider the collector’s opportunity at hand; an historic name, his flagship model, immense complication, hand craftsmanship rare beauty, exceptional rarity, and - for the time being - value - combine in a luxury watch that can stand lug-to-lug with the best from F.P. Journe, Vianney Halter, Andreas Strehler, and the best of established corporate brands. If that isn’t apparent at first glance, it will be in the auction house “blue-chip” lot notes ten years hence…
As one of the original heroes of the modern high horology movement, Roger Dubuis will be remembered as a trailblazer on par with names like Wilsdorf, Stern, and Genta. Dubuis built watches with his own name, by his own hand, without the aid of a conglomerate godfather, and he did it long before it was cool or beloved of venture capitalists. Roger took a chance, and the wider world of watches took notice.
The Hommage Bi-Retrograde Perpetual Calendar Chronograph shows what a Patek Philippe complications specialist can do when he decides to go rogue. As the longtime leader of Patek’s complications division, Dubuis took his know-how with him when he left; this Geneva Seal complicated chronograph from Roger Dubuis is proof that even Patek can meet its match if challenged by one of its own.
Complications were Roger Dubuis' calling card in the years before his 1995 debut as a manufacturer. As a specialist for Patek Philippe and a veteran of vintage complication restorations Dubuis invested his lifetime of experience into the first machines bearing his name on the dial.
The “Hommage” line launched as the co-flagship of this pioneering effort in independent horology. Dubuis employed this model line as an outlet to pay his respects to those mentors and craft traditions that aided him on his personal journey up the rungs of the watchmaker’s profession.
Each Hommage model embodies equal elements of Roger Dubuis and the professional cultre from which he emerged. Dubuis’ Calatrava-style round case, Poincon de Geneve finish, and exotic French Besancon Observatory Chronometer certification (surpassing COSC/ISO 3159 benchmarks) are nods to watchmaking’s past; the bi-retrograde display and audacious dial design are Dubuis’ own innovations.
Within the case, Roger Dubuis - the watchmaker and the manufacture - invests the Hommage Bi-Retrograde Perpetual Calendar Chronograph with immense frontal pulchritude. The black enamel dial glistens like a black liquid beneath its sapphire.
With multiple color accents, sunken chronograph subregisters, several independent instrument scales, and a crescent-shaped moon phase aperture at six o'clock, the fabrication and firing of this dial must have been a nightmare for the enameller. Despite the mass of information conveyed by the many displays, the dial retains exemplary balance, elegance, and appeal.
Beneath the gloss black enamel dial, Roger Dubuis' extraordinary hand-wound perpetual calendar movement keeps the tempo. Based on the Lemania caliber 2310 shared through the years with notables such as Vacheron Constantin, the original Omega Speedmaster Moonwatches, Breguet, and, of course, Patek Philippe. The RD 5632 takes this legendary caliber to the next level. Geneva Seal standards of finish ensure immaculate detailing whether viewed with the naked eye or a 10x loupe.
Watchmaking refinements within the 5632 are "haut-de-gamme." Twin retrograde scales, a leap year cycle indicator, a triple calendar, a three-register chronograph, a moon phase, and (Besancon) Observatory Chronometer precision have been engineered into one of the most remarkable elaborations ever attempted on the storied Lemania 2310 base movement.
If audacious style, exacting quality standards, and practical complications pique your interest and inflame your passions, follow the lead of Monsieur Dubuis and view this rose gold Roger Dubuis Hommage Bi-Retrograde Perpetual Calendar Chronograph in high-resolution images on www.thewatchbox.com.
Video and content by Tim Mosso