Roger Dubuis
Product brand
UnclaimedSwiss luxury watchmaker known for expressive mechanical designs, skeletonised movements, tourbillons and Geneva Seal-certified high complications.
Last updated August 26, 2026
Overview
Roger Dubuis is a Swiss luxury watch manufacturer established in Geneva in 1995 by master watchmaker Roger Dubuis and entrepreneur and designer Carlos Dias. The company is based in Meyrin and is associated with highly complicated mechanical watches, skeletonised architecture, expressive case designs and extensive in-house movement production. Almost all of its watches are presented as carrying the Poinçon de Genève, or Geneva Seal, a certification that applies stringent requirements to movement construction, finishing and the watch head. Roger Dubuis developed from a relatively traditional Geneva watchmaking proposition into one of the most visually assertive names in contemporary haute horlogerie. Its earliest collections, Sympathie and Hommage, drew on established Geneva forms. Sympathie used a distinctive cushion-shaped case and frequently incorporated bi-retrograde displays, while Hommage adopted a round case inspired by historic chronograph designs. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the brand introduced more experimental collections, including Too Much, Much More, Follow Me and Golden Square, using large cases and unconventional geometries to distance itself from conservative dress-watch conventions. The company’s manufacturing identity strengthened after its first proprietary movements appeared in the late 1990s. An integrated manufacture in Meyrin was built in 2001 and inaugurated in 2002. Roger Dubuis subsequently developed a broad range of hand-wound and automatic calibres, including minute repeaters, perpetual calendars, chronographs, micro-rotor movements and flying tourbillons. The brand has emphasized that it produces most movement components internally, from baseplates through finishing, while combining traditional hand techniques such as anglage, perlage and polishing with contemporary materials and open-worked structures. Excalibur, introduced in 2005, became the company’s defining collection. Its large, architectural cases, prominent triple lugs and exposed mechanical structures supplied the visual language for later tourbillon, skeleton and sports-watch models. The collection also provided the platform for automotive partnerships with Lamborghini Squadra Corse and Pirelli. These collaborations connected Roger Dubuis with performance engineering and motorsport and produced watches such as the Excalibur Aventador S, Excalibur Huracán and various Excalibur Spider editions. The brand expanded its portfolio during the 2010s with La Monégasque, Velvet and Pulsion, while the Knights of the Round Table collection added a métiers d’art dimension through hand-sculpted miniature figures and Arthurian imagery. Its public identity increasingly centered on the phrase expressive high watchmaking: technically ambitious movements presented through dramatic, often deliberately unconventional design. Artistic collaborators and ambassadors have included Canelo Álvarez, Dr. Woo, Hajime Sorayama and Liu Wei. Richemont took a controlling interest in Roger Dubuis in 2008 and acquired full ownership in 2016. Roger Dubuis himself withdrew from day-to-day operational management earlier in the 2000s but remained connected with the brand as an ambassador until his death in 2017. The company continues to operate as a specialized Richemont manufacture rather than as a separately listed business. In the 2020s it refreshed Excalibur, developed new central and flying tourbillon concepts, and introduced increasingly elaborate calendar and grand-complication watches. Under chief executive David Chaumet, appointed in 2024, the brand has combined a stated return to its founder’s roots with continued emphasis on technical experimentation and highly limited production.
History
Roger Dubuis began his professional career in the late 1950s at Longines in Saint-Imier, initially working in after-sales service. He later joined Patek Philippe in Geneva, where he spent approximately fourteen years in the complications workshop. In 1980 he left institutional employment and opened an independent workshop specializing in the restoration of antique watches and clocks for collectors, auction houses and watch companies. During the late 1980s, Dubuis worked with watchmaker Jean-Marc Wiederrecht on a perpetual-calendar module with a double-retrograde display. Commissioned by New York jeweller Harry Winston and shown at Baselworld in 1989, the mechanism became an important technical precursor to the later Roger Dubuis identity. Dubuis met Carlos Dias in Geneva during this period, and the two subsequently established a business partnership. The company was founded in 1995 under the name SOGEM SA, an abbreviation of Société Genevoise des Montres. Its products and catalogues used the designation Roger Dubuis Horloger Genevois. The corporate name changed to Manufacture Roger Dubuis SA in 1999. The early product strategy combined classical Geneva watchmaking with unusual display mechanisms. Sympathie used a cushion-shaped case, while Hommage offered a more traditional round form and paid tribute to earlier watchmaking styles. Early examples were associated with the Geneva Seal and, in some cases, chronometer testing at the Besançon Observatory. At the turn of the millennium, Roger Dubuis broadened its visual vocabulary through collections such as Too Much, Much More, Follow Me and Golden Square. These models used large dimensions and nontraditional case shapes. The company’s first in-house movements appeared from 1999, and a dedicated integrated manufacture was constructed in Meyrin in 2001 and inaugurated in 2002. The manufacture gave the company greater control over movement architecture, component production and finishing. Excalibur was launched in 2005 and became the brand’s principal platform. That year Roger Dubuis presented the RD01SQ skeleton double flying tourbillon, described by the company as a world-first development, and the RD08 minute-repeater tourbillon. By 2006, the company stated that it had developed 28 proprietary, Geneva Seal-certified calibres. The brand’s later movement program included four-balance systems, micro-rotors, perpetual calendars, minute repeaters, flyback chronographs and multiple forms of flying tourbillon. Richemont took a controlling stake in 2008 and completed its acquisition in 2016. The 2008 financial crisis caused a substantial reduction in production compared with the company’s pre-crisis scale. Roger Dubuis remained a specialized high-watchmaking manufacture within Richemont, with output deliberately positioned toward technical complexity, design distinction and limited availability rather than mass volume. During the 2010s, the brand moved more decisively toward contemporary mechanical aesthetics. Excalibur became the central collection, while La Monégasque, Velvet and Pulsion expanded the range into gaming-inspired, feminine and sporting categories. The Knights of the Round Table collection added hand-crafted artistic elements. Partnerships with Lamborghini Squadra Corse, Pirelli and Italdesign reinforced the connection between watchmaking, automotive engineering and performance culture. Brand collaborators included Canelo Álvarez, Dr. Woo, Hajime Sorayama and Liu Wei. Roger Dubuis died on 14 October 2017 at the age of 80. In the following years the company continued to refine Excalibur, including a 2020 redesign with cleaner case lines, while retaining its characteristic lugs, open-worked movements and prominent tourbillons. Its later launches included the Excalibur Spider Flyback Chronograph and central-tourbillon concepts. David Chaumet became chief executive in June 2024. The 2025 thirtieth-anniversary program emphasized the founder’s legacy and a return to the brand’s roots, while 2026 novelties extended the calendar and retrograde complication program under the Movements of the Sky theme.
- 2026
Movements of the Sky program
[2]New models focused on perpetual calendars, retrograde displays and the RD850 calibre.
- 2025
Thirtieth-anniversary collection
[2]Roger Dubuis marked its anniversary with grand complications and models emphasizing the founder’s historical influence.
- 2024
Orbis in Machina presented
[2]The brand unveiled a central flying tourbillon using the RD115 calibre and presented a Lamborghini split-seconds chronograph.
- 2020
Excalibur redesigned
[1]The flagship collection received cleaner case lines while preserving its architectural and mechanical identity.
- 2017
Roger Dubuis dies
[1]The founder died on 14 October at age 80.
- 2016
Richemont acquires full ownership
[1]Richemont completed the purchase of Roger Dubuis, making it a wholly owned subsidiary.
- 2013
Knights of the Round Table introduced
[1]The artistic collection debuted with miniature hand-sculpted knights arranged around a central table.
- 2012
Velvet and Pulsion collections introduced
[1]Velvet expanded the brand into a feminine, gem-set direction, while Pulsion emphasized sportier styling.
- 2011
La Monégasque introduced
[1]The collection brought a gaming- and risk-inspired design direction to the portfolio.
- 2008
Richemont takes a controlling interest
[1]Roger Dubuis joined Richemont’s portfolio through a controlling investment.
Showing the 10 most recent.
Products and positioning
Expressive high watchmaking combining Geneva craftsmanship, in-house mechanical complications, skeletonisation, contemporary architecture and motorsport-inspired design.
Flagship mechanical watch collection · 2005
Excalibur
Introduced in 2005, Excalibur is Roger Dubuis’s core collection and the principal vehicle for its contemporary identity. Models use large, architectural cases, prominent triple lugs and highly visible mechanical structures. The range includes monotourbillons, double flying tourbillons, skeleton watches, automatic models and perpetual-calendar complications. A later redesign refined the case profile without abandoning the collection’s dramatic character.
Sport-luxury mechanical watches
Excalibur Spider
Excalibur Spider applies the brand’s open-worked construction and tourbillon expertise to a more performance-oriented format. The line includes skeleton watches, chronographs and models developed through automotive and motorsport relationships. Carbon, rubber and technical case treatments are used alongside high-complication movements.
Métiers d’art and high-complication watches · 2013
Knights of the Round Table
This collection interprets Arthurian legend through hand-sculpted miniature knights arranged around a central table. It combines artistic craftsmanship with complicated mechanical displays and is among the brand’s most recognizable limited-edition lines.
Classical mechanical watches · 1995
Hommage
Hommage was one of the company’s original collections. Its round cases and references to historic Geneva chronograph design provided a more classical counterpoint to the later Excalibur identity. Early examples included complex displays and were associated with the brand’s Geneva watchmaking positioning.
Historical mechanical watches · 1995
Sympathie
Sympathie was an early Roger Dubuis line characterized by a cushion-shaped case and, in several examples, a bi-retrograde display. It expressed the founder’s interest in combining traditional Geneva construction with unusual indications.
Luxury mechanical watches · 2011
La Monégasque
La Monégasque was inspired by gaming, risk and the atmosphere of Monaco. Its design language extended Roger Dubuis beyond purely classical watchmaking and added a more lifestyle-oriented expression to the range.
Feminine luxury watches · 2012
Velvet
Velvet was introduced as the brand’s first specifically feminine collection. It used gem-set cases and more sculptural proportions while retaining the company’s mechanical and high-jewellery positioning.
Sporting mechanical watches · 2012
Pulsion
Pulsion represented a sportier direction introduced during Roger Dubuis’s broader repositioning in the 2010s. It complemented the later Excalibur Spider and automotive collaborations by emphasizing robust, contemporary styling.
Marketing campaigns
- 2024Thirtieth-anniversary heritage repositioning
Global
Roger Dubuis began emphasizing its founder’s legacy and early Geneva watchmaking roots ahead of its thirtieth anniversary, while retaining the brand’s modern complications and visually assertive design.
Outcome. Produced anniversary releases combining historical display concepts with contemporary Excalibur architecture.
- 2017Pirelli collaboration
Global
The brand collaborated with Pirelli on watches incorporating motorsport-associated materials and visual cues, reinforcing Roger Dubuis’s positioning at the intersection of expressive watchmaking and performance culture.
Outcome. Expanded the motorsport partnership portfolio and supported limited-edition Excalibur releases.
- 2016Lamborghini Squadra Corse partnership
Global
Roger Dubuis partnered with Lamborghini Squadra Corse to connect its high-complication watches with Italian performance engineering and motorsport. The relationship produced automotive-themed Excalibur models and supported visibility through Lamborghini’s racing ecosystem.
Outcome. Established a continuing performance-design platform for Excalibur and Excalibur Spider models.
Brand decisions
2026
Organize novelties under Movements of the SkyProduct launchBackground
Roger Dubuis continued to broaden its calendar and retrograde mechanism program.
Action taken
The brand presented new models including a bi-retrograde perpetual calendar powered by the RD850 calibre and a feminine Lady of the Lake line.
Aftermath
The program extended the brand’s historic interest in retrograde indications into a new generation of products.
2025
Mark the thirtieth anniversary with grand complicationsProduct launchBackground
The anniversary provided an opportunity to reconnect the contemporary brand with Roger Dubuis’s early technical and display innovations.
Action taken
The company released the eight-piece Excalibur Grande Complication, the Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar and Hommage La Placide.
Aftermath
The releases paired historical bi-retrograde themes with current high-complication construction.
2024
Present the Orbis in Machina central flying tourbillonProduct launchBackground
The brand continued to explore unusual tourbillon architecture and highly visible mechanical layouts.
Action taken
Roger Dubuis presented the Orbis in Machina using the RD115 central monotourbillon calibre.
Aftermath
The launch reinforced the company’s association with expressive, technically complex watch design.
2020
Redesign ExcaliburGeneration changeBackground
The flagship collection required a contemporary update while preserving its distinctive mechanical and architectural signature.
Action taken
Roger Dubuis revised Excalibur with cleaner case lines and continued it across tourbillon, skeleton and automatic variants.
Aftermath
The redesign maintained Excalibur as the primary expression of the house’s modern identity.
2013
Introduce the Knights of the Round Table artistic lineProduct launchBackground
Roger Dubuis sought to extend its high-watchmaking proposition beyond skeleton movements and automotive themes.
Action taken
The company launched a collection using hand-sculpted miniature knights and Arthurian imagery.
Aftermath
The line became a recurring platform for métiers d’art, limited editions and elaborate mechanical displays.
2008
Accept Richemont controlling investmentM&ABackground
The independent manufacture entered a period in which scale, capital and group distribution became increasingly important for global luxury brands.
Action taken
Richemont acquired a controlling interest in Roger Dubuis.
Aftermath
The brand gained a place within Richemont’s luxury portfolio; full ownership followed in 2016.
2005
Make Excalibur the flagship platformProduct launchBackground
The company wanted a collection capable of expressing its focus on skeletonisation, tourbillons and contemporary case architecture.
Action taken
Roger Dubuis launched Excalibur alongside major skeleton and tourbillon complications.
Aftermath
Excalibur became the brand’s central collection and later supported sports, automotive and grand-complication variants.
2001
Build an integrated manufactureStrategyBackground
Roger Dubuis sought greater control over proprietary movement development, component production and finishing.
Action taken
The company built and then inaugurated an integrated facility in Meyrin.
Aftermath
The manufacture enabled a larger portfolio of in-house calibres and supported the brand’s high-complication positioning.
1995
Combine classical Geneva watchmaking with independent-brand designStrategyBackground
The founders entered a market where Roger Dubuis’s traditional training could be differentiated through unusual displays, limited production and a recognizable house identity.
Action taken
The company launched Sympathie and Hommage while developing bi-retrograde mechanisms and pursuing Geneva Seal certification.
Aftermath
This created the technical and aesthetic foundation for the later move toward larger, more experimental collections.
Recent events
- 2026
Movements of the Sky becomes the 2026 novelties theme[2]
Product launch · Product generation
The brand grouped new calendar and retrograde models under the Movements of the Sky theme, including a bi-retrograde perpetual calendar using the RD850 calibre.
- 2025
Roger Dubuis marks its thirtieth anniversary with grand complications[2]
Product launch · Campaign
The anniversary program included the limited Excalibur Grande Complication, the Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar and the Hommage La Placide.
- 2024
David Chaumet appointed chief executive[1]
Leadership change
David Chaumet, a former Richemont executive who had previously worked with Roger Dubuis and led Baume & Mercier, became chief executive.
- 2024
Roger Dubuis presents Orbis in Machina[2]
Product launch · Product generation
The brand introduced a central flying tourbillon using the RD115 calibre and presented a Lamborghini collaboration featuring a split-seconds chronograph.
- 2017
Founder Roger Dubuis dies aged 80[1]
Other
Roger Dubuis died on 14 October 2017 after remaining associated with the company as a brand ambassador.
- 2016
Richemont completes full ownership of Roger Dubuis[1]
M&A
Roger Dubuis became a wholly owned Richemont subsidiary after the luxury group moved from a controlling interest to full ownership.
Sources2 sources
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