The new Excalibur collection has become more virile, its high-tech movements more visible, and its style more modern. In 2005, the ROGER DUBUIS Manufacture took the watch world by storm with the presentation of a highly unusual model that was as virile as it was original, the EXCALIBUR. With the EXCALIBUR collection, the young watch company proved that “value is not a question of years”, further evidence of the astonishing symbiosis that characterises the Brand, a masterful combination of ancestral watchmaking savoir-faire and a boldly modern style.

The Excalibur line is celebrating the most delicate of its complications, the minute repeater, dressed in rose gold. Much of the impeccable Poinçon de Genève finishing of the complex movement can be admired through the openworked dial. The tourbillon, positioned at 5 o’clock, is set off by a rose gold ring enclosed by stylistic grey lines, while a double flange with a minute circle and rose gold appliques, in black and grey respectively, gives the dial greater depth. The hand-sewn alligator strap is enhanced with a rose gold folding clasp. This exclusive model comes in a single limited series of 28.

Hand-wound mechanical movement, 16’’’, 61 jewels, rhodium-plated, Côtes de Genève motif. Stamped with the Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark. Double flying tourbillon with differential, tourbillon cages visible between 4 and 5 o’clock, and 7 and 8 o’clock. Both tourbillons make one revolution per minute, power reserve indicator visible at back of case, jumping hour (360°), retrograde dragging minute between 9 and 3 o’clock (180°). Number of components: 413

Equipped with the brand new self-winding mechanical movement, one of the collection’s very latest models, the pierced tourbillon, reveals both its micro-rotor and flying tourbillon. The rose gold fillets outline the mother-of-pearl area on a dial designed with a circle theme and accentuate the strength of the large Roman numerals. The rose gold case is complemented by a hand-sewn alligator strap fitted with a rose gold folding clasp. This exclusive model comes in a single limited series of 88.

EXCALIBUR, bi-retrograde jumping date. The subtle play of the Arabic numerals, which border the two symmetrical anthracite bi-retrograde date zones, blends harmoniously with the white gold applique hour-markers. The black inner flange, punctuated with Arabic numerals, encircles the dial and gives it its strong character. This brand new movement, which enriches the Manufacture’s range of products, is housed in a white gold case. The hand-sewn alligator strap is fitted with a white gold folding clasp.

This exclusive model comes in a single limited series of 88.

Montblanc presents the first development of the Institut Minerva de Recherche en Haute Horlogerie and starts with new ideas into the next decade after celebrating the 150th anniversary of the founding of the watch Manufacture Minerva in 2008.

Following Montblanc`s anniversary celebrations marking the opening of the completely renovated manufactory building in Villeret, the experts at the Institut Minerva de Recherche en Haute Horlogerie are now concentrating exclusively on their core tasks: on the one hand, the preservation and cultivation of the high art of horology in accord with the authentic Swiss tradition and, on the other hand, the ongoing development of innovative technologies and concepts to assure a bright future for watchmaking. The Institut Minerva, that has been founded by Montblanc, is one of the last manufactures where a large portion of the traditional horological skills, with all their micromechanical refinements, are still meticulously performed by hand, almost as though each timepiece were individually crafted as a one-of-a-kind item. Traditions are upheld, but continual innovation is also indispensable to assure constant renewal and unflagging progress in the art of watchmaking, to set standards for quality and creativity in th
e future. This legacy is especially present at the Institut Minerva, where the staff lives and breathes it in their daily work.

Time Writer: Thanks to Montblanc, the Institut Minerva fosters new talent. With the founding of the Institut Minerva de Recherche en Haute Horlogerie, Montblanc has not only dedicated itself toward assuring the survival of a manufacture with a legendary chronographic tradition: the mission of the Institut Minerva is to foster young talents whose new ideas will enrich the art of watchmaking, which they’ll enliven with their innovative spirit and dynamism.

For this purpose, Montblanc created the “TimeWriter” concept, under which the company wants to introduce projects with independent creators that have great ideas and plan to establish themselves as independent watchmakers. It is foreseen to present a project every two years.

A complex industry such as watchmaking demands investments that are very often much too costly for young entrepreneurs to finance on their own, so through the help of Montblanc the Institut Minerva also contributes, both materially and intellectually, toward helping these ambitious individuals start their own business. Now, just two years after the founding of the Institut Minerva by Montblanc, its first remarkable project is ready for presentation. TimeWriter 1: Metamorphosis

The Metamorphosis embodies a creatively successful response to the following challenge: combining the principles of traditional watchmaking with the creation of something entirely new and unprecedented. This first project of the TimeWriter series, that is based on the Montblanc`s own chronographe calibre MBM 16.29 has set itself twin goals: to provide starting help to promising young talents and to combine tradition with innovation. With this background in mind, the foundation council at the Institut Minerva was most strongly impressed by the ideas of the two young watch specialists Johnny Girardin and Franck Orny, who envisioned a wristwatch with two faces. Of course, a watch with different functions distributed across two dials is not novel per se, but the way in which the Montblanc Metamorphosis transforms itself has never been seen before. By moving a slide down or up, this timepiece changes from a wristwatch with hour, minute, second display to a chronograph and vice versa. To achieve this metamorphosis
in a purely mechanical manner, the two creators Johnny Girardin and Franck Orny were obliged to use all their skills as watchmakers and to borrow methods from the art of automatons construction – a traditional métier which, like watchmaking, has long been practiced in Switzerland’s Jura region. As a prefect blend of tradition and innovation, the revolutionary transformation mechanism is based on the magnificent, hand crafted chronographe calibre MBM16.29

The Metamorphosis watches will be crafted at the manufacture’s ateliers in Villeret, where the idea of the inventors will be brought to live by the profound know-how of the Institut Minerva’s experienced master watchmakers.

Always searching for new challenges, the Manufacture ROGER DUBUIS became famous in 2005, when it presented a double Tourbillon, which it housed in the case of a completely new model, as virile as it was extravagant, called Excalibur.

The young company, founded in 1995, brilliantly demonstrated that “value creation is not time-dependent”! Once again, this new model demonstrated the astonishing symbiosis characteristic of the Brand, which comprises the close marriage between a traditional watchmaking know-how and a bold stylistic modernity.

A few years later, ROGER DUBUIS has decided to redesign the contours of this model, which has meanwhile become the Brand’s icon.The grooved bezel features more accentuated lines, the crown guard hugs the case middle more snugly, while still preserving its strong personality, and the dial exploits the deliberately deceptive asymmetry of the retrograde minute. The fully reconstructed movement, bearing the Geneva seal, powers the double Tourbillon in unison, as evidenced by the blue javelin seconds-hand, and is mounted in a platinum case enhanced with a hand-stitched alligator strap.

Case : Round, Ø 45 mm, platinum, dial : Grey rhodium ground, retrograde minute and arabic numerals engraved, appliques and tourbillon ring in white gold. Water resistant 5 bar. Strap   Genuine crocodile, hand-sewed. Clasp Adjustable folding buckle, platinum. Movement RD01 Production 28 pieces RD01 MOVEMENT Mechanical hand-wound movement,16”’, 61 jewels, rhodium-plated, “Côtes de Genève” motif.Bearing the Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark.

SPECIFIC FEATURES

Double flying tourbillon with differential, tourbillon carriages visible between 4 and 5 o’clock and between 7 and 8 o’clock. One-minute tourbillon rotation for each; power-reserve displayed on the case-back, jumping hours (360° sector), retrograde dragging minutes between 9 and 3 o’clock (180° sector).

The new Excalibur collection has become more virile, its high-tech movements more visible, and its style more modern. In 2005, the ROGER DUBUIS Manufacture took the watch world by storm with the presentation of a highly unusual model that was as virile as it was original, the EXCALIBUR. With the EXCALIBUR collection, the young watch company proved that “value is not a question of years”, further evidence of the astonishing symbiosis that characterises the Brand, a masterful combination of ancestral watchmaking savoir-faire and a boldly modern style.

The Excalibur line is celebrating the most delicate of its complications, the minute repeater, dressed in rose gold. Much of the impeccable Poinçon de Genève finishing of the complex movement can be admired through the openworked dial. The tourbillon, positioned at 5 o’clock, is set off by a rose gold ring enclosed by stylistic grey lines, while a double flange with a minute circle and rose gold appliques, in black and grey respectively, gives the dial greater depth. The hand-sewn alligator strap is enhanced with a rose gold folding clasp. This exclusive model comes in a single limited series of 28.

Created in 2005, the double tourbillon holds a place of honour in the Brand’s history. This year it has made a powerful comeback. The jumping-dial has Roman numerals, the retrograde minute dial Arabic numerals. The movement in this second generation of double tourbillons has been totally re-engineered, with over thirty components re-designed and manufactured. It turns the two tourbillons in unison as is shown by their two blue seconds hands. The movement stamped with the Poinçon de Genève, is housed in a platinum case, which comes on a hand-sewn alligator strap with a folding clasp. This exclusive model comes in a single limited series of 28.

Hand-wound mechanical movement, 16’’’, 61 jewels, rhodium-plated, Côtes de Genève motif. Stamped with the Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark. Double flying tourbillon with differential, tourbillon cages visible between 4 and 5 o’clock, and 7 and 8 o’clock. Both tourbillons make one revolution per minute, power reserve indicator visible at back of case, jumping hour (360°), retrograde dragging minute between 9 and 3 o’clock (180°). Number of components: 413

Equipped with the brand new self-winding mechanical movement, one of the collection’s very latest models, the pierced tourbillon, reveals both its micro-rotor and flying tourbillon. The rose gold fillets outline the mother-of-pearl area on a dial designed with a circle theme and accentuate the strength of the large Roman numerals. The rose gold case is complemented by a hand-sewn alligator strap fitted with a rose gold folding clasp. This exclusive model comes in a single limited series of 88.

EXCALIBUR, bi-retrograde jumping date. The subtle play of the Arabic numerals, which border the two symmetrical anthracite bi-retrograde date zones, blends harmoniously with the white gold applique hour-markers. The black inner flange, punctuated with Arabic numerals, encircles the dial and gives it its strong character. This brand new movement, which enriches the Manufacture’s range of products, is housed in a white gold case. The hand-sewn alligator strap is fitted with a white gold folding clasp.

This exclusive model comes in a single limited series of 88.

• Emerging global packaging leader accounts for 85 per cent of import-export traffic through the port of Salalah

• OCTAL monthly exports now exceed US$25 million Read the full story