Roger Dubuis, the Swiss watchmaker blending traditional watchmaking with advanced technology and exotic designs, combines the performance and excitement of motor sports with hi-end watchmaking under the same roof with the Excalibur Spider Pirelli Automatic Skeleton.
Roger Dubuis, which was the guest of our pages with its recent collaboration with the famous Italian sports car manufacturer Lamborghini and the model Aventador S dedicated to the occasion, hosts successful collections regarding motorsports inspired timepieces. Excalibur Spider Pirelli Automatic Skeleton Collection is one of them with exclusive models designed to commemorate the ongoing brand partnership between Roger Dubuis and the Italian tire maker Pirelli.
The model is offered in a black DLC coated titanium case measuring 45mm in diameter and 14mm in height. The case sports double AR coated scratch resistant sapphire crystals on both sides and it is water resistant to 50 meters. The front face features the Excalibur concept’s trade mark notched bezel. Offering a bold look with its size and perforated lugs, the case sits comfortably on the wrist thanks to the titanium material used. The winding crown is located at the right sight of the case and it is rubber capped with an o-ring finished in matching blue tone of the concept.
The model’s dial is designed to refer to the concepts of performance and engineering, which are indispensable elements of motor sports. The dial is executed in full skeleton form with a blue inner chapter ring for the hour and minute markers along the brand’s logo. The dial reveals all the details of the movement which are mostly designed in skeleton form as well. The arrow shaped tips of the hands and the chapter ring above the barrel also finished in matching blue color.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli Automatic Skeleton is powered by the brand’s in-house Caliber Ref. Roger Dubuis RD820SQ which we are familiar with several models from the Roger Dubuis product line. The self-winding movement beats at 4Hz and offers a power reserve of 60 hours when fully wound. The movement’s finish is done extensively in skeleton style with the classic star shaped main bridge. Consisting of 167 individual parts and requiring a total time of 160 hours just for the Geneva Seal certification it bears, the movement can be enjoyed in full detail thanks to the sapphire display caseback.
The model comes on a special strap combining rubber parts in both sides. The lining is made of vulcanized rubber like the other hi-end timepieces at the market while the upper part of the strap is made of black rubber which is obtained from Pirelli tires that were actually used on race winning F1 cars. The stitches are handmade and finished in matching blue tone. The strap is secured with a Roger Dubuis signed pin buckle made of black DLC coated titanium.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli Automatic Skeleton collection is available in three versions to include the marking color options in Pirelli tires specially designed for F1 races. In addition to the blue-themed model we have here, there are red and yellow versions as well which are all limited to a span of 88 units per each.
The collection bears almost every detail that makes the brand’s DNA while showing the versatility of the Excalibur Spider concept with its design. Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli Automatic Skeleton is not an affordable timepiece by any means but when compared with the collection’s flagship Double Flying Tourbillon model, it looks relatively approachable.
