Roger Dubuis Debuts Huge Pocket Watch
If you think of the pocket watch as a dinosaur or something your grandfather used, Roger Dupuis has a timepiece that could change your mind. Amid all the flashy modern pieces on display at this week’s Watches & Wonders expo in Hong Kong, the Swiss brand has chosen to make a statement by introducing a new pocket watch—a really, really big pocket watch.
At 60mm in diameter and 20mm thick, the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pocket Time Instrument is huge but surprisingly light since it’s made from titanium. A case that size is probably necessary to house all the goodies within, starting with the supersized RD101 movement that has four separate balance wheels placed at opposing angles and connected through a series of differential gears.
Fans of Roger Dubuis watches may notice that the Excalibur Spider Pocket Time Instrument resembles a larger version of the Quatuor wristwatch released in 2013 with a few changes like the titanium case, changed placement on the minutes and hour track plus higher contrast accents. The power reserve is located at 6 o’clock rather than 9 o’clock and has two crescents with a double-sided hand.
That RD101 movement has a whopping 590 components, 113 of which are jewel bearings. That’s an amazing number for a watch that doesn’t really do anything except tell time. The Excalibur Spider Pocket Time Instrument proudly wears the Poinçon de Genève (Geneva Seal) guaranteeing that the watch was made totally in Geneva to strict standards of craftsmanship and finishing.
It doesn’t really matter if the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pocket Watch isn’t a crowd-pleaser since only 28 pieces will be available worldwide. The price? $468,500. That price tag does include a matching titanium chain and a desk stand for displaying the watch.