Introducing Roger Dubuis Unveils the Hommage La Placide Perpetual Calendar

For its 30th anniversary, Roger Dubuis takes a look back at its origins. Earlier this year, two models, the Excalibur Monobalancier Bi-Retrograde Calendar and the Excalibur Grande Complication, had already carried the historical retrograde display into the present-day, futuristic Excalibur line. With the new Roger Dubuis Hommage La Placide Perpetual Calendar, featuring a restored and updated movement, the manufacture now goes one step further: this model marks a departure from the motorsport-inspired aesthetic of recent years and a return to the brand’s roots, the Hommage and Sympathie collections that began it all in 1995, a topic we discussed in depth with Mr. Gregory Bruttin, Strategic Product Director of the company.

The Hommage La Placide is a modern revival of pre-Excalibur models, blending original and remanufactured components. It combines the brand’s first in-house automatic movement with a classic QP module and offers a much more restrained design and proportion than anything seen in the past 15 years. “Placide” was Mr. Roger Dubuis’ lifelong nickname. Today, his name graces this timepiece as a heartfelt homage to his legacy.

The bi-retrograde perpetual calendar was first conceived in the late 1980s, when Dubuis collaborated with Jean-Marc Wiederrecht to develop a novel perpetual calendar mechanism featuring twin retrograde indicators for Harry Winston. It was only in 1995, upon founding his own brand, that Dubuis introduced the complication under his own name, establishing one of the young manufacture’s key signatures.

The pink gold 38mm case was crafted entirely in the Roger Dubuis manufacture, marking a first for the brand. The case measures 38 millimetres in diameter and 11 millimetres in height, and features a sapphire caseback revealing the finely finished calibre RD1472, which also bears the individual limitation number of each piece—from 01/28 to 28/28. Water resistance is rated at 30 metres.

The dial first attracts attention with its bi-retrograde design: the months and leap year at 12 o’clock and the moon at 6 o’clock. In total, the dial is composed of five layers. The first level features a rhodium-plated, circular-brushed chapter ring with printed red numerals, a minute track, and polished bevels. The second layer comprises mother-of-pearl segments for the calendar indications for the day of the week on the left and the date on the right, each with hand-chamfered edges.

The third level, the main plate, is lacquered in a vivid Leman Blue, a reference to Lake Geneva. Applied hour markers and fine printed moon indications rest on this layer. The fourth layer consists of a mother-of-pearl subdial with a wide, circular-brushed surface and delicate inscriptions for the month and leap-year display. Finally, the composition is completed by the moon-phase indicator: a shimmering blue aventurine glass disc adorned with domed yellow gold moons.

Inside the Hommage La Placide Perpetual Calendar beats the calibre RD1472, which combines faithfully reproduced and newly manufactured components from the historical Calibre RD14 and module RD72, first introduced in 1999. The revised RD14—Roger Dubuis’ first in-house movement, introduced in 2004—underwent a meticulous restoration process, from comprehensive diagnostics to rigorous quality control, restoring every component to near-original condition. It is fitted with a traditional swan-neck regulator, renowned for precision adjustment and refined finishing. The RD72 module adds the perpetual calendar complication favored by Roger Dubuis, featuring bi-retrograde indications for the day and date, along with displays for the month, leap year, and moon phase. Two star-shaped wheels with 12 and 48 teeth respectively ensure the smooth progression of the month and leap-year indications via coaxial hands.

The automatic movement, equipped with an 18-carat pink gold rotor, comprises 307 components and 33 jewels, measures 5.3 millimetres in height, operates at a frequency of 4 hertz, and delivers a power reserve of 48 hours. Fifteen traditional finishing techniques are applied, ranging from anglage and Côtes de Genève to perlage. The calibre bears the Poinçon de Genève (Geneva Seal), also visible on the dial.

The watch is fitted with a blue interchangeable leather strap, secured by a pink gold triple-folding clasp adorned with the historical Roger Dubuis emblem. The Roger Dubuis Hommage La Placide Perpetual Calendar Bi-Retrograde is a limited edition of 28 pieces, priced at EUR 115,000 (approximately 489,000 AED).

For more information, visit Roger Dubuis official website.