Roger Dubuis ensures proper visibility via use of effective amounts of antireflective (AR) coating on the sapphire crystal as well as finishing on the movement which is attractive but that does not cause glare. The deep gray finishing exists over traditional forms of decorating such as perlage and beveled edging. You also see the iconic “star bridge” design over mostly the mainspring barrel assembly. Even the automatic micro-rotor has some skeletonization to it.
One thing that you should be aware of is that, given the relative lack of metal between the movement and the user, you can hear a lot of what is coming from the movement. Some people like sounds from a movement, and others do not. Wind the movement, and you’ll hear a “whine” coming from the gears. Move the watch around, and you’ll hear the rotor moving about. Of course, you will also hear the rapid ticking from the escapement if the watch is close enough to your ear.
The RD820SQ movement also operates at a modern 4Hz (28,800 bph) and has 60 hours of power reserve. I sort of miss having a running seconds hand, but I wouldn’t call it a deal-breaker. Roger Dubuis actually has a special customization department whereby customers can have some of the skeletonization and bridge work custom-made with their initials or other imagery. This might be reserved only for their more high-end products such as tourbillons, but I believe if you really want it, they could do some bespoke work on the movement of the Roger Dubuis Excalibur 42 Automatic Skeleton as well.
Around the periphery of the open area to view the movement is a traditional ring of applied hour markers along with printed minute markers. This is combined with properly sized hands whose design I happen to like quite a bit. Dauphine in shape, the hands are slightly skeletonized themselves and also contrast-finished with polishing on one side and satin-finishing on the other. This makes them look cool, and also enhances legibility to a large degree.
Aside from the brass color of the balance wheel and some minor red hue from the synthetic ruby jewels, the caliber RD820SQ and the overall Roger Dubuis Excalibur 42 Automatic Skeleton watch is monochromatic thanks to the black case and the charcoal gray rhodium-plated movement bridges and other parts. I wouldn’t per se call it a “black out” or “phantom” watch, but you do get that cool all-black look without really sacrificing legibility or a high-end feel. Price for this ref. RDDBEX0473 Roger Dubuis Excalibur 42 Automatic Skeleton watch in DLC-coated black titanium is $57,800. rogerdubuis.com
Necessary Data
>Brand: Roger Dubuis
>Model: Excalibur 42 Automatic Skeleton reference RDDBEX0473
>Price: $57,800 in titanium
>Size: 42mm wide
>Would reviewer personally wear it: Yes.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Avant-garde luxury watch lover looking for something that appears different but, in practice, is actually quite comfortable and familiar.
>Best characteristic of watch: Cool-looking movement with great finishing and a lot of character. Great to see a more accessible version of the Excalibur skeleton – even though it is still a very high-end watch. Legibility and comfort are better than expected.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Still a very expensive watch, and movement is mostly devoid of any complications that would add to the value proposition. Given design of the case, winding and rotor sounds are a bit too audible.
