Gäste-Forum » Roger Dubuis Excalibur Quatuor

Watchmakers have always tried to battle the effects of gravitational pressure on a timepiece’s balance assembly. The well-known tourbillon has, to date, been the de facto solution to this problem and we possess seen multi-axis tourbillons, flying tourbillons, and double tourbillons. At SIHH this week, Roger Dubuis, the avant garde Geneva watch brand, provides an effective alternative to the tourbillon, and it’s a world first – a watch movement with four leapt balances.

Referred to as Roger Dubuis Quatuor as well as introduced in the company’s Excalibur case, the actual movement’s balances are used, two and also two, along with positioned at 90 degree angles to one another, linked by differentials. Each balance operates at 4 Hz, accumulated to 16 oscillations per second. By distributing the effects of gravity across the four amounts, these effects are negated, thus resulting in a more consistent timekeeping rate. All the technical detail aside, the movement is quite stunning to behold and the sound of four bills ticking brings to mind a field of locusts (in a good way).
“Quatuor” is a call I can hardly pronounce but represents a piece of fun from Roger Dubuis that is perfectly and most remarkably deranged. The very first day at SIHH 2013 is over and I am trying to wrap my mind around all the individuals I saw in addition to faces I inadvertently didn't remember. Always good to reunite with friends and have unknown people who seem to know you come up and ask how the drinks are. I’d like to remove the “how are you? ” question as a polite follow-up to “hello” during small talk discussions. It is all too generic. More a waste of time than a useful social ritual. How about something more interesting such as “was it difficult to choose what pants to wear today? ” or perhaps “are you unhappy with your country’s current leadership? ” Yes, my mind was on all of those things save for timepieces. That there were scant few “novelties” at 2013’s SIHH, but of course a few leaders in the “cool pack. ”
The show starts like a mimic of all the others. Practically all that is new is at the booths. Roger Dubuis Quatuor is one of the few places whose booth is as worth seeing as the watches. While Roger Dubuis timepieces are prohibitively expensive for all but the most anti-frugal of budgets, I love their take on showy, light-hearted, and clearly theatrical luxury. This year’s booth looks like some type of tree root-filled forest floor with a giant golden eagle within the center. Indeed, an eagle produced specially for Roger Dubuis by a company that makes stuff with regard to movie sets. There is also a man with an United states bald eagle on his hand. A real live bird that draws a crowd. The eagle is actually impressively calm, while a not-so-small fortune in watches rests behind it inside the back office dungeons. The actual booth attendants are dressed like extras from Game of Thrones. I suddenly have no idea exactly what any of this has to do with timepieces. And then Jean-Marc Pontroue, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER of Roger Dubuis, shows me this incredibly weird view box that opens up to the Quatuor.
The watch has four diagonally positioned escapements (not tourbillons), that are connected in pairs with a series of differentials. These escapements average each other out hypothetically - helping the watch to be more accurate. How precise is neither an issue or concern as practicality is about as inherent to this enjoy as it is towards the brand’s unit design. The concept works, and that is all that matters. Sound from the 4 escapements running in unison is a hallmark of the Quatuor. Roger Dubuis haphazardly calls it a 16Hz watch. That seems to signify by adding several 4Hz escapements together a person equal 16Hz. I am not sure it works that way.

Set in the particular Roger Dubuis Excalibur case, the Roger Dubuis Quatuor is large at 48mm wide. Its complex motion forces the watch to be thick, but in reality it is just because insane as your average neighborhood Roger Dubuis skeleton double tourbillon see. The movements is strikingly symmetrical plus beautiful within the design. According to a Roger Dubuis observe maker, it takes a full 2-3 days to merely assemble the activity. Something like 2, 400 hours are needed to build the watch through start to finish.
Designed by lead Roger Dubuis mobility designer Gregory Bruttin, typically the caliber RD101 movement from the Quatuor will be unlike anything else you’ve seen before - even though it just shows the time. It almost feels like something inside Opus collection. The action is comprised of almost 600 parts, and is deeply dark and rich in polished and other artistic techniques. It looks quite cool, but is usually unfortunately very difficult to photograph properly.
The particular four escapements running together act to help average out the rate results and amplitude of the routine. Put in diagonal angles facing into the dial they are quite beautiful to see. I think making this the quadruble tourbillon would have already been too much. Even though there is so much going on where the dial is definitely, it isn’t hard to find the face of the look at to read time.
According to Roger Dubuis, the power reserve mechanism is new. It moves once each five hrs or so in conjunction with a normal hand. It is just that the normal hands has two sides to show the power reserve “twice. ” It is difficult to describe but the video helps remove darkness from how it works better. What advantages this haves over “normal” power reserve indicators are lost to me, but I was nevertheless impressed. I mentioned that Roger Dubuis wrist watches are theatrical. The Quatuor is a good example in the already showy Excalibur collection.
At all angles often the RD101 manually wound exercise is gorgeous. Seeing the constant movement of those four escapements is endearingly interesting although the timepiece can be anything but quiet (visually and even aesthetically). It is just the type of check out nerd candy people like me love. And Roger Dubuis made it for a simple love from the game. It is unique together with special yes, and of course priced as such accordingly.
The final oddity about the Excalibur Quatuor sit back and watch collection is in the material of a single of its versions. Both Quatuor models will be limited editions, the exact 18k red gold one to 88 pieces, but the other version just to three items. What is so special about it? Well it is actually made out of silicon. Yes, which material everyone has been therefore googly eyed about for years when it came to replacing metal parts in mechanical movements… made its way into a watch case (as the entire case). Now as far as I am told silicon is very scratch resistant. I can’t personally attest to that, but it is light. Damn lighting. I picked up both si, titanium, and steel cases of the same volume and the silicon was by far the lightest, taking a darkish gray almost gun metal hue. And it costs a lot to machine properly.