Cosmic Beauty: Diving into the Excalibur collection by Roger Dubuis

Since its launch in 2005, the Excalibur collection by Roger Dubuis has embodied the expressive watchmaking masters’ signature blend innovation and exceptional aesthetics designed to exceed all expectations. Debuted at this year’s Watches and Wonders fair in Geneva, the latest expression in the iconic collection – the new Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar – looks to the magic of the cosmos to continue this legacy with an elegantly sporty design.

Drawing inspiration from the movements of the sky and the stellar observations that have shaped humanity’s understanding of time and space, Roger Dubuis delivered a collection of novelties that pay tribute to the movement and beauty found beyond the earth, with precise calendars and horological displays among the collection. Among the Maison’s latest creations, the Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar stands as one of the most representative expressions of this balance between cosmic inspiration and technical brilliance.

To the eye, seven levels of Roger Dubuis’ signature multi-layered dial are enhanced by the compelling “Cosmic Blue” layer, a new colour for the Maison that was inspired by the moment the sky darkens from the bright blue of daytime to the lustrous navy of night. Visually impactful and powerful, the timepiece continues this motif of changing light with its 316L stainless steel 40mm case and bracelet – both finished through techniques including polishing, shot-blasting and satin-brushing to create contrasting textures and reflective surfaces.

Related: Hublot ambassador Usain Bolt stars in Tempus’s new issueThe true star of the calendar is its bold and chic biretrograde day/date display, originally designed and patented by watchmaker Roger Dubuis in 1989. Working with Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, Mr Dubuis rethought the traditional retrograde mechanism from a watchmaking perspective, streamlining the complication to simplify construction and enhance both beauty and performance.

Two key technical innovations elevated the new mechanism: the use of spiral springs, positioned directly on the hand pinions, and a redesigned cam. This novelty continues to utilise this choreography of visual and technical design, with angled skeletonised hands for day and date – positioned in sweeping space-age curves at three and nine o’clock, respectively.

The hour and minute hands are presented in white gold, with sun-brushed ecliptic counters with a rhodium coating marking the hours. At six o’clock, a small seconds display, presented in the same stunning blue, adds another subtle point of movement and energy to the complex but clearly defined display.

Related: The best horological novelties from Watches and Wonders 2026Inside the superb timepiece, the Biretrograde Calendar complication is powered by the in-house RD840 calibre, an automatic movement delivering a 60-hour power reserve. Although the dial is closed, Roger Dubuis would never deny the wearer the chance to see the beauty of the watchmaking itself: through the sapphire caseback, one can view the Poinçon de Genève certified mechanics, including the sculpted oscillating weight at the heart of this calibre, reinterpreted for 2026 from the Maison’s original 1996 design.

The calibre is hand-decorated with 14 techniques including wheel-bevelling, burnisher-bevelling, frosting, circular graining, Côtes de Genève, truing, internal drawing, external drawing, rounding, perlage, tip polishing, mirror polishing, tooth polishing, and rounded tooth polishing. The watch is also presented with an additional blue rubber strap, completed with a triple folding clasp in stainless steel, for an ultra-sporty expression.

Inspired by the Maison’s namesake founder, Roger Dubuis continues his legacy of high watchmaking that combines complexity with clarity, technical achievement with a sense of playfulness. The Maison’s 2026 collection exemplifies this, with the exploration of time, space and mythical beauty present throughout this year’s novelties. And, at the collection’s centre, the Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar is not just a precise horological machine, it is a timepiece bursting with motion and beauty captured from the stars. 

Read more watch news with Tempus