Roger Dubuis is taking us on a journey through time with its latest watch—back to 17th-century Japan, to be exact.
The Swiss manufacture has just unveiled an extraordinary limited-edition timepiece that combines all its haute-horlogerie prowess with cultural symbols and artistry from that era in Japanese history. The 45 mm Excalibur Kabuto Legacy takes particular inspiration from the samurai, spotlighting 12 highly detailed commanders perched at each hour mark—one of just many stunning aspects that will catch your eye on this latest release.
The choice to place each samurai commander, or bushō, was no accident (besides acting as a way to indicate the hour, of course). During the 17th century, Japan was in a state of upheaval, fractured by rival warlords fighting for domination; then, three leaders came together to unite the bushō to bring peace and a new order to Japan. That sentiment, a circle of solidarity, is meant to be echoed in the formation of the samurai commanders.
In the united Japan, each bushō was represented by their kabuto, a ceremonial and protective helmet that showed their lineage and philosophies via its own signature style. That same idea is used in the Excalibur Kabuto Legacy thanks to the tradition of métiers d’art, in which each of the samurai commanders is depicted with a micro-sculpted helmet crafted in 18-karat pink gold. The handcrafted pieces each take two to three days to make.
Some of the leaders on display include Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shōgun and one of the main minds behind the new era in Japan, at 12 o’clock. His kabuto depicts a fern to represent longevity and success. Joining him are Honda Tadakatsu at 1 o’clock, a commander known for his loyalty with a kabuto adorned with deer antlers, a source of divine protection; Sakai Tadatsugu, a statesman famed for his wisdom and battle knowledge with a kabuto depicting a sword, meant to cut away evil and symbolize righteousness; and Sakakibara Yasumasa, renowned for his sound judgment with a kabuto adorned with swords, a nod to strong martial virtue and the samurai’s soul.
Of course, that’s not all Roger Dubuis has in store on the new watch. The dial’s center shows off an abstract reinterpretation of Edo Castle, which served as the seat of the Tokugawa family for over 260 years. The layered tower is remade in a deep-blue coating, an homage to the dye used by samurai. Flip the watch over, and each crest (or kamon) of the samurai is laser-engraved on the back on a blue-coated pink-gold ring. Some of the designs on display include a water plantain, a genko wheel, and bamboo and sparrows.
Beneath it all lies the RD821 movement. The automatic caliber makes it so Roger Dubuis had space to play with such an intricate design, and it comes with 60 hours of power reserve and a frequency of 4 Hz. And the movement is also home to 14 distinct finishing techniques, a move that earned the timepiece one of the watch industry’s most intense certifications, the Poinçon de Genève. The watch’s pink-gold case, meanwhile, is paired with a blue calfskin leather strap, with stitched tiles in yet another nod to the samurai: this time, it is meant to resemble their armor.
To ensure the watch was historically accurate, Roger Dubuis teamed up with Frederik Cryns, a professor of Japanese history and a consultant on the hit series Shōgun. “Samurai culture produced some of the most extraordinary wearable art in human history,” he said in a press statement. “That this tradition of master craftsmanship now meets the art of haute horlogerie feels entirely fitting. Both disciplines demand the same uncompromising pursuit of excellence.”
A piece of that combined history will surely be hard to come by. Roger Dubuis is producing just 28 pieces of the Excalibur Kabuto Legacy.