Richemont and Roger Dubuis – Oct 2009
Being one of the world’s leading luxury goods groups, Richemont always keeps its eyes open for identifying watch manufacturers that will provide a synergistic effect for its portfolio of first-class brands. The extraordinary craftsmanship and innovativeness of the watches and in-house movements of ROGER DUBUIS, Manufacture, draw the attention of Richemont.
As announced on August 2008, Richemont acquired a controlling interest in Manufacture Roger Dubuis. Meanwhile, Mr. Matthias Schuler is pleased to announce Roger Dubuis has entered into a new phase with many challenges and opportunities.
History
Mr. Roger Dubuis, a talented watchmaker, set up his own atelier in 1980, after developing complications for Patek Philippe for 14 years. After commissioning complicated watches for major brands for several years, he joined force with Carlos Dias, to launch the brand ROGER DUBUIS. A Geneva citizen, Roger Dubuis as a person and his watches both have a strong association with the culture of the canton. Since the very beginning, all Roger Dubuis Watches follow the stringent requirements of the Poinçon de Genève and are thus blessed by the Geneva Seal.
Traditional yet Modern
With its own production of balance-and-spring regulating organs in 2003, ROGER DUBUIS had become an independent manufacture. In 2005, the second factory building served to centralize its 500 employees in a single 14,500 square-meters premise. Over 120 pieces of machine in its micromechanical engineering workshops now produce the entire range of parts for the proprietary ROGER DUBUIS movements. The full virtualization of state-of-the-art facilities has guaranteed the authentic manufacture status of ROGER DUBUIS.
In April 2006, six new movements were presented at Geneva’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), three of them for the first time. They were fitted mainly in the latest Excalibur models, one of the brand’s flagship collections, and bring the total number of movements manufactured by the factory to 28, every movement has been awarded the Geneva Seal. An exhibition organized at SIHH 2007 displayed all 28 movements, thereby demonstrating the brand’s exceptional heritage.
In April 2008, ROGER DUBUIS presented a new collection, called KingSquare. Bursting with the brand’s DNA, this square model features highly studied technical specifications. Its construction is unique and its overall design astonishingly innovative as it opens a new field of innumerable styling variations.
One of them is a lavish model with a skeleton movement, which has been restructured to transform the skeleton movement from a great classic to a totally contemporary work of art. Today, the Manufacture ROGER DUBUIS is a high- performance company, which intends to be one of the big players, specialized in the luxury sector.
Company Philosophy
The Manufacture ROGER DUBUIS follows its founding philosophy : – Embark on grand watchmaking projects based on traditional professional culture and apply the most advanced technology. Design and produce modern precious objects according to the principles of fine watchmaking and expectations of demanding clients;
- Occupy an original, exclusive and avant-garde position in the selective circle of prestigious watch manufactures;
- Fully associate time measurement with lifestyle in a spirit that is seductive, contemporary, audacious and inventive, yet at the same time highly individual;
- Become capable of professional independence of the widest possible scope while constantly raising the standard of excellence.
Product Philosophy
Whether a gent or a lady watch, conventional or for sports wear, medium- sized or large, with a simple, complicated or grandly complicated movement, each watch signed ROGER DUBUIS expresses a strong personality through immediately recognizable identity codes. Although each collection has its own features, they always comply with the four principles of the brand: – Innovative design – Within current trends – Exclusiveness and – High-end technical know how
ROGER DUBUIS ‘idea of exclusiveness is not simply commercial, but in fact a philosophical resolve.
That is why highly complicated ROGER DUBUIS watch in precious metal is made in no more than 28 examples. This figure is not just symbolic; it actually gives full meaning to the idea of exclusiveness to which the brand is profoundly committed and each product line reflects the DNA of the Maison ROGER DUBUIS.
ROGER DUBUIS is a High-Tech manufacture that cultivates exclusivity and offers extremely innovative products with a strong character for refined trendsetters and watch connoisseurs with an audacious taste seduced by powerful design and high-end technology.
Like the prestigious Poinçon de Genève itself, ROGER DUBUIS identity is based on immediately identifiable benchmark icons. The tireless pursuit of excellence prevailing at each decision-making stage has become the common denominator among all the members of personnel taking part in this Manufacture-based approach. Right from the time the company was founded ten years ago, the brand did indeed receive the Poinçon de Genève for all ROGER DUBUIS watches. This authority, governed by the Republic and Canton of Geneva, is the only body entitled to grant and to actually place the Poinçon de Genève on a movement. For the brand, the superlative finishing required to earn the Poinçon de Genève testify to his determination to raise the standard of quality well above average and his desire to cultivate in-house the traditions embodied in the Haute Horlogerie professions.
As the only one brand with a full catalog of movements certified from Poinçon de Genève, ROGER DUBUIS also represents a demonstration of high identification collections with 4 significant collections:
Excalibur
Born in 2005, ‘Excalibur’ is the tenth collection of ROGER DUBUIS watches. In addition to its classic round shape, Excalibur innovates in terms of design through powerful signatures: its bold diameter, its wristband secured by the brand’s characteristic triple lugs, its refined crown guard and its fluted bezel mean this model simply cannot be compared with any other on the market. Its immediately identifiable architecture sculpted in gold or steel is admirably associated with complicated or ‘Grand Complication’ movements.
Kingsquare
Recognizable even from a distance thanks to the sheer size and strength of its design, the latest model from the manufacture ROGER DUBUIS, named KINGSQUARE, is a majestic newcomer to the Brand range. Its construction is truly original and its global concept is astonishingly innovative, since it offers scope for countless aesthetic variations. The model is cleverly curved to form 3 large horizontal facets that are echoed in the sapphire crystals both front and back. The rear view lends their full dimension to the proprietary movements splendidly decorated. These 3 facets exercise a singular refractory effect on the reading of the various dial information through the sapphire crystal.
Easydiver
In 2004, ROGER DUBUIS presented its first line of leisure watches, taking the original – unprecedented at that time – and incorporating a tourbillon into a diving watch. This brand new concept, meeting the highest technical and aesthetic standards, soon became a new archetypal sports watch. A few years later, ROGER DUBUIS pursues its avant-garde developments by combining noble metals with the use of moulded rubber on the bezel and crown of its new EasyDiver watch. Whether forcefully virile in the black rubber-moulded version or delightfully summery when clad in white, the rugged unisex case of the new collection, not only matches the mood of the moment, but also the growing demand from a sophisticated clientele wishing to adopt a timepiece able to keep step with its many activities.
Goldenquare
The GoldenSquare line, presented in 2001, features a curving square case lending it a daring personality. This collection with its assertive character is now inseparably associated with the ROGER DUBUIS brand.
Future Development
As a part of Richemont, Manufacture ROGER DUBUIS will continue to create and distribute innovative watches under the name Roger Dubuis and will operate as an autonomous Maison within Richemont. The group will provide full support to Manufacture ROGER DUBUIS in terms of sharing of important resources, expertise and shared services.
Manufacture ROGER DUBUIS believes strongly in the immense potential of the Mainland market: with the dedication of ROGER DUBUIS staff, the infra- structure and Richemont platform we shall explore this market in very soon future.
The ROGER DUBUIS Boutiques represent a refined and convivial world which blends modernity with timelessness. Apart from the current Boutique at the Pacific Place (Hong-Kong), we shall soon be opening up two new Boutiques at premiere locations within Greater China – at the Peninsula Hotel (Hong Kong) and on Huai Hai Road (Shanghai) – to offer our clients a friendly and original atmosphere that is resolutely contemporary and deeply personal.
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