The New Artistic Revamp Dr. Woo Adds to the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Timepiece

Known for seeking inspiration from unexpected places, Roger Dubuis has reinterpreted the Excalibur's design with renowned tattoo artist Dr. Woo

Known for their disruptive and energetic designs, Roger Dubuis’ timepieces have established a reputation for being some of the most expressive watches in modern haute horlogerie. The manufacture has always sought inspiration from the most unlikely sources, and recently collaborated with Urban Art Tribe, a collective of urban culture artists. These newly-minted partners share similar approaches in their respective fields, with each one constantly pushing the boundaries with out-of-box thinking while demonstrating its technical expertise.

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A Daring Redesign

Thanks to this partnership, Roger Dubuis looks set to deliver an amazing line-up of novelties over the next few months, with the Excalibur Single Flying Tourbillion kicking things off as the inaugural model. From the Excalibur Eon Gold to the Excalibur Grey DLC Titanium, these new watches will introduce a cleaner case design that creates the impression of a slimmer silhouette, yet paradoxically enhancing the sense of depth and transparency. Even the calibres powering the watches have been reinvented; note how the signature Roger Dubuis star motif now levitates freely above the barrel as if suspended on thin air.

What’s more, Roger Dubuis’ approach has always been radically different from its contemporaries, from having multiple tourbillons in a single watch to utilising different designs that veer from the traditional variants of the device. In these new watches, a titanium lower cage and a cobalt upper cage serve to reduce the overall mass of the tourbillon, which improves both its efficiency as well as its precision.

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Above Brian Woo (aka Dr Woo) donning the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Dr Woo Monotourbillion

Brian Woo's Touch

Amidst all these exciting new pieces, the magnum opus of this debut has to be the limited-edition Roger Dubuis Excalibur Dr Woo Single Flying Tourbillion. This was a collaborative redesign by LA-based tattoo artist Brian Woo (better known by his moniker Dr Woo) who earned his renown with his hyper-realistic works that feature not just flawless geometric patterns but also ultra-fine lines. His signature style often presents itself as something that isn’t just minimalistic and refined, but also a rarity that straddles having both alternative appeal and mainstream popularity. It was thus a natural choice for Roger Dubuis to partner with Woo to give the Excalibur a refresh, given how the watch itself is built upon geometric shapes and angularity.

Luminescent and dazzling, this Roger Dubuis Excalibur Dr Woo Monotourbillion is certainly a tour de force of design

The watchface boasts a 'floating' appeal with its mechanisms, with the parts appearing suspended and apart from each other, giving rise to a skeletonised appearance

With its clean lines and geometric shapes, the watchface of the timepiece exudes a sleek and edgy appeal

Made with a titanium lower tourbillon cage—which is twice as light as a stainless steel one—and a mirror-polished Cobalt Chrome upper tourbillon cage, the Single Flying Tourbillion is one of the world's most lightweight tourbillions

Photo 1 of 4 Luminescent and dazzling, this Roger Dubuis Excalibur Dr Woo Single Flying Tourbillon is certainly a tour de force of design

Photo 2 of 4 The watchface boasts a 'floating' appeal with its mechanisms, with the parts appearing suspended and apart from each other, giving rise to a skeletonised appearance

Photo 3 of 4 With its clean lines and geometric shapes, the watchface of the timepiece exudes a sleek and edgy appeal

Photo 4 of 4 Made with a titanium lower tourbillon cage—which is twice as light as a stainless steel one—and a mirror-polished Cobalt Chrome upper tourbillon cage, the Single Flying Tourbillion is one of the world's most lightweight tourbillions

This new iteration echoes designer Brian Woo’s penchant for clean, well-defined line work for his tattoos. With its sharp lines and a sleek silhouette, the Excalibur Dr Woo Single Flying Tourbillon boasts an edgier feel than the rest of the series, and with only eight pieces available worldwide it is poised to be a highly sought after piece by horological enthusiasts.

Unlike previous iterations of the Excalibur, however, the star motif isn’t formed here with the main plate and bridges. Instead, a sapphire dial embellished with this signature—rendered in fine line a la Woo’s signature style—serves as the decorative feature. This aesthetic is mirrored on the back, where a stylised "cosmic map" expresses Woo's interpretation of the flow of time, which further adds to the celestial theme of the watch.

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Topics

Urban Art Tribe Timepieces Watches Dr. Woo Roger Dubuis Swiss Watch Manufacture Art Hyper Horology Monotourbillion Tourbillion Flying Tourbillion EON Gold Tattoo Artist Haute Horology

Tatler Asia

What You Need to Know About the Roger Dubuis and Dr. Woo Collaboration

A Daring Redesign

Brian Woo's Touch