Haute Timepieces: A Square Rebel in Roger Dubuis’ Kingsquare Tourbillon with Spessartites

Few luxury watches can get away with being this audacious. This watch isn’t weird, but it is a little crazy. Either perfect for the mischievous aristocrat, or an expensive embellishment to a Halloween ensemble, this orange and black watch from Roger Dubuis makes no apologies for its in-your-face attitude. However, being this bold is a deep component of the DNA of the Roger Dubuis brand. This unrestrained design looks like a watch equivalent of a Las Vegas Strip hotel. And with one on your wrist, you’ll walk around like you own the place as well.

The Kingsquare collection (and to an extent, Roger Dubuis at large) has recently become one of the rebel luxury watches, in my opinion. While it has all the makings of a connoisseur’s luxury timepiece, it has a certain disregard for the stuffy traditionalism that connotes most items that populate the world of haute horology. It just is not of a design they would dream up. What it shares however, are a finely made Swiss movement, and of course the price.

Likely the first thing you’ll notice upon handling a Roger Dubuis Kingsquare watch is the shape of the case. While it is admirably sized at 40mm wide, the case is faceted in two areas, making it appear as though it were folded to fit more properly over the wrist. This even applies to the sapphire crystal, though this fact is tough to tell when looking straight at the watch. The “bent” face is a bit harder to read, but what you sacrifice in utility, you really make up for in style.

Made in black coated titanium, the watch case is further embellished with a sporty trace of vulcanized rubber. Around the dial and on the lugs are a unique type of orange garnet stone called spessartites. There are 114 of these African gems on the case, with more on the dial flange as the hour markers. The orange color on the dial is gently metallic, and in the light they shine like a light silhouetting the Roman numeral hour markers. It wouldn’t be ostentatious luxury without at least one diamond—so there is one placed between the “Roger” and “Dubuis” on the face of the watch.    

Mechanically the watch has a Roger Dubuis Calibre RD02 manually wound flying tourbillon movement. The loveliness of the off-centered tourbillon purposefully cuts a hole in the watch reminding you of its machine innards. At the same time, a tourbillon’s best asset is to communicate that a watch’s value lies also in its complex movement—aside from the case material and any present precious stones. The rebellious spirit of the Roger Dubuis Kingsquare Tourbillon has a simple message: that it is no mere time telling tool. It is nonchalant in communicating the time, but it is assertive in pronouncing, “look at me.” Only for a handful of people, the watch is limited to just eight pieces. Priced at $136,000. www.rogerdubuis.com.  

1. 40mm wide black coated titanium case
2. Large off-centered one-minute flying tourbillon
3. Case and lugs set with orange colored spessartite stones
4. Hand-sewn black alligator strap

Ariel Adams is the Haute Living Watch Editor and also publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.