In case you missed it, Roger Dubuis are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. Don’t worry if you did, there are a lot of anniversaries going around at the moment. Czapek & Cie is ringing in a decade since their revival, Breguet is showing off a slate of 250th anniversary releases and Vacheron has turned the grand old age of 270. But nevertheless, Roger Dubuis are refusing to change the date of their party with some ultra-cool releases of their own. First, there was their throwback bi-retrograde, released at Watches & Wonders 2025, and now they’re following it up with thematically similar Hommage La Placide.
The Hommage La Placide starts in the same place as the earlier Excalibur Monobalancier Biretrograde Calendar, namely a modern reinterpretation of Roger Dubuis’ signature take on the day-date. In fact, despite the emphasis on skeletonization over the last few years, retrograde displays like this are emblematic of the founders’ unique approach to watchmaking.
The new watch still has the two arching retrograde displays – day on the left, date on the right – but adds months and leap years at 12 o’clock and moon phase at 6 o’clock, turning a day-date into a full perpetual calendar. This was always a favourite complication of Mr Roger Dubuis himself, so it was the obvious next step from the Monobalancier Biretrograde Calendar.
Aesthetically, it’s a stunner. The various displays are made from mother-of-pearl, while the main dial is a gorgeous ‘Leman Blue’, inspired by Lake Geneva. It’s the most classical Roger Dubuis we’ve seen in potentially decades and opens up an entire new (or should that be old?) aesthetic for the conceptually Avante Garde watchmaker. At 38mm of rose gold, it’s also the most wearable piece they’ve built for a long, long time.
It’s not just the complication and look that pay tribute to Roger Dubuis history either. The calibre RD1472 is actually a combination of movements. The base movement is the RD14, a revamped version of Roger Dubuis’ first automatic calibre from 2004. This has been combined with the RD72, a perpetual calendar module first used in 1999, the second time the watchmaker has combined the two.
Not that the RD1472 is a new old stock movement or anything; the combined movement needed over half its parts remade and adjustments made to ensure it was still worthy of the Poinçon de Geneve. Criteria for the Geneva seal have changed since the 90s, the old movement needed to change with them. The result is a downright beautiful movement with a 48-hour power reserve (impressive given the energy consumption of retrograde displays) and 15 different finishes.
As for the name, La Placide might sound like an odd moniker for a watch like this. Granted, it’s a bit calmer than a fully skeletonised Excalibur, but it’s not exactly shy and retiring. The name however actually comes from Roger Dubuis himself, dubbed ‘placide’ by his friends. Fun story, even if I’m not sure how well it translates here.
Either way, the Hommage La Placide isn’t just a stunning watch, it’s a welcome return to the early days of Roger Dubuis. Their intense, over-the-top breed of modern watchmaking has evidently served them well, but this more classical approach is a breath of fresh air. It also has me genuinely hoping for a reissued Millesime RD180. Now that is a beautiful watch.
Price and Specs:
More details at Roger Dubuis.
