By now Roger Dubuis’ Excalibur Knights of the Round Table is a staple of high watchmaking, a haute horology take on Arthurian legend that’s as magnificent as it is over-the-top. But while there have been a fair few versions of the twelve knights arrayed around the dial – from faceted future knights to the more recent Giant’s Causeway stylings in honour of Merlin – now the Geneva watchmaker is going Japanese with the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Kabuto.
If Japan has an analogue to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table it would be the bushō of the Edo period. These were the samurai commanders that, following the intensely bloody Sengoku period of civil war, established an unprecedented time of peace and stability as Daimyo of the Tokugawa shogunate. Basically, if you’ve watched the impeccable Shōgun TV show, these are the warlords-turned-administrators that kept the promise of a unified Japan.
It’s these bushō that form the basis of the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Kabuto. The Kabuto itself is a ceremonial helmet representing the wearer’s clan – the twelve most influential of which have been arrayed around the Excalibur’s open dial. Each helmet has been sculpted in the atelier of Vaucher before being finished in Roger Dubuis’ own workshops.
It’s hard to appreciate just how beautifully finished these helmets are. Given their size, it’s difficult to see every detail, even with a loupe, from the various polished and brushed surfaces to the delicate crests. But just in case your eyesight is less-than-hawklike, the samurai represented include the laurel leaves of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu himself at 12 o’clock along with the legendary Four Heavenly Kings: the antlers of Honda Tadakatsu at 1 o’clock; the sword crest of Sakai Tadatsugu at 2 o’clock; another sword crest at 4 o’clock representing Sakakibara Yasumasa and Ii Naomasa’s towering horns at 9 o’clock.
If this all sounds like a Japanese history lesson, that’s because Roger Dubuis have done their research. The Swiss watchmaker consulted with Frederik Cryns, the same man that worked on FX’s Shōgun series for historical accuracy.
These samurai don’t have a Round Table. Instead, their period of unification was centred on Edo Castle, a structure defined by its tiered, irimoya roof. Here, the fortress sits dead centre of the dial represented by concentric, indigo blue coated squares. The effect is stately and a lot more visually streamlined than recent Knights of the Round Table pieces. Indigo, incidentally, is a colour associated with Samurai clothing, something we picked up from Grand Seiko earlier this year.
Behind the new watch is the RD821 automatic movement, the same calibre of course behind previous Knights of the Round Table watches. That means a 60-hour power reserve but, more importantly, Poinçon de Genève finishing. In this particular instance, that comes in the form of more indigo coating and the crests of the 12 clans represented by their kabuto on the front.
Finally, the watch is set on a segmented calf leather strap. These segments are made from patinated leather and secured with the cross stitches emblematic of samurai armour – just one final flourish that ties the entire, 45mm, rose gold masterpiece together.
Limited to 28 pieces, the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Kabuto is a showpiece not just of Roger Dubuis’ exceptional finishing nor of their near absurd historical attention to detail. It’s also a showcase of the surprising versatility Excalibur Knights of the Round Table can be.
Price and Specs:
More details at Roger Dubuis.
