The limited-to-28 pieces Roger Dubuis Hommage La Placide celebrates the craft and sensibilities of its founder
When you first start out as a watch writer, no one tells you that half the job is answering the same “What’s next in horology?” question again and again. It’s an amusing exercise, especially in a field as traditional as fine watchmaking. For the past few years, of course, the answer has often orbited around smaller cases and designs that borrow freely from the past.
This renewed interest in vintage language has given the industry’s most established maisons fresh reason to revisit their archives to reinterpret their treasured icons for contemporary collectors. After all, when your history runs deep, it’s only natural to draw from it. So where does that leave a watchmaker like Roger Dubuis, who only recently celebrated its 30-year-anniversary?
It must be said that Roger Dubuis is no ordinary watchmaker. Founded in 1995 by Roger Dubuis, the eponymous maison has built its reputation on a blend of classical Geneva craft, highly complicated calibres, and a willingness to bend established codes. It is thus a testament to the maison’s pedigree and ingenious spirit that, amid its recent focus on hypermodern forms and avant-garde expression, watch enthusiasts often long for the watchmaker to return to its more classically-inclined collections.
They now have reason to rejoice. Offered in a limited release of 28 pieces, the maison’s latest timepiece, the Hommage La Placide, is an exquisite self-referential tribute to the craft and sensibilities of Monsieur Roger Dubuis. Those familiar with the original Roger Dubuis Hommage collection, first released in 1996, will notice a wholesome irony here.
The first Hommage pieces were created by Roger Dubuis as a tribute to the watchmakers who shaped his career. Three decades later, the Hommage La Placide now turns that gesture inward, honouring the man himself. Even the watch’s name, La Placide, is a nod to Dubuis’ childhood nickname—one he earned during his days as a scout, and which he would carry through life for his calm and contemplative nature.
It is no surprise then that the timepiece, rendered in a striking combination of pink gold and deep blue, carries both the aesthetic and horological elements that made Roger Dubuis such a respected watchmaker. While the exquisite 38mm pink gold case will immediately catch the eye, it is the dial, with its multitude of finishes, complications, and symmetrical layout that will most hold attention.
The dial achieves depth in both figurative and literal fashion. Arranged in five distinct layers, the composition draws the eye inward with its interplay of textures, finishes, and hues. The deep blue of the main plate—a tone inspired by the waters of Lake Léman that Roger Dubuis once gazed upon during his student days—serves as a backdrop for the maison’s signature biretrograde perpetual calendar display. The semi-circular scales, hand-bevelled and crafted in mother-of-pearl, are positioned symmetrically across the dial, adding a sheen-like sophistication to the overall composition.
At 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock, meanwhile, you’ll find a month-and-leap-year counter crafted in mother-of-pearl and a moonphase rendered in deep blue aventurine with domed yellow-gold moons. Completing the dial are a rhodium-coated flange with mirror-polished angles and finely finished pink-gold hour and minute hands. For the biretrograde display, semi-openworked brass hands coated in pink gold are employed; their lighter construction offering improved performance.
Powered by the Calibre RD1472, the Hommage La Placide unites two historic Roger Dubuis calibres —the RD14 first developed in 2004, and the RD72 perpetual calendar module, originally introduced in 1999. For this new creation, the manufacture undertook the painstaking process of restoring original components from the early 2000s and remanufacturing others entirely in-house. The result is a 4Hz, 48-hour power reserve movement that boasts 15 distinct decoration techniques, including bevelling, perlage, circular graining, Geneva stripes, and mirror polishing.
Meticulously finished, the timepiece—as with every Roger Dubuis creation—meets the standards of the Poinçon de Genève, one of the world’s most exacting seals of horological excellence. Beyond guaranteeing aesthetic refinement, the certification also ensures chronometric precision, with tests performed on the entire assembled watch.
