Roger Dubuis

Who are Roger Dubuis?

Roger Dubuis is a Swiss watch manufacture in Meyrin, in the canton of Geneva, founded in 1995 by the watchmaker Roger Dubuis and Carlos Dias (Wikipedia; SJX). It has been owned by Richemont since 2008, outright since 2016, and its in-house calibres are certified with the Poinçon de Genève, the Geneva Seal (Richemont). This page covers its history, collections and ownership, then what to check when buying a second-hand Roger Dubuis in the UK.

Today the brand is known for large, skeletonised Excalibur watches with tourbillons, and for motorsport partnerships with Lamborghini Squadra Corse and Pirelli (Wikipedia).

The history of Roger Dubuis

Roger Dubuis’s history runs from a watchmaker’s career at Longines and Patek Philippe, through a company founded in 1995 that made all its watches to the Geneva Seal, to a Richemont brand known for skeletonised sports and complicated watches.

The watchmaker. SJX says Roger Dubuis started at Longines in the late 1950s, spending most of nine years in after-sales repairs, then spent 14 years at Patek Philippe as a constructor and watchmaker in the high complications workshop. He left Patek in 1980 to open a small workshop repairing watches and clocks for collectors, auction houses and brands (SJX).

The founding. In 1995 Dubuis and Carlos Dias founded the Société Genevoise des Montres, SOGEM; Dubuis was 57 (SJX). The company became Manufacture Roger Dubuis SA in 1999 (Wikipedia). It launched with two lines: the Sympathie, a cushion-shaped case with sharpened corners, and the Hommage, modelled on a 1950s Patek Philippe chronograph case (SJX). SJX says all its early watches were certified as chronometers by the Besançon Observatory and carried the Geneva Seal. By 2006, according to Wikipedia, the company claimed 28 calibres of its own, all with the seal.

Growth under Carlos Dias. SJX describes Dias as the driving force behind the brand’s larger, bolder designs and its move to making its own movements. The manufacture in Meyrin was built in 2001 and inaugurated in 2002 (Wikipedia). Dubuis himself retired in 2003; SJX says accounts of his shareholding vary, with some putting it at about 10%. The Excalibur collection followed in 2005, together with the RD01SQ, a double flying tourbillon calibre (Wikipedia).

Richemont. On 11 August 2008 Richemont announced that it had acquired a controlling interest, in a private transaction with Carlos Dias; the release’s headline gives the stake as 60 per cent (Richemont). In January 2016 Reuters reported that Richemont had bought the remaining 40% and a spokeswoman said, “We now hold 100% of Roger Dubuis” (TradingSat, translated). SJX says Roger Dubuis later returned to the brand as an ambassador. He died on 14 October 2017 (SJX; Wikipedia).

New lines. La Monégasque arrived in 2011, Velvet, the brand’s first collection for women, and the sports line Pulsion in 2012, and the first Knights of the Round Table watch in 2013 (Wikipedia). The Excalibur Quatuor of 2013 used the RD101 calibre, with four sprung balances linked by five differentials (Wikipedia). Wikipedia cites specialist-press estimates that output fell from about 25,000 watches a year before 2008 to about 5,000 by the late 2010s; the company does not publish figures.

Recent years. Nicola Andreatta left as chief executive in 2023, Emmanuel Perrin served as interim chief executive, and David Chaumet was appointed in June 2024 (Wikipedia). For its 30th anniversary in 2025 the brand released the Excalibur Grande Complication, limited to eight pieces, and the Hommage La Placide (Wikipedia). Its 2026 novelties, shown at Watches and Wonders Geneva, include perpetual calendars and a central tourbillon (Richemont).

What is Roger Dubuis known for?

Roger Dubuis is known for the Geneva Seal, for skeletonised Excalibur watches with tourbillons and unusual regulators, and for its motorsport partnerships.

The Geneva Seal. Richemont says Roger Dubuis’s craftspeople build in-house calibres certified with it, and Wikipedia says almost all of the brand’s watches carry it.

Skeletonisation. Wikipedia describes the brand’s identity since the 2010s as centred on mechanical aesthetics, skeletonisation and large cases. Its first skeleton calibre appeared in 2005, and the RD01SQ of that year was a skeleton double flying tourbillon; later skeleton calibres include flying tourbillons and an automatic with a micro-rotor (Wikipedia).

Unusual regulators. The RD101 “Quatuor” movement uses four sprung balances and five differentials, an arrangement intended to reduce the effect of gravity on timekeeping (Wikipedia).

In-house calibres. Wikipedia says the brand has developed more than 40 exclusive calibres since 1995. Our guide to in-house and outsourced movements explains why that matters for servicing.

Motorsport. Since the mid-2010s Roger Dubuis has worked with Lamborghini Squadra Corse and Pirelli and sponsored the Lamborghini Super Trofeo championship; its RD103SQ was the first movement co-developed with Lamborghini Squadra Corse (Wikipedia).

Which Roger Dubuis collections are there?

Roger Dubuis’s current range centres on the Excalibur, including the sporting Excalibur Spider, the Knights of the Round Table and the revived Hommage (Wikipedia; Richemont). Earlier lines include the Sympathie, La Monégasque, Velvet and Pulsion (SJX; Wikipedia).

The collections table on this page gives the year each family began, where known, and a line on each. A few points help when you read listings:

• Excalibur variants. The name covers watches as different as a monobalancier, a monotourbillon, a double tourbillon and a flyback chronograph (Wikipedia). Read the full model name and reference, not just “Excalibur”.
• Limited editions. Many models are made in limited numbers, such as the eight-piece Excalibur Grande Complication of 2025 (Wikipedia). Match the number on the watch to the papers.
• Older watches. Sympathie, Hommage and other pre-2008 watches come from the company’s early, pre-Richemont years.

Who owns Roger Dubuis?

Roger Dubuis is owned by Richemont, the Swiss luxury group. Richemont announced a controlling interest on 11 August 2008, bought from co-founder Carlos Dias (Richemont), and took full ownership in January 2016 when it bought the remaining 40% (Reuters via TradingSat). Le Temps, cited by Reuters, named the seller of that 40% as Akram Aljord.

David Chaumet has been chief executive since June 2024 (Richemont; Wikipedia). Richemont’s other watch brands include Cartier, Vacheron Constantin and Jaeger-LeCoultre (Richemont).

Buying a Roger Dubuis watch second-hand in the UK: what to check

Check the papers and the Geneva Seal, find out which calibre the watch has and when it was last serviced, ask about any remaining warranty, and run a stolen-watch check.

1. Papers and the full set. Ask which items come with the watch and whether they are originals, and check that the serial number on the papers matches the watch. Our guide to what “full set” means explains what each item proves.

2. Geneva Seal and calibre. Check that the movement carries the Geneva Seal where the model should have it, and ask which calibre is fitted. A tourbillon, a Quatuor and a monobalancier are very different watches to service.

3. Servicing. Complicated and skeletonised movements need specialist work. Ask when the watch was last serviced, by whom, and for the paperwork. Our guide on how to care for a mechanical watch covers what a service involves.

4. Warranty. In 2013 Roger Dubuis announced a 24-month manufacture guarantee, plus 12 more months for watches bought or serviced at its boutiques or authorised retailers and registered online (WorldTempus). Ask the seller whether any warranty remains. See watch warranties explained and our guide to grey-market and authorised dealers.

5. Authenticity and theft. Buy from a seller who will put authenticity in writing and accept returns, and have the watch checked by a watchmaker you choose. Our guide on how to spot a fake watch covers what a watchmaker looks at, and our stolen-watch check guide lists the UK registers to search before you pay.

For the full process from setting a budget to collecting the watch, see the guide to buying a luxury watch.

Frequently asked questions

Who owns Roger Dubuis?

Richemont, which took a controlling interest in 2008 and full ownership in 2016 (Richemont; Reuters via TradingSat).

Who founded Roger Dubuis?

The watchmaker Roger Dubuis and Carlos Dias, in Geneva in 1995 (SJX).

Where are Roger Dubuis watches made?

At the manufacture in Meyrin, in the canton of Geneva, inaugurated in 2002 (Wikipedia).

Do Roger Dubuis watches have the Geneva Seal?

Richemont says the brand’s in-house calibres are certified with the Poinçon de Genève, and Wikipedia says almost all its watches carry it.

Does Roger Dubuis make its own movements?

Yes. Wikipedia says the brand has developed more than 40 exclusive calibres since 1995, and Richemont describes its calibres as in-house.

What is the Roger Dubuis Excalibur?

The brand’s main collection, launched in 2005, with versions including monotourbillon, double tourbillon, monobalancier and the sporting Excalibur Spider (Wikipedia).

What is the Knights of the Round Table watch?

A métiers d’art line illustrating the Arthurian legend, first shown in 2013, with hand-sculpted miniature knights as hour markers (Wikipedia). Richemont says the series has continued in chapters, the fourth featuring Merlin.

Is Roger Dubuis linked to Lamborghini?

Yes. Since the mid-2010s the brand has worked with Lamborghini Squadra Corse and Pirelli (Wikipedia).

This page is general information. Watch60 is independent and has no commercial relationship with Roger Dubuis or Richemont.

We check the facts on this page against the sources listed, and it is correct to the best of our knowledge as of October 2026. Brands change their warranty, servicing and sales terms, so confirm them with the brand or the seller before you buy.