WatchPro – August 2019

(Nancy Kaufman) #1
ROGER DUBUIS DROPS THE HAMMER ON
EXCALIBUR LAMBORGHINI HURACÁN
PERFORMANTE

Roger Dubuis customers love its association with Lamborghini and an Excalibur model
designed in partnership with the carmaker’s racing team, Lamborghini Squadra Corse, is a
perfect example.
The watch takes its name and design cues from the Lamborghini Huracán Performante that is
used by the Squadra Corse team and all rival teams in Super Trofeo races.
The Excalibur Huracán Performante uses a new movement, the RD630, which has a 12 degree
inclined balance wheel representing the calibre signature associated with Lamborghini.
Visual elements and ideas borrowed from the supercar include the use of the hexagon
geometrical figure that is used to construct the volume of the supercar. It appears throughout the
timepiece in various guises and is notably reproduced to symbolise strut bars.
The stand-out half hexagon appearing on the louvered air intakes of the Lamborghini
Huracán Performante are repeated as miniature versions visible
through the openwork dial of the Excalibur Huracán Performante
timepiece.
Other special decoration includes a new crown inspired
by racing nuts on supercar wheels, a twin-barrel ‘energy
tank’ and a multi-material ‘spoiler’, used for the
decorative openworked bridges.
Viewed from the back, even the complete circular
weight of the automatic movement emulates the
design of the wheel rims of Lamborghini’s Huracán
family.
Offering the same blend of performance, lightness and
security as its namesake supercar, the Excalibur Huracán
Performante timepiece sports distinctive “Technical Titan
Grey” livery complete with signature bright yellow accents.
The 45mm watch is made in a limited run of 88 pieces.

a very different way and it is a very
disruptive and different brand and
I think there couldn’t be a better
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Dubuis.”
He also addressed the brands
tagline of ‘Dare to be Rare’ which
alludes to the fact the brand is brave
enough to be a rare commodity,
something Mr Andreatta wants to
keep up during his tenure.
He refers back to his trade-off
between having that all important
exclusivity while continuing to stay
visible and how he is keen not to
increase production.
Roger Dubuis’ CEO says: “I’m not
planning to increase production and
I go back to what I said, this has to
be that kind of a secret brand where
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the more you dilute the equity by
going with mass, the less you remain
exclusive.
“That said, we need to be known
so I have that trade-off between
exclusivity and visibility and we need
to manage it in the right way in order
to have that message.”
Looking ahead at what he wants
to achieve in the foreseeable future,
Mr Andreatta has set out to do more
of the same, just better.
He predicts: “Well, I wouldn’t
say I want to dramatically change
things, I think my predecessor did
an amazing job in designing the
path but I now want to do things
even better. I want to make sure we
keep innovating, we are creating a
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dedicated to innovation, constantly.”
Concluding: “It will be a virtual and
physical place where people can
meet to share ideas, to invent, come
with craziness and that will be really

the driver to our future creations.
Again, I don’t think it changes much
from what we have been doing in
the past, but we will just try to do it
better.”

ROGER DUBUIS / VIEW FROM THE TOP


watchpro.com / AUGUST 2019 / WATCHPRO 17

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