Edge to edge In a year in which brands are taking as few risks as possible, Roger Dubuis shone at SIHH with the launch of the new Pulsion collection

Edge to edge

In a year in which brands are taking as few risks as possible, Roger Dubuis shone at SIHH with the launch of the new Pulsion collection

This year Roger Dubuis completes a landmark two-year-long revamp of its collections. The results started showing last year with the high-profile launch of the La Monegasque collection. In a year when brands are strengthening their core collections and taking as few risks as possible, Roger Dubuis shone at SIHH 2012
with the launch of the new Pulsion collection. Targeted at a consumer Roger Dubuis calls the “venturer”, this new pillar of the brand’s portfolio is muscular, complex and unabashedly masculine.

The Pulsion Chronograph.

Lionel Favre, the designer behind the La Monegasque and the new Pulsion, told Indulge that

the maison began developing the collection two years ago. The signature element of the Pulsion’s design is the new full-size sapphire crystal that is screwed on to the case in lieu of a bezel. Favre told us that he arrived at the design after several iterations. He began by trying to conceive of a watch with a small and thin bezel. “But then I thought to myself, can I do away with the bezel entirely?” Favre wondered if he could attach the sapphire crystal directly on to the body of the watch. “The technical department told me I was crazy,” recalled Favre. One of the major challenges, he said, was having a screw-down crystal without sacrificing water resistance. “Besides the technical challenge, they were also afraid it would be too expensive.” In the end, Favre said, they were able to create a design that is waterproof up to 100m. “You can dive with this watch to that depth. It was a huge challenge.”
While the crystal itself is a signature element, the Pulsion is rich in other nuances. The numbers are engraved into the reverse of the glass and filled with solid Super-LumiNova. This provides superior visibility at night, the numbers appearing as if to float underneath the glass in three dimensions. The dial underneath is layered, with a variety of textures coming together to create a complex dial. For instance, while the flying tourbillon model has a skeletonized dial, the chronographs feature a number of surface finishes including the perlage and Geneva ribbing.

Inside each of the four Pulsion models launched this year beats an in-house movement that is 100% compliant with the Hallmark of Geneva standards. The Pulsion is currently available with two movements: the RD 505SQ handwound flying tourbillon, and the RD 680 self-winding chronograph. With the demand for Roger Dubuis booming in India, the Pulsion should please buyers looking for a watch that is slightly more muscular than the Monegasque and more complex than the Excalibur.