The new Hommage La Placide, a pink gold perpetual calendar in a limited edition of 28 pieces, is a tribute to Roger Dubuis.
Roger Dubuis celebrates its first thirty years with an exclusive creation that represents a return to its origins: the Hommage La Placide, a 28-piece limited edition timepiece that pays tribute to the Maison's founder. Using a 38 mm 18-carat rose gold case, this watch perfectly embodies Monsieur Roger Dubuis' vision, combining original and reworked components in the same movement.
The beating heart of the Hommage La Placide is the IWC-manufactured RD1472 calibre (28,800 vibrations per hour, 48-hour power reserve, pink gold rotor), created by combining the 2004 RD14 automatic movement with the RD72 perpetual calendar module. This is the second time in the history of the Maison that these two calibres have been assembled together, creating a 307-component movement embellished with 15 haute horlogerie finishes.
Roger Dubuis Hommage La Placide: limited edition of 28 pieces
This tribute to Roger Dubuis is driven by the manufactory-made calibre RD1472, awarded the Poinçon de Genève.
The calibre RD14, the first automatic movement developed in-house by Roger Dubuis, has been meticulously restored and certified to current Poinçon de Genève standards. The company's watchmakers subjected each calibre to extensive testing, even reconfiguring the axes of the gear train for optimal precision. The RD72 module introduces Monsieur Roger Dubuis' favourite complication: the perpetual calendar with a biretrograde indication (date at 3 o'clock and day at 9 o'clock). This mechanism combines the day, date, month, leap year and moon phases through a system of two star wheels that are perfectly synchronised to display the month and leap year on the same counter at 12 o'clock, using coaxial spheres.
The biretrograde indication represents Roger Dubuis' most cherished stylistic signature, a display in which the calendar spheres slide elegantly along semicircular scales and then return instantaneously to zero at the end of each cycle. This type of indication, reminiscent of the original 1995 designs, is distinguished by the stairs that widen outwards and narrow in the centre, creating that characteristic elliptical feel that enthusiasts immediately recognise as a Roger Dubuis hallmark.
The dial of the Hommage La Placide is developed on five superimposed levels, each with specific decorations. The outer flange features a circular satin finish with rhodium treatment, printed numerals and mirror-polished corners. The mother-of-pearl calendar segments, with hand-bevelled edges, house the retrograde day and date indications. The main plate is lacquered in 'Leman Blue', a tribute to Lake Geneva, which Monsieur Roger Dubuis admired daily during his train journeys between Geneva and Vevey in his formative years. This deep blue hue creates a particular visual contrast with the mother-of-pearl counters and pink gold applied indexes.
Hommage La Placide: 5-level dial
The name of this new creation comes from the nickname that Monsieur Roger Dubuis received in his childhood years.
The deepest level houses the moon phase disc in blue aventurine (at 6 o'clock), punctuated by two slightly convex 18-carat yellow gold moons, that seem to float in the night sky. This layering creates a three-dimensional effect that invites the viewer to explore the artistic complexity of the dial.
The name 'La Placide' comes from the childhood nickname 'Placide' that Roger Dubuis received in his scouting days and reflects his calm, gentle character and the discreet wisdom he brought to the world of haute horlogerie. This watch is therefore not only a technical tribute, but also an emotional homage to the man who redefined Genevan watchmaking expressiveness.
With a 38 mm diameter by 11 mm thick pink gold case, the Hommage La Placide is an example of refined elegance. The sapphire crystal case back allows one to admire the 15 traditional finishes of the movement, from the chamfering of the wheels to the mirror polishing, from the circular perlage to the côtes de Genève. The watch is combined with an interchangeable blue calfskin strap, fastened with a pink gold triple buckle, engraved with the Roger Dubuis logo.
Price115,000 euro (excluding tax).
