FAST TRACKED

The latest to emerge from Roger Dubuis’s partnership with Pirelli is a sizzling hot timepiece inspired by wintry road conditions

In the past two years, Roger Dubuis has increasingly focused its attention on developing men’s watches that are themed on motorsports. This shift hasn’t been lost even on the casual observer, not least because of the brand’s two partners’ high profi les. One is supercar maker Lamborghini (and its motorsports division Squadra Corse). The other is Pirelli.

As one of the largest tyre manufacturers globally, Pirelli operates at every echelon of the motoring world, especially its highest – the brand has been the exclusive tyre supplier of Formula One for nearly a decade. Roger Dubuis’s penchant for high performance motorsports led to an easy affi nity between the two brands that quickly bore fruit. The fi rst results of their partnership were unveiled in 2017 at Sihh, with the eight-piece limited- edition Excalibur Spider Pirelli Double Flying Tourbillon as their flagship.

Since then, Roger Dubuis and Pirelli have created several other timepieces in close collaboration. The latest to be unveiled is the Excalibur Pirelli Ice Zero 2. The inspiration this time is the eponymous Pirelli Ice Zero 2, a specialist tyre developed to deliver friction – and therefore control and performance – on icy roads in winter. The Ice Zero 2 does this via three features: embedded studs that create grip by “digging” into the ice, a special tread pattern that effectively disperses loose ice and dirt, and a soft tyre compound that generates greater friction.

Like how the tyre is the interface between the car and the road, a watch’s strap is what links the timepiece to its wearer. Roger Dubuis recognised this parallel by taking the Ice Zero 2’s unique performancecentric design and applying it to the Excalibur Pirelli Ice Zero 2’s strap, which comes complete with studs and tyre tread patterns. The watch itself complements this with an edgy, angular movement sporting the brand’s signature double flying tourbillon configuration.

The Excalibur Pirelli Ice Zero 2 will be produced in a very limited run of just eight pieces.

LIKE HOW THE TYRE IS THE INTERFACE BETWEEN THE CAR AND THE ROAD, A WATCH’S STRAP IS WHAT LINKS THE TIMEPIECE TO ITS WEARER