Roger Dubuis Introduces Hajime Sorayama Collab

Swiss brand Roger Dubuis has made a point of collaborating with contemporary artists — last year, it recruited tattoo artist Dr. Woo to design a watch — and now, the brand is releasing a project with Hajime Sorayama.

Best known for his mirrored, metallic, female robots — which were the centerpiece of Dior's 2019 men's collection — the Japanese illustrator applied his aesthetic to Roger Dubuis' signature timeonly wristwatch to create the Excalibur Sorayama Monobalancier.

Tapping into his boundary- breaking style, Sorayama endowed the watch with hyperexpressive details, provocative curves, and a sculptural grade 5 titanium finish that enhances the sharp 42mm case design and contrasts with finishes usually marked in Roger Dubuis masterpieces.

The artist also reimagined Roger Dubuis' micro- rotor to create a hypnotizing moiré optical illusion initiated by the natural fluid movements of the wearer's wrist.

Equipped with an automatic calibre, the timepiece's power reserve of the RD720SQ was increased by Roger Dubuis engineers by up to 72 hours, with microrotor vibrations greatly reduced, and diamond- coated silicon meant to allow for an improved escapement wheel and adjustable pallet stones, creating new standards of horological craftsmanship.

The Sorayama edition also sports several features that are new for the brand, such as the fully polished titanium bracelet equipped with a quick- release mechanism for easy strap interchangeability.

The Excalibur Sorayama Monobalancier will be limited to only 28 pieces, made available to Sorayama's native Japan first before the rest of the world.

The Sorayama release will mark the third timepiece from Roger Dubuis "Urban Culture Tribe" series. —