Roger Dubuis Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar Steel (DBEX1209): The Cheapest Poinçon de Genève In Steel

Description

For the first time since 2007, Roger Dubuis has put its signature Biretrograde Calendar complication into a stainless-steel case — and crowned it with an integrated bracelet. The new Excalibur Biretrograde Calendar Steel (Ref. DBEX1209) is meaningfully more accessible than the precious-metal Biretrogrades that have anchored the line for nearly two decades, but it loses none of the technical and decorative DNA that made the model collectible in the first place. The in-house Calibre RD840 still carries the Poinçon de Genève seal, the dial is still a layered seven-element architectural piece, and the bracelet is still finished with the same hand-mixed brushed/polished/microblasted contrasts that Dubuis specialises in.

This is the W&W 2026 release that quietly punches above its weight: the headline news during the fair was about Roger Dubuis's haute-horlogerie pieces, but the steel Biretrograde is the watch that will actually expand the brand's collector base.

It is also a genuine homecoming for the Biretrograde, a complication first introduced in steel back in the early 2000s before being moved upmarket. The DBEX1209 brings it back to its origins — but with the modern RD840 architecture, modern proportions, and a properly modern integrated bracelet.

Design

The 40mm × 11.25mm stainless-steel case mixes microblasted, polished, and satin finishes across three flank surfaces, the bezel, and the lugs — a treatment that Roger Dubuis has refined over years of Excalibur production. The sapphire caseback exposes the calibre, which is one of the prettier sights in modern Geneva-Seal watchmaking.

The Cosmic Blue dial is built across seven layers: a double-surface Cosmic Blue flange running the periphery, sun-brushed ecliptic counters with a rhodium coating for the retrograde indications, a circular-brushed centre plate that frames the openworked centre showing the movement beneath, and applied indexes at the cardinal points. The retrograde day display sweeps at 9 o'clock, the retrograde date at 3 o'clock, and the small seconds runs at 6.

The integrated stainless-steel bracelet is fitted with Roger Dubuis's QRS (Quick Release System) on a triple folding clasp — the watch can be swapped to an additional included strap with a steel triple folding buckle without tools. The bracelet's links use the same brushed/polished interplay as the case, lending it a sport-luxe finish that would not look out of place against integrated bracelets at twice the money.

Specifications

Reference: DBEX1209
Case size: 40mm diameter × 11.25mm thick
Case material: Stainless steel (microblasted / polished / satin finishes)
Bezel: Stainless steel, mixed finishing
Crystal: Sapphire (front + caseback)
Dial: 7-layer Cosmic Blue with rhodium-coated sub-counters and openworked centre
Movement: Calibre RD840 (in-house, automatic), 4.10 mm thick
Configuration: 244 components, 40 jewels, decorated with 14 different finishing techniques
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 60 hours
Certification: Poinçon de Genève (Geneva Seal)
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, retrograde day, retrograde date
Water resistance: 100 m / 10 bar
Bracelet: Stainless-steel integrated bracelet with QRS quick-release triple folding clasp; additional strap included
Price: EUR 36,900 / USD 43,900 (pre-tax)

What's Exciting

Three things make this the most genuinely exciting Roger Dubuis release of the year. First, the Poinçon de Genève: at this price point, almost no other automatic with the Geneva Seal exists in steel with an integrated bracelet. Roger Dubuis remains the only serious-volume manufacture committed to having every watch it sells carry the seal — and at EUR 36,900 the Biretrograde Steel is the cheapest entry into Poinçon de Genève ownership the brand has offered in years.

Second, the biretrograde complication itself. Two retrograde indications running independently — one for day, one for date — is a far more demanding mechanism than a single retrograde. The springs, levers, and reset cams have to operate independently without robbing torque from the going train. The RD840 handles this with a 60-hour power reserve, which is class-leading for a biretrograde calibre.

Third, the aesthetic confidence of the dial. The Cosmic Blue 7-layer construction is not a marketing line — there are genuinely seven distinct levels of dial architecture visible from above the crystal, and the mix of openworked centre, sunray sub-counters, and microblasted flange is unusually well-resolved for a stainless-steel piece in this price bracket.

History

Roger Dubuis was founded in 1995 by master watchmaker Roger Dubuis (a former Patek Philippe restorer) and entrepreneur Carlos Dias, with a deliberate philosophy: every watch the brand produces would carry the Poinçon de Genève, the most stringent geographic and quality certification in Swiss watchmaking. The brand has stayed faithful to that promise across three decades and is now part of Richemont group.

The Biretrograde Calendar made its debut in the early 2000s and quickly became one of Roger Dubuis's signature complications. The original biretrograde reference (DBSE0179) was offered in stainless steel until around 2007, after which the model was repositioned upmarket into precious-metal cases — a move that aligned with the broader luxury market's price escalation in that era. The 2026 DBEX1209 is, in effect, a return to the model's origins after nearly twenty years away from steel. It carries the new RD840 architecture (a more modern self-winding movement than the original DBSE-series RD56xx calibres), a properly modern integrated bracelet, and a dial finishing language that has only become possible with the dial-craft techniques Roger Dubuis has accumulated since the launch of the Excalibur Spider Pirelli in 2017. Effectively: same complication, twenty years more know-how.