The big news for Roger Dubuis at the Salon International de la Haute Horology (SIHH 2012) show was the launch of the all new Pulsion collection. The collection consists of a skeletonized flying tourbillon and three openworked chronographs.

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The Roger Dubuis Velvet Amethysts and Spinels timepiece Black Velvet was in my opinion the nicest ladies' timepiece I saw at the Salon International de la Haute Horoology (SIHH) last week.

The Black Velvet comes in a 36 mm diameter black DLC treated titanium case. The bezel is set with 46 amethysts (0.74 cts approx.). The lugs and decor set with 40 spinels (0.50 ct approx.)

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In celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Geneva Seal, Roger Dubuis presents the limited edition Excalibur Flying Tourbillon Monopusher Chronograph.This timepiece will be the first Roger Dubuis timepiece to meet the recently unveiled changes to the Geneva Seal requirements.

Apart from more stringent movement finishing standards, a number of objective quality tests must now be passed in order to earn the Geneva Seal. Previously, the seal did not encompass performance testing, it was strictly about aesthetics. Now, certification of the cased watch is conducted by testing water-resistance, accuracy and functions. For example, the timepiece must now be accurate to within +/- 1 minute or less after seven days on a machine simulating the motions of the wearer. Water-resistance ratings and functions must meet the figures promised by the manufacturer. Another notable change, is a requirement that when casing-up the timepiece, the clamps and braces must be finished and the screws holding them must be polished.

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Scottish actor, Gerald Butler, is the new ambassador for Geneva-based modern haute horology manufacture Roger Dubuis. He originally became a fan of the brand after seeing one in the window of a watch store. He then sought to discover more about the brand and eventually ended up touring the manufacture with CEO George Kern. Gerald Butler says, "watchmaking is just like the cinema, it hides a precise mechanism which must then generate emotion."

Roger Dubuis recently unveiled the Easy Diver Black Swan. The new diver comes in a 46 mm stainless steel case with a black ceramic unidirectional 60-minute dive bezel. The dial features applied luminous hour markers in either black, white or orange (shown). The Black Swan is powered by a RD in-house self-winding caliber stamped with the Geneva Seal. Black rubber diver strap.

Retail $20,890

2010 Super Bowl Champion quarterback, Aaron Rogers, is seen here wearing a Roger Dubuis Excalibur wristwatch. Photo taken during 2011 ESPY award show.

The Richemont Group's contemporary haute horology brand Roger Dubuis (which was purchased in 2008) has recently implemented a number of changes within their product lines, although, aside from evolutionary changes to the designs and movements, for the most part, the core collections have stayed mostly the same. For SIHH 2011, they did, however, bring one completely new timepiece collection to market, the La Monégasque Chonrograph. I actually had a chance to preview the case design of this new model during a recent tour of the Roger Dubuis factory, but previewing the actual timepiece is obviously more preferable, as you can actually see what it will look like, as opposed merely seeing an empty plastic case. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the finished version of this new timepiece, as it is more appealing than I had imagined it would be.

The new cushion case -- combined with a robust Roger Dubuis RD680 in-house column-wheel chronograph caliber, that has both the Geneva Seal and COSC certification (they are currently the only brand to offer both certifications) -- makes for a very appealing timepiece. The Geneva Seal guarantees the consumer is buying a movement finished to the highest industry standards, by hand. And the COSC (chronometer certification) guarantees that the movement is very accurate (5+/- seconds per day, or better). The dial is very clean, and fits very well with contemporary Roger Dubuis styling. This model is unique, and over time should become a very distinguishable model within the Roger Dubuis collection. It is available is gold or steel, and production is not limited.

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The October print issue of International Watch has a special 5-page feature about the current state of the Manufacture Roger Dubuis, titled "Seals of Approval," written by IW editor Michael Thompson. For the feature, IW published a photograph I took of the manufacture for the opening shot. The web optimized original is (shown below).

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ProfessionalWatches feature on Roger Dubuis.