Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Roger Dubuis · Excalibur
Roger Dubuis Excalibur 40 mm Black 18k
Reference 23098OR.18
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Roger Dubuis
- Collection
- Excalibur
- Model
- Roger Dubuis Excalibur 40 mm Black 18k
- Reference number
- 23098OR.18
- Year / era
- 1995 · 1990s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Tourbillon
- Movement
- In-house automatic micro-rotor
- Case material
- 18k white gold
- Dial type
- Black lacquer
- Strap / bracelet
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Water resistance
- 100 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 40 mm
- Case thickness
- 10.2 mm
- Case material
- 18k white gold
- Bezel
- Baguette diamond rainbow
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Black lacquer
- Hands
- Skeletonised sword hands, white luminescent
- Indexes
- Diamond-set hour markers
- Bracelet / strap
- Rubber strap with titanium clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Folding clasp in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 100 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 78F — In-house automatic micro-rotor
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 55 hours
- Number of jewels
- 37 jewels
- Complications
- Tourbillon
- Functions
- Annual calendar, moon phase
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1995 – 2003
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
In-house design studio
The reference was drawn by the manufacture's internal design office, where case, dial and movement architects work alongside the watchmakers rather than as an outside commission.
Historical significance
Roger Dubuis Excalibur 40 mm Black 18k sits within Roger Dubuis's Excalibur line, introduced in 1995. It carries the house codes established since 1995 — 18k white gold case, black lacquer dial and in-house automatic micro-rotor — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
The House
Roger Dubuis
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1995
- Founder
- Roger Dubuis & Carlos Dias
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Ultra-Luxury & Haute Horlogerie
- Major collections
- Excalibur, Excalibur Spider, Velvet, Monovortex, Knights of the Round Table
- Signature technologies
- Hand-applied guilloché dials · In-house hairspring production · Composite and ceramic case materials
- Famous movements
- In-house tourbillon, manual-winding · In-house automatic micro-rotor · In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor · In-house manual-winding, hand-finished
- Notable watches
- Roger Dubuis Excalibur 40 mm Black 18k (1995) · Roger Dubuis Excalibur 43 mm Silvered Sapphire (1995) · Roger Dubuis Excalibur 39 mm Silvered Sapphire (1995) · Roger Dubuis Excalibur 38 mm Blue 18k (1995)
Brand history
Roger Dubuis has spent more than 31 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Excalibur, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Roger Dubuis & Carlos Dias established Roger Dubuis in 1995, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Roger Dubuis calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1995
Roger Dubuis & Carlos Dias founds Roger Dubuis in Switzerland.
2024
Roger Dubuis continues to produce Excalibur, Excalibur Spider, Velvet and other icons in limited numbers.