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 · Velvet
Roger Dubuis Velvet 38 mm Blue Quartz
Reference 18642OR.55
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Roger Dubuis
- Collection
- Velvet
- Model
- Roger Dubuis Velvet 38 mm Blue Quartz
- Reference number
- 18642OR.55
- Year / era
- 2007 · 2000s — modern production
- Complication
- GMT / second time zone
- Movement
- In-house tourbillon, manual-winding
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Dial type
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Strap / bracelet
- Milanese mesh
- Water resistance
- 100 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 38 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.8 mm
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Bezel
- Octagonal with 8 hexagonal screws
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Hands
- Rhodium-plated baton hands with luminous fill
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- Milanese mesh
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 100 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 87C — In-house tourbillon, manual-winding
- Movement type
- Automatic, self-winding
- Frequency
- 36,000 vph (5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 70 hours
- Number of jewels
- 37 jewels
- Complications
- GMT / second time zone
- Functions
- Dive time, running seconds
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 2007 – 2014
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Gérald Genta
Gérald Genta (1931–2011) trained as a goldsmith in Geneva and became the most influential watch designer of the 20th century. Working freelance, he sketched the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak overnight in 1970, followed by the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the IWC Ingenieur SL and the Bulgari Bulgari — defining the integrated-bracelet luxury sports watch as a category.
Historical significance
Roger Dubuis Velvet 38 mm Blue Quartz sits within Roger Dubuis's Velvet line, introduced in 2007. It carries the house codes established since 1995 — quartz tpt case, blue "grande tapisserie" dial and in-house tourbillon, manual-winding — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
- 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.