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Roger Dubuis and Italdesign partner up: complications on the road

BMW M1 from 1979
The BMW M1 is Italdesign’s most famous work

Geneva watchmaker Roger Dubuis and world-renowned Italian designer Italdesign will announce a partnership at the 2017 Geneva International Motor Show in March. To start things up an eight-piece limited edition of the Excalibur Spider Single Tourbillon was created bearing Italdesign colours.

The limited edition Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Italdesign Edition comes in a striking combination of carbon and ceramic sporting the Italian national colours. During SIHH 2017 Roger Dubuis presented a collection made with Pirelli F1 tyres and now follows another Italian institute in the automotive world, Italdesign. Italdesign is best known for creating cutting-edge prototype showcars ever since it was founded in Moncalieri in 1968. With a client list that includes some of the world’s top brands, the company has been the brains behind a distinguished number of iconic Italian design legends and is a reference in the field today. The 1970 Volkswagen Tapiro (scroll down to see it) would still be a looker on the road today and same goes for the Alfa Romeo Iguana (on the left of the VW) from a year earlier and the most famous Italdesign-car, the BMW M1 from 1979.

Italian flag tourbillon

Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Italdesign EditionBold, sporty and clearly recognisable, the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Italdesign Edition picks up the signature features of Roger Dubuis skeleton timepieces with their star shaped design, tourbillon carriage in the shape of a Celtic cross and high-end finishing, including the circular-grained plate of a hand-wound Calibre RD505SQ. The Excalibur Spider Italdesign Edition is a colourful expression of design and technicality with red-tipped skeleton hands and red rubber vulcanised titanium crown, the green, white and red of the Italian fag on the dial and green, white and red stitching on the black rubber strap. The watch bears the prestigious Poinçon de Genève, the ultimate guarantee of adherence to the watch industry’s strictest criteria of quality and craftsmanship. Its launch coincides with that of the Italdesign Hypercar you see in the pictures. The Italdesign Hypercar is made with a lightweight carbon fibre body and an aluminium and carbon fibre chassis, and It will be produced in an exclusive five-piece edition. What it looks like no one knows yet. It will be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show next month. What we do know is that five lucky car owners can all have an Excalibur Spider Italdesign Edition but not all eight watch owners can have the Hypercar. I see trouble up the road…

Tags : ItaldesignRoger DubuisWatches & Cars
Lex Stolk

The author Lex Stolk

Lex Stolk studied Journalism in Utrecht and it was during his time as a student he developed a passion for mechanical watches. He has spent his entire career in the publishing industry working for a wide range of publications before entering the watch world professionally seven years ago. His work for several watch publications made it possible for him to combine his love for both watches and magazines.