Roger Dubuis Experiments with Ceramic

The composite for the limited edition novelty looks like marble, yet it's lighter than carbon.

Ceramic took the watch industry by storm in the 1960s when Rado introduced its first DiaStar in a scratchproof case. Omega followed suit with the Seamaster Cermet in 1973, then IWC introduced its Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Ref. 3755 in 1986.

A decade later, the use of high-tech ceramic became a widespread fashion trend. Brands appeared in this niche which weren't only interested in using ceramic to take advantage of its durability and color options, its compatibility with other materials was another draw. Omega merged ceramic with gold for its Ceragold alloy.

Panerai "wrapped" aluminum in ceramic to make its Composite alloy through an electrochemical process called MAO (Micro Arc Oxidation). IWC created a "mashup" by mixing ceramic with titanium to produce its Ceratanium alloy in a furnace process where the surface of a titanium blank becomes ceramic.

Now Roger Dubuis has entered the race. The 45 mm case for the new Excalibur Spider Huracán is made of CCF (ceramic composite fiber). The watchmaker has combined resin with resistant ceramic fibers. The resulting material is 20% lighter than carbon and visually reminiscent of white marble.

The novelty is the product of another of the watch company's collaborations with luxury sports car manufacturer Automobili Lamborghini — its motorsport department Squadra Corse to be more precise. This division is responsible for developing cutting-edge technology in the field of motorsports.

The exposed multi-level RD630 movement is what gives the Excalibur Spider Huracán its character, which clearly reflects the design of the hexagonal dashboard in the Lamborghini Huracán super car. The rotor which rotates 360° looks like the super car's wheel rim.

The bridge on the upper half of the dial is reminiscent of the strut-bar suspension system in the Lamborghini Huracán's V10 engine. The shape of the winding crown is inspired by the lug nuts on the car's wheels. Its backlighting is worth highlighting.

Not only have the bezel and hands been coated with Super-LumiNova, the white rubber strap has also been vulcanized with luminescent material using SuperBiwiNova technology. The number of pieces in the limited edition has been capped at the predictable and traditional number 88.