A Legacy Remembered: Meeting The Spirit Of Roger Dubuis Through Hommage La Placide

“The watch has always been an object that stirs emotion,” said Mr Roger Dubuis. And when I first looked at the Hommage La Placide, I felt as though I was looking into his very soul. There’s something almost poetic about how this 30th-anniversary timepiece captures both his technical mastery and his emotional depth. It’s as if the watch itself is telling his story. Calm, deliberate and yet full of expressive energy that continues to shape the Maison today. Because for Roger Dubuis, watchmaking was never just about measuring time, it was about emotion, expression, and mastery. This new creation celebrates not only a milestone anniversary but also the enduring presence of its founder, whose visionary approach continues to define the brand’s bold Genevan spirit.

In 1995, Roger Dubuis created the Hommage collection to express his gratitude toward the watchmakers and mentors who had inspired his path. It was a gesture of humility from a man whose technical genius was already earning him a place among horology’s greats. Thirty years later, that same spirit of reverence takes on new form in the Hommage La Placide a creation that turns the tribute inward, honoring the founder himself: his vision, his savoir-faire, and the indelible legacy he left behind.

The Personal Side of “Placide”

“Placide” was Roger Dubuis’ lifelong nickname a name that evoked calmness, strength, and quiet confidence. Those who knew him recall his ability to balance serenity with an unyielding drive for perfection. Naming this 30th-anniversary watch after his moniker transforms it into a deeply personal homage, almost like a posthumous self-portrait rendered in mechanical form. The 38mm case, crafted in 18K pink gold, sits elegantly on a blue calf leather strap, while the crown and clasp bear the original Roger Dubuis logo a subtle nod to the brand’s beginnings. Limited to just 28 pieces, each La Placide is both a collector’s treasure and a vessel of memory, carrying forward the spirit of the man who dared to blend audacity with refinement.

Geneva has always occupied a special place in the heart of Roger Dubuis. A city where watchmaking is not merely a profession but a cultural identity. Born between the serene shores of Lake Geneva and the epicenter of Swiss craftsmanship, Hommage La Placide embodies this duality of poetry and precision. Created to celebrate the Maison’s 30th anniversary, it is more than a commemorative piece; it is an emotive journey that captures the essence of its founder through design, complication, and detail. Every layer of the watch whispers Geneva’s influence: from the deep Leman Blue dial that gracefully echo the calm waters that once surrounded Dubuis’ early atelier, to the hallmarks of traditional fine watchmaking that define the brand’s DNA.

The dial of Hommage La Placide is a masterclass in depth and dimension. Composed of five meticulously crafted layers, it reveals a miniature landscape where materials, finishes, and light interact in harmony. Mother-of-pearl ecliptic segments with hand-beveled chamfers sit alongside a lacquered main plate, while the moonphase display crafted from aventurine and adorned with curved yellow gold moons adds a celestial warmth. This artistic composition is not mere embellishment; it’s an expression of what Roger Dubuis always called “watchmaking with emotion.” The satin-brushed and rhodium-plated flange, the azure mother-of-pearl counters, and the signature biretrograde arcs create an interplay of light and color that feels almost alive, an aesthetic dialogue between heritage and modernity.

Mastery in Motion

At the heart of the timepiece lies the automatic calibre RD1472, a movement that bridges the past and present. It combines the historic RD14 calibre with the RD72 module, bringing together a perpetual calendar and biretrograde display- Roger Dubuis’ favorite complication. The calibre, made of 307 components and finished with over fifteen traditional decorations, meets the stringent Poinçon de Genève standards, a mark of both technical and artisanal excellence.

The rotor, newly crafted in pink gold, adds a touch of grandeur to the movement visible through the sapphire caseback. Engraved around it are words that encapsulate the Maison’s philosophy: “This is a watch of today, inspired but not restricted to the past, projected into a future that belongs to us.” It is a message that could have come directly from the founder himself always forward-looking, never bound by nostalgia, but deeply rooted in respect for craft.

Mechanical Memory

The RD14 calibre, first launched in 2004 as the Maison’s inaugural in-house automatic movement, represents a cornerstone of its manufacturing story. Reimagined to meet the latest Poinçon de Genève criteria, it blends tradition with evolution. The pistol bridges pay homage to Dubuis’ love for 19th-century pocket watches, while the swan-neck regulator allows for fine manual adjustments—a detail that reveals the hand of the watchmaker behind every beat.

Meanwhile, the RD72 module, first created in 1999, carries a more emotional weight. It was built around Dubuis’ favored complication, the perpetual calendar, a mechanism that tracks celestial and temporal cycles with near-poetic precision. For Hommage La Placide, original components from the 1989 patent co-signed by Dubuis and Jean-Marc Wiederrecht have been faithfully remanufactured, preserving the founder’s creative touch.

A Legacy Reborn

Three decades after its inception, the Hommage collection comes full circle. La Placide stands not only as a watch but as a dialogue between generations of watchmakers the founder who dreamt of redefining haute horlogerie and the artisans who now continue that dream with the same fervor. It’s a watch that speaks of mastery and emotion, of time remembered and time reinvented. In the end, Hommage La Placide is exactly what Roger Dubuis once envisioned: a watch of today, inspired by the past, and destined for a future that forever bears his name.