Roger Dubuis began its partnership with Italian tire maker Pirelli, exclusive supplier to auto racing’s Formula One championship, this year, as part of the Geneva-based brand’s new emphasis on unconventional materials and motorsports-inspired design. This week, Roger Dubuis brought its Excalibur Spider Pirelli collection, first unveiled at SIHH 2017, to the U.S. for the first time, including two new models not seen at the Geneva watch salon.
The two new Excalibur Spider Automatic Skeleton models feature highlights in yellow and red, the primary colors in Pirelli’s iconic logo. Red or yellow is used on the watch’s skeletonized flange, on the overmoulded crown made of black DLC-coated titanium, and on the contrast stitching on the straps. The straps themselves are special, in fact, with their exterior surface constructed of rubber from actual Pirelli tire rubber from race-winning cars and an interior made of a different, softer rubber enhanced with a Pirelli tire tread pattern. Above and below: Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli Yellow

As with the other timepieces in Roger Dubuis’s Excalibur Spider series, both the case, measuring 45 mm in diameter and made of black DLC titanium; and the movement, Roger Dubuis Caliber RD820SQ, self-wound by a micro-rotor, have been skeletonized. In addition to the Pirelli-inspired aesthetics, the watches retain the familiar Excalibur look ? round, with a fluted bezel and crown, triple lugs, and Dauphine hand...