Wrist time with Roger Dubuis’ all-new Lamborghini watch

Swiss watchmaker Roger Dubuis has teamed up with Lamborghini to design a new series of limited-edition timepieces that perfectly reflect the brand’s spirit. Last weekend, we had the chance to get hands-on with the watch and learn more about it from Lamborghini’s chief designer, Mitja Borkert…

After years of working closely with Blancpain, Lamborghini’s motorsport department, Squadra Corsa, has a new official timekeeper — Swiss luxury watchmaker Roger Dubuis, which will support the Lamborghini Super Trofeo series from 2018 onwards. The partnership was announced today in Sant’Agata Bolognese, together with the new competition racer, the Lamborghini Huracán EVO, and the first wristwatch designed by Roger Dubuis for Lamborghini. Classic Driver had the opportunity to take a look at the impressive watch during the first Lamborghini Concorso d’Eleganza in Neuchâtel last weekend and speak with Lamborghini Head of Design Mitja Borkert about the stylistic aspects of the collaboration.

“We weren’t directly involved in the design of the watch,” says the former Porsche designer as we walk between an impressive row of shiny Lamborghini Miuras that are entered in the concours. “But the lightweight construction approach fits perfectly with Lamborghini’s reputation for employing weight-saving technologies. There are also analogies in the design — from the open-view mechanics of the watch, which resemble the Aventador’s visible V12 engine, to the x-shaped Powerdome which was the main inspiration for the watch. The contrasting black and yellow colours also match the interior design of an Aventador that was commissioned with black Alcantara and yellow stitching.”

Indeed, the latest V12 supercar from Sant’Agata Bolognese has directly inspired the movement of the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Aventador S. These super watches will be available in two variants — a yellow-accented version limited to 88 pieces and an even more exclusive carbon-fibre cover plate version, of which just eight will be produced. The enthusiasm and excitement that we encountered upon meeting Mitja Borkert in Switzerland was equalled by Roger Dubuis CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué at the official launch in Italy, where he further explained this marriage of car and watch. “Like Lamborghini, we deliver ‘engines’ that are distinguished by their extreme quality and cutting-edge performance. Like the owners of exceptional Italian sports cars, our customers are interested in standout aesthetics that ensure instant recognition and are matched by exclusivity and rarity. By combining our talents to deliver exceptional timepieces with unique experiential value, we are situating ourselves in a high place.”