Up-Close: The Roger Dubuis Knights of the Round Table The Enchanter Merlin

Whenever Roger Dubuis unveils a new Knights of the Round Table watch, I can’t help but chuckle—not out of disdain, but genuine amusement. These watches are the canvases where Roger Dubuis pushes the envelope of métiers d’art.

It would be criminal to downplay the painstaking effort and savoir faire that go into conventional métiers d’art, but let’s be honest: métiers d’art dials tend to fall into familiar categories—lacquer, enamel, micro-painting, gem-setting, marquetry, or engraving. Roger Dubuis, however, has mentioned that it plays by “no rules”.

The Knights of the Round Table series is a curious entry in the brand’s catalog. It’s a rare time-only foray for the more-is-more brand, and the absence of complications frees Roger Dubuis’ watchmakers to imagine, and redefine what’s possible in the realm of watch decoration.

The saga began in 2013, with the first Knights of the Round Table—a timepiece instantly recognizable for its circle of 12 sculpted knights around their fabled table. Since then, each new chapter has grown more ambitious, evolving from difficult to ignore, to downright engrossing.

The latest model, the 45mm pink gold Excalibur Knights of the Round Table: The Enchanter Merlin marks the 12^th installment in the series, and the second chapter of Book IV: The Tale of Merlin. A touch confusing in nomenclature, yes, but essentially this lighter-toned watch follows last year’s darker Omniscient Merlin. That predecessor featured 56 hexagonal blocks of varying height (0.2mm to 3.7mm), fashioned from basalt, Murano glass, pink gold, and transparent glass, set against a matte gold plate.

As part of the maison’s 30th anniversary festivities, Roger Dubuis has been showcasing rare timepieces from its archive, along with its recent technical breakthroughs, in major cities around the world. And during this world tour, I had the distinct honor of handling The Enchanter Merlin.

Combining marquetry, micro-engraving, and gem-setting, this novelty’s attention-grabbing dial comprises hexagonal blocks crafted from pink gold, white gold, glass, and enamel. The white gold blocks are further adorned with hexagonal-cut diamonds. The pattern, inspired by the Giant’s Causeway in Ireland, is meant to evoke the crystal palace that Merlin conjured for the Lady of the Lake. The entire structure rests on a base of crystallized ruthenium—known as “crystalium”—a material as rare as it is striking.

Around this extraordinary sculpture stand 12 solid gold knights, each individually engraved with remarkable detail—from the spikes of their weapons to the ripples of their garments—and the surrounding reflective surfaces invite the admirer to scrutinize their intricate details.

Peek through a stained-glass-inspired rotor to admire the hand-finished RD821 movement. Along the caseback’s periphery, an engraving pays homage to the Round Table’s legend: “Around this table, the bravest knights will gather as equals. They will set forth in search of adventure, righting wrongs, protecting the weak and humbling the proud.”

Limited to just 28 pieces, the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Knights of the Round Table: The Enchanter Merlin is priced at CHF 336,000.

Without exaggeration, these are thrilling times for Roger Dubuis. The brand has quietly pivoted away from its “hyper horology” tagline, and has renewed its focus on the design codes and legacy of the late Monsieur Roger Dubuis. Under newly appointed CEO David Chaumet—the former head of Baume Mercier who was a close colleague of founders Carlos Dias and Roger Dubuis—the maison will be unveiling unprecedented complications in the coming weeks, which will round off its 30th anniversary celebrations in exuberant fashion.