Roger Dubuis
This 37mm Sympathie Chronograph was made in 1998 as confirmed by the original papers signed by Roger Dubuis. The chronograph complication holds a special place in the early days of Roger Dubuis. The uniquely shaped case was thought to have been inspired by water hatches found on the streets of Switzerland along with Dubuis’s past work at Longines.
The nods to vintage Patek’s and Longines are ever-present in Roger Dubuis’s early work. Naturally, Dubuis added his own twist to his offering at the time for instance most movements feature meticulously hand finishing, in tandem, each watch would be limited to 28 examples and sold with an additional solid gold case back, Observatoire de Besançon paper, and an actual image of the watch as its certificate.
This particular example features a plain glossy white dial, placing most of the emphasis on the timekeeping measures as well as the chronograph. The two-register chronograph is found throughout both the Sympathie and Homage collections. The Sympathie collection showcased Roger Dubuis’ vision on how classic could be fused with contemporary watchmaking. This example, ref. S37 56 5, encapsulates what the brand stood for at the time. The intricacies found throughout the piece are a testament to Roger Dubuis’ early work.
The dial is signed ‘Roger Dubuis – horloger genevois’, on the periphery of the dial at 12 o’clock the dial is signed Bulletin d’Observatoire’ and at 6 o’clock ‘SWISS – GQHM – MADE’. The distinctive Breguet numerals are found at both 12 and 6 o’clock, a further 8 applied hour markers are found on the dial in square format. The applied hour markers display the attention to detail that Roger Dubuis abided by. The minute markers are denoted by the red 5-minute intervals four above the hour markers. The left-hand sub-dial is used for a 60 second counter and the other displays the 30 minute counter of the chronograph. The use of different colored hands ensures the wearer does not confuse the timekeeping function (rose gold hands) from the chronograph (blued hands).
The case is finished by contrasting techniques between brushed and polished facets. The bezel is rather unique due to the stepped effect and the uniquely shaped sapphire was thought to be rather expensive. These cases styles were eventually phased in favour of more traditional circular sapphires and bezels in hopes of bringing down the cost of production. This particular example was sold by Orologeria Pisa, a historically important retail in Milan, on the 24th of December 1999. The set is accompanied by its original certificate of origin for the watch, the extra solid case back, and the Observatoire de Besancon.
The modified Lemania 2310 resulted in the RD 56, this movement was regulated by Roger Dubuis and features the Seal of Geneva. Undoubtedly inspired by Patek Philippe, Roger Dubuis, ensured all his movements featured the highly coveted Geneva Seal, the movements were also finished to a high standard often visible through the engraved sapphire case-back. The movements were also rigorously tested at the Besançon Observatory, this particular movement was sent in on the 12th January 1998 and completed on the 23rd January 1998.
| Brands: | Roger Dubuis |
| Size: | 36 – 38mm |
| Style: | Dress, Sports |
This 37mm Sympathie Chronograph was made in 1998 as confirmed by the original papers signed by Roger Dubuis. The chronograph complication holds a special place in the early days of Roger Dubuis. The uniquely shaped case was thought to have been inspired by water hatches found on the streets of Switzerland along with Dubuis’s past work at Longines.
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