The nervy, adrenaline-fuelled lead-up to an epic medieval battle is a moment frozen in time
First unveiled in 2013, the Knights of the Round Table series takes another step forward with a wintry Arthurian adventure, complete with perilous frozen landscape and exquisite character portrayal.
This model—powered by the in-house automatic Monobalancier RD821 calibre—has a limited, 28-piece release and it is not hard to see why. An incredible amount of know-how and time has been spent on getting every detail inspired by this famous fable right.
For starters, take a closer look at the 12 knights as they draw their swords against an unknown foe above the rapidly disintegrating surface of an icy lake.
Each 6mm figure in 18K pink gold has personality, dynamic movement and individual posture. This is down to the steady hand of craftsmen who manually engrave every warrior over the course of three days.
Roger Dubuis has even created a window beneath the polished titanium bezel, so that the knights can be admired from every angle.
Starting with the outer flange, the entire scene is framed in a ring of transparent ice-blue glass, crafted following the Murano method.
This same ice-blue glass is used for the main disc, as well as the blocks ‘rupturing’ out from the lake. To mimic powdered snow, the blocks are coated with biscuit porcelain of Limoges, which contrasts superbly with the shiny surfaces of the glass.
The dial itself is assembled block-by-block, not unlike a 3D puzzle, in a process that takes one month to complete, together with the crafting of the knights.
The 45mm case made from Titanium Damascus pays tribute to the centuries-old technique of steel craftsmanship.
This is another time-consuming process that pays off in spades, as it creates an alluring wave pattern that flows throughout the metallic case.
The medieval references don’t stop there. Turn the case over to discover the skeletonised oscillating weight in blue inspired by the stained-glass windows of medieval churches and castles.
The tilted pyramid shapes are static and follow the triangular notches around the edges of the timepiece.
Meanwhile, the crown and its protector are intentionally shaped like the guard of a sword, designed as if a blade is stuck inside the watch, just like the sword in the stone, which Arthur pulled free to signal his destiny as the true king. Genius!
