Roger Dubuis is known for making watches of the highest quality. This Watch presented today on the Spotlight is not an exception. The Excalibur Double Tourbillon reference EX45 01 9 N1.67A uses Roger Dubuis in house movement, every single component is made at Roger Dubuis like all their movements. The movement is a manually wound, caliber RD01 with 52 jewels, and houses a 1 minute Flying Double Tourbillon with Differential Gear. The case is heavy and has a lot of detail on its finish. On the case back for example you have the RD emblem nicely printed all over. There are also three see through back holes, two for seeing the tourbillon cages, and the one on top for the power reserve display. The crown features a beautiful crown guard that encapsulates it and gives the appearance of having a bigger crown. You can have access to the crown by flipping up the crown guard. The dial is made of mother of pearl and displays the the two tourbillons. On top of the face you have the retrograde minute function. It counts the minutes from 0 to 60, once it reaches to 60 it resets to 0. The crocodile leather band has a stainless steel deployment buckle engraved “RD” in the middle and “Roger Dubuis”. This timepiece is a limited edition of 280 pieces and retails for approximately $183,000.

Roger Dubuis Excalibur Double Tourbillon

Roger Dubuis Excalibur Double Tourbillon Crown Guard

Roger Dubuis Excalibur Double Tourbillon Back

Sometimes you see that a mechanical watch has 17 Jewels, or 13 Jewels, but what does that mean? They are called Jewel Bearings and are placed at the center of a rotating gear wheel. The jewels are  synthetic Rubies and their purpose is to minimize friction between hardened steel parts, increase accuracy, lower the weight of the movement and  help lubricate the movement with a very thin layer of special oil.

Theoretically, more jewels  means better precision, but sometimes watch makers add non-functional or unnecessary jewels to give the impression of accuracy. Usually, a fully jeweled timpepiece has  around 17 jewels.

The Jewel Bearings were invented in 1704 and, at the beginning, natural  stones  were used, such as sapphire, ruby and gamet. Almost two centuries later a process to make synthetic  rubies was invented and since then they are used, mainly because of its lower costs.

Jewel Bearings in a automatic watch

Right now there is a high demand for watches that are Black coated.  Some watches come all factory black coated but other watches from brands such as Rolex and Audemars Piguet are customized a lot to black.  One popular question  is which one is better PVD or DLC?

To answer the question let’s break down what PVD and DLC means.

Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) is the method used to deposit thin layers of material by condensation of vapor in a high temperature and vacuum environment.

DLC or Diamond- like carbon coating is the highest quality in black coating, the most durable and hardest to scratch. The coating is done with the bonding of high energy precursive carbon rapidly cooled down on the surface. It is very similar to the process of making synthetic diamonds. Not only the process is similar but the carbon coatings have the same attributes as diamonds since they are extremely hard and very resistant to scratches. In other words it is perfect for making metal surfaces more durable.

From what we can see by DLC Coating, in simple words it  is a process of depositing a carbon material in a vacuum chamber. In other words DLC coatings are made by the PVD process. The difference is that are several PVD coatings  that make the watch look black with materials such as nickel and , ceramic.  Usually manufacturers will specify whether the watch was DLC coated. When only PVD is mentioned it could mean that a cheaper, and less durable material was used.

If you are planning on buying a watch then You need to be sure you are buying  DLC PVD Black Coated watch. The DLC is way more resistant than any other material, perhaps a little more expensive but it is worth it. Here at Messina Jewelers we only use DLC to customize our Rolex, Panerai and Audemars Piguet Watches since we want to use the highest quality in our products.

Black DLC Coat Rolex Sea Dweller DeepSea

The year 2009 was a great one for Oris considering the introduction of their new Divers’ watch, the “ProDiver Chronograph”. Once again Oris proves that it is possible to offer watches of the highest quality, excellent price, and innovation. The Prodiver is a gigantic 51mm in diameter and 19mm height watch with a titanium case and bracelet. Perhaps one of the most interesting features is the rotation safety system which protects the beautiful ceramic bezel from being turned by mistake. The way it works is that you have to lift the bezel by holding the inlay rubber in order to make it turn. This rubber that goes around the bezel gives it a cool look and gives you a nice grip to easily rotate the ring. The timepiece also features a black DLC-Coated titanium bar that protects the pushers and crown. Its self regulating valve allows the watch to endure depths of 1000 meters (3281 feet). As we expect from Oris watches it comes with a rock solid Swiss movement. It is a caliber 674 (ETA Valjoux 7750 base). The watch is presented in a nice box set that includes a rubber strap, an extra stainless steel bracelet, and tools for changing the straps. I would say that at the awesome retail price of $3,995, this timepiece is a must have for any pro diver or any diving enthusiasts. It is also a good alternative for the Rolex Sea-Dweller Deepsea that costs more than double the price at $9,250.

Technical Specifications:
Reference Number: 67476307154
Movement: Automatic, Oris Caliber 674 (base ETA Valjoux 7750) 25 Jewels.
Case: Black DLC-Coated Titanium, 51 mm width.
Band: Titanium.
Crystal: Sapphire.
Functions: Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Chronograph, Date.
Power Reserve: 42 Hours.
Water Resistance: 100 bar (1000 m, 3281 ft)
Retail Price: $3,995

Oris ProDiver Chronograph

Chronometer term is used to denote a very precise watch. These watches usually have a deviation of less than 5 seconds per day. Only watches that pass the Official Swiss Testing Office for Chronometers (COSC) test standards may use the chronometer word. The test consists of having the watch in observation for a few days in several positions and different temperatures to ensure the watch will keep precise time under extremes conditions. Watches that are Chronometer certified usually come with the COSC certificate. For many years Rolex has been the largest producer of Chronometer certified watches.

Official Swiss Testing Office Chronometer Certificate

Rolex Submariner with Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified written on the dial

All mechanical watches, automatic or manual wind have a power reserve. Power reserve is the charge the watch has before it needs to be wound again. In the case of automatic watches they automatically charge themselves when the wearer is moving. However when the watch does not move or when the watch is manual the power reserve takes place to ensure the watch will keep the accurate time. Usually modern automatic watches have between 36 and 42 hours of reserve energy. The question is how would you know how much power the watch has left before it has to be wound again? The Power Reserve Display function informs the wearer how much power he has left. This is very useful especially for manually wound watches. Usually a color graph bar is located on the dial (face) of the watch, however there are other types of displays that may show how much charge it has with words.

Glycine Incursore watch with Graph Bar Power Reserve

Jaeger LeCoultre Master Reserve de Marche with Numerical Power Reserve