The flow of unveilings from this year’s SIHH 2011 just doesn’t want to stop. Among dozens of look-alikes, the new Roger Dubuis Le Chronographe La Monegasque (Ref. MG44-680-90-00/0ER01/B) with its uniquely shaped body and no-nonsense dial feels like a breath of fresh air.

After Richemont Group (a conglomerate of super-brands that includes such awe-inspiring names as IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Vacheron Constantin) acquired a majority stake in the Swiss manufacture, it took a couple of years to start the things going. However, after this period of uncertainty, the company started churning out gorgeous, almost stunning watches with not a single model that one can only describe as what musicians call ‘the filler’.

Roger Dubuis, the Swiss-based Manufacture, is going to sell the Le Chronographe La Monegasque (Ref. MG44-680-90-00/0ER01/B).

Overall Impression

Unlike many majors that try to be jacks of all trades offering dozens of collections of hundreds of models that often have little family resemblance with each other Roger Dubuis tries to keep their design language as, um, continuous as possible. Although sometimes they overdo it a little, all in all, they are consistent.

This new Le Chronographe La Monegasque is a perfect example of this approach. While it doesn’t sport that familiar notched bezel, the way it styled makes the watch so easily recognizable that you don’t need that ‘Roger Dubuis’ inscription on the dial to get the idea of where this beautiful gadget comes from.

Case

Presented earlier this month in a 44 mm stainless steel case (pictured, a version in rose gold will also be available as a limited edition model,) Le Chronographe La Monegasque surprised me a little. Given its stated width and the visual length of its integrated lugs, I expected the timepiece to take a lot of space on a wrist. However, to my amazement, the device looks home on a normal (and, of course, absolutely perfect on a wider) wrist, although those guys with thinner bones may still experience a mild case of tough luck: however successfully the timekeeper’s designer did his or her job, size is size. It still matters when it comes to such things.

The case may remind you of old Omega and Rolex watches, but that’s a version of a design that was popular some forty years ago.

Also, however masculine it is, the chronograph doesn’t look brutal. All lines are easily flowing, there are no sharp angles between surfaces, and even the satin-brushed finish looks refined enough to look organic together with the polished parts. The latter not only look nice and shiny but are also partially responsible for that feeling of lightness that the device produces.

To my taste, the crown and chronograph push-pieces are a bit too low-profile, but otherwise, they are comfortable to operate.

Mechanism

The Ref. MG44-680-90-00/0ER01/B features a new RF680 self-winding chronograph movement.

Built of 261 parts and featuring a micro-rotor winding system, the movement is manufactured solely in-house and is only 6.30 mm thick.

The movement has a sort of ‘vintage’ feel about it with all the small polished parts visible over the guilloched base plate that features the usual diagonal Geneva stripes pattern. Perhaps, from a piece of such a high pedigree, one would be right to expect a more elaborate finish, but I sort of get the idea: the mechanism with its reserved approach to decor plays well with the understated elegance of the case and dial.

Dial

Ah, the dial!

There something about it that reminds me of the roulette table with the way the white (or very light grey) Arabic numerals are executed over the black background of the chapter ring. The double-stick hour markers that are applied on the inner part of the dial together with the numeral “12” as well as the red tachymeter scale printed over the black bezel flange, gently reinforce this idea.

All in all, this is a superb timekeeper that should be considered by every serious collector.

There is still no info regarding the chronograph’s recommended price and availability (all I was able to find in this regard was a rather irritating invitation to “call for price,”) but if you are into “historic” timepieces, you should keep an eye on this model when it finally goes on sale. Expect it to be expensive though.

WWR Verdict

Originality 5/5
Build Quality: 5/5
Versatility: 4/5
Usability: 4.5/5
Overall Legibility: 4/5
Nighttime Legibility: 1/5
Value for Money: n/a

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Photos: Roger Dubuis