Roger Dubuis has always been one of my favourite brands when it comes to timepieces. It was love at first sight when I first saw this Excalibur Backlight and tried it on at the SIHH Preview over lunch earlier this year. In fact, you don’t know how much it killed me to not talk about this beauty, because it was on embargo, and couldn’t be revealed till later in the year. Fast forward to now, the time has finally arrived, and I couldn’t be more excited about it!

Introducing, the Excalibur Backlight powered by a new version of the iconic RD820SQ calibre created using a mixture of materials that’s made possible by a technology used for the very first time in the Haute Horlogerie industry that puts the Manufacture way ahead of the game. But that’s not the only thing that’s ingenious about this model right here. What’s more impressive, are the lab grown sapphires, that, when affixed into the Astral Skeleton movement of the timepiece, look as if they’re being illuminated by fluorescent tubes embedded within the watch itself.

Referred to as “expressive singularity”, these lab-grown sapphires glow under UV light to reveal a beam-like motif reminiscent of those infrared beam detectors we see in heist movies. And, at the centre from which these sapphires stem, you’d find a solitaire. Just imagine wearing this and waving your arms like you just don’t care when you’re out partying, or at a rock concert – major points for coolness, not to mention you’d be a homing beacon, thanks to its ability to glow in the dark when you get lost in the crowd.

Though a single model, the 42mm Excalibur Backlight Trilogy is available in 3 versions: a boutique exclusive 28-piece pink gold limited edition, an 88-piece blue version with white gold case, and finally, in black DLC (diamond like carbon) titanium.

I’ve seen the pieces in real life, and let me tell you, the photos just don’t do the watches justice at all.