Roger Dubuis: The Rise of a Watchmaking Empire Through the Vision of Carlos Dias
The Instituto Português de Relojoaria regularly presents stories about the Portuguese in the world of watchmaking. Among them is one that is impossible to ignore: that of Roger Dubuis, a company which, under the aesthetic and entrepreneurial vision of Carlos Dias, grew from a modest team of three into a robust business with 350 employees.
Some years ago, the Swiss watch industry welcomed a new name that quickly became synonymous with luxury and aesthetic daring. Carlos Dias, an entrepreneur born in the quiet town of Águeda, Portugal, founded Roger Dubuis, a brand that is today a global icon. The meteoric success of this watchmaker reflects not only technical ingenuity but also a shrewd understanding of fashion trends.
A Founder's Path
Carlos Dias's journey is as fascinating as the watches his company created. His passion for mechanics was inherited from his father, an influence that stayed with him from childhood until he founded his own brand. Dias, who initially dreamt of studying economics, chose exile over a life in the shadow of Salazar's dictatorship. The Carnation Revolution found him in Paris, where his journey of self-discovery and innovation truly began.
The Daring of Roger Dubuis
It was 1980 when Roger Dubuis, a young craftsman who had honed his skills at Patek Philippe, decided to strike out on his own. Already in his forties, his boldness led him to design complications to order for the most prestigious brands. But it was only in 1995, when he joined forces with Carlos Dias, a former associate of Franck Muller, that he would found the acclaimed Roger Dubuis Horloger Genevois.
Flight and Rebirth
Dias's path was marked by a series of twists and turns: from modest jobs in France to managing a hotel chain, where he distinguished himself through excellence, and on to a venture into furniture design in Italy, which later led him into the world of fashion. Each of these stages was crucial in shaping the aesthete and businessman who would go on to revolutionise Swiss watchmaking.
Geneva: The Cradle of a Dream
A passion for watchmaking was a common thread in Dias's life. This fascination blossomed early on with his grandfather's simple pocket watch and grew until it became a venture that would challenge established norms. By first partnering with Franck Muller and then launching his own brand, Dias brought with him a vision that married eccentricity with elegance. Slowly, the brand built its reputation, conceiving complex masterpieces that amazed the most demanding connoisseurs. Grand complications and technological innovations became the house's signature, produced in extremely limited quantities but always celebrated for their beauty and ingenuity.
Poinçon de Genève
The pleasure Roger Dubuis took in overcoming adversity led him to seek the Poinçon de Genève not just for some, but for all of his watches. It is a guarantee that a watch has been rigorously inspected for durability, build quality and consistency, and that it was crafted in keeping with Swiss heritage and tradition entirely in Geneva.
With the Seal as proof of its mastery, Roger Dubuis emerged as a leading figure in the watchmaking world. At every watch fair, collectors eagerly await at least one new revolutionary calibre. In 2005, the brand celebrated its tenth anniversary with the Excalibur RD01, fitted with a double tourbillon and retrograde hands, the forerunner of other avant-garde models such as the Velvet Secret Heart.
Who could forget the 2013 Excalibur Quatuor? Its four balances, linked by five differentials, distribute the effect of gravity across four planes, earning it the nickname 'the tourbillon watch without a tourbillon'.
The Roger Dubuis Easy Diver was the first sports watch to incorporate a tourbillon and to set a diamond in a rubber bezel. The atelier's forays are showcased by pieces such as the Velvet Amethysts And Spinels, but it also impresses with feats of engineering such as the 2007 Excalibur Perpetual Calendar Minute Repeater Tourbillon.
From Rapid Expansion to Acquisition by Richemont
Carlos Dias's company grew quickly and recklessly, culminating in the construction of a huge factory in Meyrin, on the outskirts of Geneva, in 2001, which was expanded in 2004 to more than 13,935 square metres. This expansion was driven by Dias's obsession with making watches in-house, leading the company to acquire the manufacturing rights to the Lemania cal. 2310 chronograph movements and to set up its own enamel workshop, run by Dominique Baron (who later became head of enamelling at Stern Creations but died in 2012).
Before the 2008 recession, the company, renamed Manufacture Roger Dubuis, boasted almost thirty in-house calibres, including an exotic double tourbillon and an eight-day chronograph movement. However, most of the calibres had functional problems because of the accelerated expansion. After investments of around 150 million Swiss francs, and facing falling demand owing to the unreliability of its watches, the company fell into debt and began losing money, resulting in the dismissal of half its staff and pressure from the bank Credit Suisse to recover its investment. Dias made a hasty but profitable exit in 2008, selling his 60% stake in the company to the Richemont group for an estimated 150 million Swiss francs (the remaining 40% belonged to Akram Aljord, a Syrian-born Cartier distributor in Dubai, who sold his share to Richemont in 2016).
In return for its nine-figure investment, Richemont acquired a massive factory capable of producing almost every component of a watch movement, including the balance spring. At the time, many industry experts speculated that the Swiss luxury conglomerate had bought Roger Dubuis more for its production capacity than for the brand name. A good part of that production capacity was redirected to other Richemont brands, including Cartier, and Roger Dubuis underwent a complete restructuring. All the movements produced in-house were re-engineered and most were discarded.
Roger Dubuis, however, was pleased with the attention and spoke enthusiastically about the turnaround Richemont brought about in the company. Today, Roger Dubuis has a turnover of around 50 million Swiss francs a year, producing approximately 5,000 watches, and tends to channel the spirit of Carlos Dias rather than that of the late Roger Dubuis, whose fleeting but glorious vision of Geneva watchmaking may, who knows, be revived in the future by another ambitious entrepreneur.
The Future of Carlos Dias
In a move that mirrors his entrepreneurial vision and his sentimental bond with his homeland, Carlos Dias has turned to winegrowing, thus expanding his empire by betting on high-quality products that promise to carry the name of Portugal further afield. Dias makes no secret of his love for Bairrada, the region where he was born and which now serves as the stage for his latest wine venture.
Wine and Bairrada: A Personal Connection
Carlos Dias compares the Bairrada terroir to the finest soils of Bordeaux, a region that captivated him years ago. His aspiration is lofty: to win worldwide recognition for Bairrada wines, just as he did with watches in Switzerland.
A Diversity of Premium Products
Wine is not the only thing in Dias's current portfolio. In collaboration with Gianni Capovilla, a specialist distillery has been set up to develop pomace and fruit spirits. There is also Pata Negra ham from the Alentejo, with fine cheeses on the way. Carlos Dias believes that Portuguese wine suffers from a lack of international recognition. For him, the path to global success lies in Portugal asserting the quality and uniqueness of its wines and investing in their promotion and visibility.
Dias is an example of how a passion for one's roots and for quality can cross borders and create a brand of global prestige. Whether in the field of luxury watches or in the vineyards of Bairrada, his business philosophy remains consistent: the pursuit of excellence, challenge and innovation. With a vision that extends beyond wine - encompassing high-quality spirits, hams and cheeses - Dias is building a legacy that promotes not only his business success but also the richness and diversity of Portuguese products. As he ventures into new territories and markets, the businessman takes a piece of Portugal with him, sharing with the world the flavours and traditions of the land where he was born.
The story of Carlos Dias and Roger Dubuis is an inspiration to us all. It shows that, with talent, passion and a little courage, it is possible to leave an indelible mark on the world - a mark measured not in hours, minutes and seconds, but in the joy and admiration that each unique creation brings.
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