Editors’ Note

Nicola Andreatta became CEO of Roger Dubuis in late 2018. He has spent his entire professional career in watchmaking. His career began in Asia working in design and merchandising for a number of luxury watch brands. Upon his return to Europe, he consulted for several prestigious watch brands before taking over the management of Timeo SA and creating his own watch brand, N.O.A. Watches. Following this, he was appointed as Vice President and General Manager of Tiffany & Co. Swiss Watches SAGL. Under his direction, Tiffany & Co. developed and marketed several new watch collections, including the iconic Tiffany CT60. Andreatta is a graduate of the Catholic University of Milan with a qualification in business administration and economics.

Company Brief

Roger Dubuis (rogerdubuis.com) has been at the forefront of contemporary Haute Horlogerie since 1995. Its audacious creations, firmly anchored in the 21st century, embody substantial expertise expressed through the finest watchmaking mechanisms combined with powerful and daring designs. Boldness and expressivity are the brand’s signatures, and determination its driving force. The rush of adrenalin, a pounding heart, the sure and certain knowledge that something is about to happen represent the brand’s Hyper Horology™.

Will you highlight the history of Roger Dubuis and how the brand has evolved?

Roger Dubuis has done a number of things during its 28-year history that very few brands have been able to do. We have created and engineered many calibers in-house over the years, with 23 of them being core to Roger Dubuis’ history and DNA, which is quite impressive. I would say that there are three specific areas that stand out in Roger Dubuis’ history. First, at the very beginning, the high-level of creativity. Then, when Richemont acquired the brand in 2008, it was a time of refocusing and recentering the brand. Lastly, in the past few years, there has been an emphasis on the Excalibur collection, which is our iconic collection today, along with the Velvet collection, which has more feminine and contemporary aesthetics.

Today, we are focused on providing an alternative to classic watchmaking, and we do this with the Geneva Seal and what we call Hyper Horology, which is about being contemporary and expressive while honoring the tradition of watchmaking. We have been taking time to think about what Roger Dubuis stands for and defining what Roger Dubuis is all about, and if we had to do this in one word, it would be “Excess.” Excess is a word that sometimes has a negative connotation, but for us, Excess comes from the Latin word “excedo” which means to go beyond. In order to define Excess better, we decided to use three words that have to be present in everything we do: pleasure, madness, and freedom.

Is Roger Dubuis focused on its existing collections or looking to introduce new collections to the market?

Our cycles are pretty long and we are currently working on the collection for 2025-2026. We are focused on emphasizing our Excalibur collection even further. We have four key pillars today – Excalibur, Excalibur Spider, Hyper Watches, and the Knights of the Round Table – and these four pillars will stay for a while. We are going to present something extraordinary later this year and would ask for you to stay tuned for this announcement.

What is the significance of the Geneva Seal?

The Geneva Seal was created in 1886 and there are 12 rules that you need to follow to be certified by this independent institution. This is important to us since it is not about Roger Dubuis saying that we do amazing things; it is about the experts of fine watchmaking saying that we do amazing things. We finish every single movement by hand before we put it into our watches, and the amount of craftsmanship that we put into every single watch is a key differentiator for us. In order to have the Geneva Seal, you need to produce every single part in Geneva, and you need to assemble in Geneva. There are very few brands in the world today that have the Geneva Seal which says a lot about this certification.

How important is it for Roger Dubuis to find and train the next generation of watchmakers and craftsman?

This connects to our social responsibility and what we are doing more and more in Geneva. We have craftsmen at Roger Dubuis who have developed their skills over many years, and watchmaking is an art. We are trying to educate at schools about the art of watchmaking and engage with young people and students to tell them about the beauty of watchmaking. There is a school inside the campus where Roger Dubuis is located, and we train people how to become watchmakers. This is something that we will continue to focus on since it is very difficult to find people with the right skills and we need to commit our time and resources to find the next generation of watchmakers.

Will you discuss Roger Dubuis’ global footprint?

We are an exclusive brand and want to remain exclusive. At the same time, being geographically balanced is a key requirement, especially in these uncertain times. It is critical to be agile and to be able to adapt to the changing environment to overcome these challenging times. We have invested a lot in Asia over the past few years because we believe that Asia will grow faster than other parts of the world. Europe has been stuck for some time and continues to be stuck today. I think this is the year for Roger Dubuis in the United States and we are investing heavily in North America.

How important has it been to build the Roger Dubuis team?

This has been a major focus for me since Roger Dubuis is a very unique brand and we need to attract people who think differently. We do not hire for skills; we hire for attitude and mentality. We need creativity and people who think outside of the box, and then we take the time to train them so they can help shape the future of Hyper Horology.

Will you discuss Roger Dubuis’ commitment to after-sales service and to maintaining the relationship with the client?

This is tremendously important. In order for a brand to be successful, it needs to focus on service since this is part of the journey. The journey does not stop when you sell the watch; you create loyalty by making sure that the after-sale is handled in the right way and we see this as our responsibility.

What excited you about the opportunity to lead Roger Dubuis?

I have done many things in the watch world from designing watches to building watches to marketing watches to selling watches. I was born into it since my father had factories that I used to go to when I was very young, but this position is the ultimate in my career. The level of commitment and creativity and sophistication of Roger Dubuis is something that is very special. We also have a lot of fun, and we enjoy building relationships with our clients that will last for many years.

Are you able to enjoy the process and celebrate the wins?

It is important to have fun and take moments to celebrate our accomplishments. Our team has passion for the business. That being said, things move faster and faster today, and we need to focus on what is next and prepare for the future.