Roger Dubuis Kabuto Legacy: twelve helmets around Edo Castle

For the Kabuto Legacy, Roger Dubuis trades the usual arrangement of indices for an intricate miniature historical scene. Twelve sculpted samurai helmets take the perimeter, with a model of Edo Castle at the centre. Rather than borrowing a single Japanese motif, the design builds a relationship between people, place and political history.

The castle uses seventeen pink-gold elements with blue CVD and black PVD accents. Different treatments make the miniature architectural forms legible. The headpieces provide the watch’s visual rhythm, creating a circular procession around the centre.

This achieves an unusual visual hierarchy: the castle anchors the composition, while the helmets mark positions around it. It also demonstrates the problem of narrative watches. The viewer must spend time discovering the subject, and the watch sacrifices the immediate contrast of a simple field-watch dial.

The 45mm pink-gold case and blue calf strap reinforce the architectural palette. Roger Dubuis states that the automatic RD821 calibre has a 48-hour reserve and the watch is limited to 28 boutique pieces. Water resistance is 30 metres. These are manufacturer specifications, not measurements by Chronolume.