Gregory Bruttin Product Strategy Director Roger Dubuis – Interview

Introduction

We recently spoke with Gregory Bruttin, Roger Dubuis’s Product Strategy Director, and asked him three questions about the most relevant 2024 new product and the brand’s evolution.

1. The new Roger Dubuis Orbis in Machina sets a new paradigm for the brand: purer, cleaner esthetics, it seems, and a see-through case back whose mechanism behind pays homage to Roger Dubuis’ early classic creations. Isn’t it?

Yes, it is a new paradigm. We are returning to the company’s roots; Mr. Dubuis’s vision was to create a company capable of innovating with a modern design while maintaining real watchmaking content.

This project draws inspiration from that vision, resulting in a modern design that surprises with its use of new techniques to hide the hours and minutes’ hands.

However, when you turn the watch, you can appreciate the beauty of the movement, the Geneva Hallmark’s finishing. Our inspiration harks back to the first movement designed by Roger Dubuis, creating a sense of continuity and evolution.

2. Roger Dubuis is strictly connected to hyper-horology and a brand’s mission with “outstanding” as its core value. What are your sources of inspiration, and how do you constantly set yourself apart from the competition?

Hyper Horology is the fusion of ‘Haute Horlogerie’, exclusivity, and modernity. When these three elements come together, we have Hyper Horology.

If we only have two, we go back to the drawing board. We always strive to discover new ways; a great example is the Sunrise “Rainbow” we unveiled this year.

While there are numerous Rainbow models on the market, our approach was different: we did not just choose sapphires; we selected the colour and meticulously searched for the right stones to replicate the perfect Rainbow, showcasing our unique approach to hyper-horology.

For us, it is more than just a job; it is an artistic approach. We constantly challenge ourselves to create something truly unique. This can be exhausting, but it is part of our philosophy. We have been doing this since the beginning.

Mr Dubuis challenged the watchmaking industry by being innovative while respecting tradition. We have very clear guidelines. At Roger Dubuis, we do not look at competitors for inspiration; we look elsewhere: fashion, motorsport, design, etc.

3. How does the ideas generator work across the team? How do you trigger new ideas and execute their concepts, turning them into working prototypes?

The challenge is really to make the product. The idea is clear at the beginning of the process; we have a division called the Q-Lab, where we put the designer, the watchmaker, and the movement’s concept in the same office.

It is very nice since the person in charge of the movement is face-to-face with the designer: one is very pragmatic, and the other flies very high instead. The outcome is that the former becomes a bit crazy and the latter more pragmatic.

The brief is still open at the beginning of the process, and it is great to see everyone working together in the same direction at some point. My job is to balance the contrasting views and make the right decision: protect the brand’s DNA and the client. That is the right approach if you want to create creative pieces. If you’d like to discover more about Roger Dubuis, please visit its official website.

(Photo credit: Roger Dubuis)

Giovanni Maria Di Biase @Horbiter®