Roger Dubuis Sympathie Bi-Retrograde Perpetual Calendar Luxury Watch Review

http://www.thewatchbox.com/watches/roger-dubuis What does the watchmaker himself wear? If the watchmaker in question is Roger Dubuis, he wears his own Roger Dubuis Sympathie Bi-Retrograde Perpetual Calendar in 18-karat rose gold. This 38mm model, one of the first products built by Dubuis under his own name (after a distinguished career with Patek Philippe), embodies equal measures of cutting-edge audacity and traditional Geneva elegance. Complications were Roger Dubuis' calling card in the years before his 1995 debut as a manufacturer. As a specialist for Patek Philippe and a veteran of vintage complication restorations Dubuis invested his lifetime of experience into the first machines bearing his name on the dial. The Sympathie line launched as the flagship of this pioneering effort in independent horology. Like other examples of the earliest Roger Dubuis Sympathie catalog, the Bi-Retrograde Perpetual Calendar features the unique billowing case form that became a trademark of Dubuis' manufacture. At 38mm wide, a svelte 10.5mm thick, and a reasonable 48mm lug-to-lug, this Sympathie combines traditional proportions with contemporary wrist presence. Alternating brushed and polished surfaces ensure compelling contrast and dynamism; the rippling flares create a palpable sense of tension, and the Sympathie takes on the appearance of a fluid form being drawn outward by an unseen force. The case flows along the contours of its identically-shape sapphire; this component proved s