Footballer Karim Benzema spotted wearing a Roger Dubuis

Karim Benzema, one of football's most decorated forwards and a consistent presence on the luxury watch scene, was recently spotted wearing the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Automatic Skeleton in black DLC-coated titanium, reference RDDBEX0473 — a watch that makes no concessions to subtlety and even fewer to mass-market taste.

The RDDBEX0473 is built around Roger Dubuis's in-house Calibre RD505SQ, a manually wound — some configurations automatic — skeletonized movement that strips away every non-essential surface to expose the gear train, bridges, and oscillating weight in full. The 42mm case is crafted from grade 5 titanium treated with black Diamond-Like Carbon coating, resulting in a finish that is simultaneously featherlight and extraordinarily scratch-resistant. The signature Excalibur twelve-pointed cross-hair bezel frames a dial that is, effectively, no dial at all — just open architecture and sapphire. Water resistance sits at 50 meters, and the movement operates at 28,800 vph with a 60-hour power reserve.

What elevates the Excalibur RDDBEX0473 beyond spectacle is the Poinçon de Genève certification stamped on the movement — a hallmark that demands all components be manufactured and cased in the Canton of Geneva, and subjects the watch to some of horology's strictest finishing standards. Roger Dubuis is one of only a handful of independent manufactures to carry this seal consistently across its entire production range, a fact that collectors and serious enthusiasts regard with genuine respect.

Benzema has long favored watches that reflect his playing style: technically elite, visually bold, uncompromising. His collection has previously included Richard Mille and Audemars Piguet pieces, but the Roger Dubuis Excalibur represents a slightly more rarefied choice — a brand that produces fewer than 5,000 pieces annually and deliberately targets a collector who values mechanical transparency over brand recognition alone.

The Roger Dubuis Excalibur RDDBEX0473 carries a UK list price of approximately £55,000, translating to roughly $68,000–$70,000 USD at current exchange. On the secondary market, DLC titanium Excalibur skeleton references have held value steadily, with grey-market pricing tracking close to retail — a sign of genuine, if niche, collector demand rather than speculative flipping.