Footballer Cesar Azpilicueta spotted wearing a Roger Dubuis

Cesar Azpilicueta was spotted inside the Roger Dubuis manufacture in Geneva wearing one of the brand's most technically demanding creations — the Excalibur Spider Skeleton Double Flying Tourbillon, reference RDDBEX0481. The setting gave the sighting an extra layer of authenticity: a man who has spent his career mastering the mechanics of elite football, standing at the source of one of watchmaking's most intricate movements.

At the heart of the RDDBEX0481 beats the calibre RD01SQ, a hand-wound movement that Roger Dubuis developed entirely in-house. Its defining feature is a double flying tourbillon architecture: two separate tourbillon carriages, each rotating once per minute, linked by a central differential that averages their output to deliver a single regulated impulse to the gear train. Running at 21,600 vph (3Hz) with a 60-hour power reserve, the movement is fully skeletonised and finished to the exacting standard of the Poinçon de Genève — every single component bearing the hallmark. The case is crafted in lightweight titanium, following the spider-web aesthetic that defines the Excalibur Spider line, measuring 47mm in diameter.

The RDDBEX0481 was released as a limited series of 188 pieces, a production number that reflects Roger Dubuis's deliberate strategy of ultra-low volume on its most complex references. Double flying tourbillons without a bridge — 'flying' denotes the absence of an upper bridge over the cage — are genuinely rare in independent horology, and the differential coupling between two such regulators elevates the mechanical proposition further. Collectors regard this reference as one of the brand's most serious technical statements, sitting above the single-tourbillon Excalibur variants in both complexity and desirability.

Azpilicueta, a long-serving captain figure at Chelsea whose disciplined, detail-oriented approach to the game has defined an era at Stamford Bridge, has demonstrated a consistent appreciation for technically sophisticated watches. His presence at the Roger Dubuis manufacture suggests a relationship that goes beyond passive endorsement — visiting the atelier points to genuine engagement with the craft.

With a UK RRP in the region of £200,000 — approximately $250,000 at prevailing rates — the Excalibur Spider Skeleton Double Flying Tourbillon RDDBEX0481 occupies rarefied pricing territory. On the secondary market, the combination of strict limited-edition status, full Poinçon de Genève certification, and double flying tourbillon complication keeps values firm, with grey-market transactions typically trading close to, or in some cases above, retail for well-preserved examples.