Roger Dubuis Excalibur The Metamorph Merlin Insights

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During my last visit to Geneva, I visited the Roger Dubuis Boutique where the lovely team let me spend some time with the latest iteration of the Knights of the Round Table, named Metamorph Merlin. This latest reveal, the reference DBEX1118 demands a quiet evening and a loupe. I have followed this saga since the first gold knights appeared in Geneva, and I confess that each new chapter still makes me feel like a boy opening an illustrated book of legends. This time, Merlin no longer simply watches over the knights; instead, he changes shape and slips into the body of the mythical white stag, the creature that wanders between the visible and the invisible worlds. Accordingly, the Maison closes its Merlin trilogy with a deep green dial built from 57 blocks in four materials, twelve micro-sculpted pink gold knights and, for the first time in the collection, a hand-engraved case. Limited to 28 pieces, it shows only hours and minutes, yet it tells an entire story. Naturally, such ambition has a price, on the wrist and in the bank account.

A legend told in chapters

Roger Dubuis launched the Excalibur in 2005, and that imposing 45mm case quickly became the stage for the brand’s most theatrical ideas. In 2013, the first Knights of the Round Table placed twelve gold knights around a green and white Grand Feu enamel table inspired by the Winchester Round Table, with swords pointing towards a central Tudor rose. Two years later, the second edition switched to bronze knights on black jade. In 2018, the third chapter surprised everyone with faceted “low poly” knights around blue enamel and pink gold.

Roger Dubuis Excalibur The Metamorph Merlin

From there, the knights stopped posing and started fighting. The 2023 edition surrounded a cracking frozen lake in Murano glass and Limoges porcelain, while the Omniscient Merlin of 2024 introduced hexagonal columns inspired by the Giant’s Causeway basalt. Subsequently, the Enchanter Merlin of 2025 recreated the Crystal Palace of the Lady of the Lake. The Metamorph Merlin now completes the trilogy by moving into the forest.

A forest in glass and gold

Inspired by the mythical forest where Merlin took multiple forms, the dial keeps the hexagonal vocabulary of the first Merlin chapter but drowns it in green. Roger Dubuis assembles 57 blocks at different heights: 24 in polished glass with green CVD coating, ten in shot-blasted glass with green CVD, nine in clear glass, six in transparent glass with a green CVD top, seven in polished pink gold and one central block in shot-blasted pink gold with green CVD. Underneath, a pink gold base layer wears the same green coating, and nine Crystalium inlays form the forest floor.

What I like is the complex and theatrical scene. Rather than painting trees, the brand lets light do the work, so the polished gold catches a reflection while the frosted glass swallows it. The green CVD flange combines polished and satin-brushed surfaces, and satin-brushed pink gold hands carry Super-LumiNova only in their centre.

Around this landscape stand the twelve knights, each about 6mm tall. A skilled engraver spends roughly three days on every figure, sculpting, engraving and applying black patina. King Arthur presides at noon with his prominent sword, the Excalibur. However, let us be honest: legibility comes second. The hands fight for attention against a crowd of armoured men, and the tiny lume patch will not help much at night. But the legends need no precise time, that is why there is the legends realm and the history…

Calibre RD821: the quiet engine

Behind the spectacle sits the automatic Calibre RD821, developed, produced and hand-finished in-house. It measures 11½ lignes, roughly 26mm, and only 3.43mm in height according to the official Roger Dubuis page, although the press kit rounds it to 3.5mm. Inside, 172 components and 33 jewels work together – the complexity stays in the watch display scene and less in the movement. The balance oscillates at 4Hz, or 28,800 vibrations per hour, and the barrel holds 48 hours of autonomy.

Technically, the choice makes sense. A compact, slim base calibre leaves vertical space for a dial that rises in steps, and it lets the knights stand on the periphery without fighting the movement architecture. Roger Dubuis states that it engineered the RD821 specifically to accommodate this three-dimensional construction while keeping the Excalibur proportions intact. Meanwhile, the 4Hz frequency offers a sensible balance between rate stability and service intervals, and the simple hours-and-minutes layout keeps the energy path short.

Furthermore, the calibre carries the Poinçon de Genève. Fourteen distinct finishing techniques cover every surface of every component, alternating matte and polished zones. The seal also checks the cased watch, including performance requirement. Through the sapphire case back, a skeletonised 360° gold rotor inspired by medieval stained-glass windows spins over the bridges. The 26mm movement looks rather small inside that 45mm case, even if the openworked rotor does a clever job of hiding that gap. But a trained eye will spot the decorative from mechanics immediately. Nevertheless, I must admit that not everyone is as exigent as some of us and the Maison did an excellent job in decorating the back to fill the space and fulfill the theme.

The case finally speaks of its own story

For the first time in the Knights of the Round Table story, the case joins the narrative. Artisans engrave the 18k pink gold middle entirely by hand, showing Merlin as the white stag and as a wise figure holding a book, a nod to the Omniscient chapter. The engraved show demands around 70 hours of work. These micro-relief scenes give the flanks a tactile quality that photographs barely capture.

The 45mm case keeps the notched bezel and RD’s triple lugs, and a sapphire ring under the bezel opens a side window onto the dial. Additionally, sword-inspired guards flank a green crown with a glass ring inside, a direct reference to Excalibur and to the stag’s forest. The extra details visible via the sapphire ring pushes the overall height to 16.87mm. The watch comes with 30m water resistance and a green calfskin strap with Quick Release System and a pink gold triple folding buckle complete it.

Closing the book

Ultimately, the Metamorph Merlin ends the trilogy in style, extending the legend from the dial onto the case, keeping 28 owners busy discovering details for years. Would I wear it every day? Probably not, because of the height and the weight of so much gold. Nevertheless, as a piece of wearable sculpture, it works beautifully. Roger Dubuis lists the Knights of the Round Table Metamorph Merlin at €455,000. For Merlin’s final transformation, that is the cost of magic.

Roger Dubuis Excalibur The Metamorph Merlin Technical Specifications

Reference RDDBEX1118

Limited edition of 28 pieces
Poinçon de Genève certification
Functions: hours and minutes
Price: €455,000

Movement

Calibre RD821
Mechanical movement with automatic winding
Developed, manufactured and hand-finished in-house
Skeletonised 360-degree pink-gold rotor inspired by medieval stained-glass windows
Frequency: 4 Hz / 28,800 vibrations per hour
Power reserve: 48 hours
Diameter: 11 lignes
Thickness: 3.5 mm
Number of components: 172
Number of jewels: 33
Fourteen different finishing techniques
Poinçon de Genève certified

Case

18 ct pink gold, 750/1000
Hand-engraved case middle depicting Merlin as the white stag and as a wise figure holding a book
Approximately 70 hours of hand engraving
Sapphire crystal ring beneath the bezel, offering a lateral view of the dial
Open caseback with sapphire crystal
Crown with an internal glass ring
Diameter: 45 mm
Thickness: 16.87 mm
Water resistance: 3 bar / 30 metres

Dial