Carlos Dias repair shop visit spurs firm set up 'Roger Dubuis' >

17 august 2006

MORE than a decade ago, Carlos Dias took an old watch to a watchmaker named Roger Dubuis, who ran a small workshop, to be repaired.

That fateful visit inspired Dias, who was then a consultant to a prestigious international watch brand, to start his own company selling his own line of watches.

Photo by: TheStarOnline - Christina Low

(From left) Roger Dubuis founder, chief executive officer and chairman Carlos Dias and Swiss Union managing director Datuk Francis Sew with models parading the brand's watches and jewellery during the launch recently.

The company, Sogem (Societe Genevoise des Montres), was set up in 1995 and became Roger Dubuis in 1999.

As its founder, chief executive officer and chairman, Dias has little to worry about people not knowing how to pronounce the name as the timepieces have fans from Switzerland to Thailand.

Malaysians are also in the list of admirers, as the first Roger Dubuis boutique opened in Kuala Lumpur recently.

Photo by: TheStarOnline - Christina Low

Dias with the watches designed by him.

?When I told my friends of the brand name, they laughed at me because they thought many would find it difficult to pronounce,? said Dias at the store launch at Starhill Gallery, Jalan Bukit Bintang.

He opted for Roger Dubuis? name, saying, ?I want the name to be of a real watchmaker.?

The store opening also marked the launch of The Roger Dubuis design, a vibrant style combined with modern materials and exclusivity.

All the gold models are issued in limited editions of no more than 28 pieces.

Last year saw the revelation of Excalibur, the 10th collection joining the lines of AquaMare, SeaMore, Hommage, Sympathie, MuchMore, TooMuch, FollowMe, GoldenSquare and EasyDiver.

Today, the brand has stores in Thailand, Singapore, Japan and Indonesia beside its home base Geneva, Switzerland.

The 64 sq m Kuala Lumpur boutique sports an urban and minimalist architectural style.

Its Wenge parquet wood floors are encrusted with motifs in polished stainless steel inspired by the silhouettes of Roger Dubuis watches.

The horizontal showcases are complemented with visuals taken from Roger Dubois' in-house magazine Tempus Vitae.

Apart from watches for men and women, the brand also makes jewellery such as rings and necklaces, all of which were paraded by models at the launch.

?Asia is a great market for us and I think this is just the beginning,? said Dias, who started the business with only one employee.

Also present during the launch were Swiss Union managing director Datuk Francis Sew, Diethelm Keller Siber Hegner executive vice-president Dr Marcel Braun and Roger Dubuis international sales director David von Gunten.