Roger Dubuis Excalibur Huracán Has Hearts Racing: A Week on the Wrist
Some watches ask to be admired from a distance. The Roger Dubuis Excalibur Huracán Has Hearts Racing asks to be worn, argued over and photographed badly under restaurant lighting. It is the horological equivalent of a Lamborghini Huracán: wide, loud, deliberately over-engineered and absolutely not designed for invisibility. The question is whether all that theatre translates into a watch you actually want on your wrist after the first weekend.
I spent a week with it as a daily wearer, not as a safe queen. That meant commuting, typing, coffee runs, dinners and the usual low-level chaos of a working week. The Excalibur Huracán is not a tool watch and it does not pretend to be one. But wearability is about more than specs. It is about balance, strap integration, cuff clearance, legibility and whether the watch becomes a nuisance by Thursday afternoon. On those terms, the Has Hearts Racing edition is more persuasive than its skeletonized drama first suggests.
Brand context: Geneva theatre meets Sant'Agata
Roger Dubuis was founded in Geneva in 1995 by Roger Dubuis and Carlos Dias, and it built its reputation on flamboyant skeletonized movements, bold cases and a certain Geneva-Seal seriousness underneath all the extravagance. The brand later became part of Richemont, but it kept its taste for the theatrical. Its partnership with Lamborghini Squadra Corse, which began in 2017, gave it the perfect canvas: hypercar design language translated into openworked movements and aggressive cases.
The Excalibur Huracán family is the clearest expression of that partnership. These are not subtle watches with a small Lamborghini logo on the dial. The design language runs through the case architecture, the skeletonized bridges, the strap integration and the colour accents. The Has Hearts Racing presentation is part of that same story: it is meant to make the wearer feel like they are strapping on a fragment of a supercar, not a conservative Swiss dress watch with a motorsport sticker.
Movement: RD630 automatic
The Excalibur Huracán uses the Calibre RD630, an in-house automatic skeleton movement with a 60-hour power reserve and a frequency of 28,800 vph. The architecture is deliberately mechanical and exposed: bridges, wheels and levers are part of the visual composition rather than hidden beneath a dial. That is the point of this watch. If you do not enjoy looking at the movement, you are probably looking at the wrong piece.
The RD630 is not chronometer-certified, and I would not describe it as a classical finishing exercise in the style of a conservative Geneva watch. It is more industrial-theatre than old-school restraint, which suits the Lamborghini brief. The 60-hour reserve is useful for rotation, and the winding and setting feel reassuringly mechanical rather than delicate. A date function is worked into the openworked layout, though it is not the sort of watch you buy for its date window. You buy it because the movement is the dial.
Specs and daily practicality
The case is titanium, the crystal is sapphire and the watch comes on a rubber strap with a deployant clasp. There is no lume, which is worth saying plainly: this is not a watch for reading in the dark, and it is not a lume-forward sports watch. The rubber strap is the right choice for the design. It integrates cleanly with the lugs, handles sweat and heat better than leather and gives the watch a more coherent sports character.
What I will not do is pretend to know dimensions that I have not verified for this exact edition. The Excalibur Huracán line is not a compact watch, and the Has Hearts Racing presentation is visually broad and architectural. But a review should not invent numbers, so I am judging the wear experience rather than quoting figures I cannot stand behind. The titanium case keeps the mass in check, and the strap does most of the comfort work. The deployant sits flat enough for desk work, though the watch is still large enough in presence that tight cuffs are a consideration.
On the wrist: comfort and balance
The first thing you notice is the wrist presence. This is not a watch that disappears under a sleeve. The skeletonized dial, the exposed bridges and the red accents create a dense visual field, and the case has the sort of architectural shoulders that make it look wider than a simple measurement would suggest. On my wrist, it felt planted rather than top-heavy, which is not always the case with dramatic skeleton watches. The titanium case helps, and the rubber strap stops the watch from sliding around.
The second thing you notice is that the strap matters more than you might expect. A watch like this can be ruined by a stiff, shiny leather strap that makes it feel like a novelty. The rubber strap keeps it in sports-watch territory, and the deployant clasp is comfortable enough for a full day at a desk. I would not call it a forgettable watch, but I would call it wearable. It is at its best with casual tailoring, knitwear, denim and the sort of clothes that do not fight for attention. With a tight formal cuff, the watch is the loudest thing in the room.
Legibility is the trade-off. The openworked dial is not designed for quick reading, and the hands can get lost against the movement architecture in certain light. You learn to read it in the same way you learn to read a skeleton watch: by recognising shapes and angles rather than glancing at a clean dial. For daily wear, that is acceptable if you accept the brief. For actual time-checking under stress, it is not the best tool in the box.
Accuracy and living with the RD630
The RD630 is not COSC-certified, and I would not expect quartz-like accuracy. A well-regulated example should run within a few seconds per day in normal wear, with variation depending on position and activity. Over a week, the watch stayed stable enough for daily life, and I did not find myself resetting it constantly. The bigger point is that this is an in-house skeleton automatic with a complicated visual architecture. If you are the sort of owner who obsesses over plus-two seconds per day, you are probably looking at the wrong watch.
Service is an authorized-channel matter. Skeletonized in-house movements are not friendly to generalist watchmakers, and the finishing and parts network are best handled by Roger Dubuis or an approved specialist. I would not buy this watch expecting to treat it like a simple three-hand automatic that any competent watchmaker can look after. That is part of the ownership cost, and it should be part of the buying decision.
Occasions: where it works
The Excalibur Huracán Has Hearts Racing works best as a sporty daily wearer for someone who does not need a discreet watch. It is excellent with casual tailoring, weekend clothes and evening outfits that lean bold rather than conservative. It can work in a formal setting if you have the confidence and the cuff space, but it is not a traditional dress watch. It is also not a travel watch in the practical sense: there is no GMT complication and no lume, so it is more about the experience than the utility.
For collectors with a multi-watch rotation, it makes a strong statement piece. For someone looking for a single do-everything watch, it is a harder sell. It is comfortable enough for daily wear, but it is not low-key, and it does not hide its price bracket or its personality. That is either the point or the problem, depending on your taste.
Wrist presence: 4/5
I would rate the wrist presence at 4/5. It is unmistakable without being a cartoon. The skeleton dial, Lamborghini-inspired bridges and red accents give it real theatre, and the titanium case and rubber strap keep it from feeling like a fragile showpiece. It is not a five because the visual density can become fatiguing, and because the watch is at its best when the wearer leans into the extroverted brief. On the right wrist, it is superb. On the wrong wrist, it is a lot.
Reference variants and family context
The Excalibur Huracán family includes several expressions of the same idea, including the core Huracán, the Huracán Performante, the Huracán Spyder and the Huracán Sterrato. I would not quote reference numbers without a certificate in hand, because Roger Dubuis references can be edition-specific and easy to confuse. The important distinction is colour and theme: red and black for the core motorsport look, blue for the Spyder-inspired edition and green and khaki for the Sterrato-inspired edition. The Has Hearts Racing presentation sits within that same design language rather than reinventing it.
Other notable Roger Dubuis models include the Excalibur Spider, the Excalibur Monobalancier, the Excalibur Double Tourbillon and the Excalibur Quatuor. All of them share the brand's taste for skeletonization, bold architecture and a certain refusal to be boring. The Huracán is the most directly automotive of the lot, but it is not an outlier in the broader Excalibur universe.
Similar watches and budget alternatives
If you like the idea of a skeletonized supercar collaboration but want to compare, the Hublot Big Bang Unico Ferrari is an obvious rival: another in-house skeleton chronograph with a supercar partnership and bold wrist presence. The Richard Mille RM 11-03 McLaren is the hypercar-collaboration benchmark, with far higher pricing and even more technical theatre. The Zenith Defy El Primero 21 is a different flavour of motorsport energy, with a skeletonized high-frequency chronograph movement and a less theatrical price tag.
For buyers who love the look but cannot justify the price, the homage market is limited. The Invicta S1 Rally Skeleton captures some of the busy skeletonized motorsport aesthetic at a fraction of the cost, and the Stuhrling Original Legacy Skeleton Automatic offers an affordable openworked automatic for the same exposed-gear thrill. Neither is a substitute for the Roger Dubuis in engineering or finishing, but they scratch the visual itch.
Investment value and ownership
Roger Dubuis is not a blue-chip investment brand in the way that some steel sports watches are, and the Excalibur Huracán is not the model I would choose to underwrite a collection. The secondary market is generally soft, and comparable Huracán editions often trade below retail. Limited production helps scarcity, but it does not guarantee appreciation. The Has Hearts Racing designation is not one with a major auction record, so I would not pay a premium for the name alone.
Buy this watch because you love the skeletonized Lamborghini theatre on the wrist. Buy it because you want an in-house automatic with genuine visual drama and a comfortable rubber strap. Do not buy it as a store of value, and do not expect the auction room to thank you. The price buys a conversation piece, not a financial instrument. That is not a criticism of the watch; it is simply the reality of the category.
Service and long-term ownership
Service should go through Roger Dubuis or an authorized watchmaker. The skeletonized in-house movement and its finishing are not friendly to independent generalists, and parts availability is best handled through the official network. I would not quote a service interval or cost without confirmation from the brand, because those details can vary by edition and region. The ownership point is simple: this is a watch that deserves proper care, and proper care has a cost.
Final verdict
The Roger Dubuis Excalibur Huracán Has Hearts Racing is a successful piece of wrist theatre. It is dramatic, comfortable enough for real days and backed by an in-house automatic with the right motorsport attitude. It is not a sensible value proposition, and it will not suit every collector, but as a watch to wear and enjoy rather than flip, it makes a persuasive case. Buy it with your eyes open, wear it hard and do not expect the auction room to thank you.
