There’s driving, and then there’s heading to the white peaks of the Italian Alps to control 700 horsepower over snow and ice. Recently, Lamborghini’s motorsport division, Squadra Corse, held its annual Winter Academia in Livigno. Over two days, Lamborghini instructors guided automobile aficionados in handling supercars such as the record-breaking Huracan Performante – all fitted with Pirelli’s Sottozero winter tyres – in low-grip conditions.
It was amid this snowy, high-octane scene that Roger Dubuis launched its latest motorsport-inspired timepiece, the Excalibur Spider Pirelli Sottozero (Italian for “below zeroâ€). The latest creation resulting from the Geneva watch maison’s collaborations with Italian performance-tyre specialist Pirelli and Italian supercar marque Lamborghini, the watch features an ice-cool aesthetic: A white ceramic bezel with blue markings crisply frames a titanium case, which houses the new RD105SQ manually wound calibre and automobile-influenced details such as the sporty scales framing the movement’s dual flying tourbillons.
But what really distinguishes this watch is its rubber strap. Like the other Roger Dubuis-Pirelli collaborative pieces, the strap features an inlay made from certified Pirelli tyres and an underside reproducing the profile of a Cinturato intermediate tyre.
In this instance, however, the strap is also adorned on top with the profile of a Sottozero tyre, combining its signature asymmetric tread with titanium studs – a reference to the nails that can be used in the tyres for better grip. Made for motorsport fans, this watch is a cool choice, no matter what the weather conditions.
