When it comes to high-end watchmaking, Roger Dubuis has always played the rebel. And now, for the third time, it’s partnering with Los Angeles-based tattoo artist Dr. Woo to challenge the idea that fine timepieces must only come from the hands of Swiss watchmakers.
Dr. Woo—real name Brian Woo—is known for his delicate single-needle tattoos and a celebrity clientele that includes Justin Bieber, Zoë Kravitz, and Drake. But his artistic ambition has long extended beyond skin. For him, this ongoing collaboration with Roger Dubuis isn’t just a creative outlet—it’s a convergence of craft, concept, and cosmic curiosity.
Their third joint creation, the Excalibur Monotourbillon Dr. Woo Episode III, was unveiled in an intimate gathering at the artist’s private Hollywood loft, Woo’s Hideaway. And unlike its predecessors, which looked skyward, this piece catapults us 31 million light-years away, straight into the swirling arms of the Whirlpool Galaxy (Messier 51a). It’s a bold creative leap—from simply admiring the stars to placing yourself within the stars.
“I love the idea that even in a world where we think we know so much, there’s still so much we don’t understand,” Woo says. “The first watch was about mapping the sky and blending my geometric design language. The second added more celestial bodies—sun, moon, our connection to the sky. But this one? Now we’re out there, in it, facing the unknown.”
Imagine an artist standing at the edge of the galaxy, gazing into the void, not with fear but with faith. That’s what this watch captures. Roger Dubuis took this poetic idea and built it into a 42mm case crafted from pink gold and titanium. The bezel is etched with mysterious symbols, and a floating spacecraft—created using a 3D electroforming technique—is suspended beneath the crystal. The whole design maintains Dr. Woo’s signature black-and-white, minimalist aesthetic.
And the details are jaw-dropping. At 9 o’clock, three rose gold nebulae shimmer beneath sapphire glass. Between 10 and 11, a pink-gold spiral element represents a black hole. Flip the watch over, and the spiral returns—now surrounded by a checkered black motif, as if something is being pulled from the void.
Engraved on the caseback is a message both cryptic and inspiring:
“Let us work together to uncover the mysteries of the universe. To the one who finds this message, know that we are seekers of knowledge and explorers of the unknown.”
It’s something out of Interstellar, yet it grounds the watch in something very human: wonder.
Naturally, the timepiece is powered by Roger Dubuis’s signature flying tourbillon, nestled at 7 o’clock. Its architecture is customized: titanium on the bottom, with a sleek three-pronged bridge above. Laurent Toinet, President of Roger Dubuis Americas, summed it up with a wink: “I could talk about the movement all day—it’s beautiful—but really, you need to find the spider.”
Yes, the spider. One of Dr. Woo’s recurring symbols. It’s not just a visual motif but a nod to networks, connections, and unseen threads—whether it’s tattoo ink on skin, stars in the galaxy, or human relationships.
Only 28 pieces of Episode III will be made, priced at $180,000 each. For collectors, this is more than just a timepiece—it’s a wearable story, rich with symbolism, detail, and narrative.
Some may ask: is having a tattoo artist co-design a luxury watch just a gimmick? Woo doesn’t think so.
“I don’t want people to look at this and go, ‘Oh, it’s cool because it’s a tattoo watch,’ or ‘It’s edgy because it’s a clash of two different worlds,’” he says. “I just want people to appreciate the craft, and maybe see the world a little differently through my eyes.”
That reminded me of Kevin, an art dealer friend who lives in Brooklyn. He spends his days hopping between galleries, auction houses, and artists’ studios. Years ago, he waited two full days in L.A. just to get inked by Dr. Woo. “His work,” Kevin once told me, “reminds me of my grandfather teaching me to fix watches—every detail mattered.” He later collected the first Woo-Roger Dubuis watch, and now he’s got his eye on Episode III.
Kevin’s story captures why this watch matters. It’s not just a piece of haute horlogerie—it’s a key to something larger. Something spiritual. When tattoo artistry, cosmic symbolism, and Swiss engineering collide, you get something you could never predict. Something that’s not bound by time, but deeply connected to it.
In a world increasingly ruled by algorithms and predictability, this kind of mysterious, artful watch might just be the rebellion we need.