New: Daniel Roth Tourbillon Rose Gold

Daniel Roth continues to march on under the Louis Vuitton flag with a new limited edition release of the Tourbillon in Rose Gold.

Press Release with commentary in italics.

New: Daniel Roth Tourbillon Rose Gold

The Daniel Roth Tourbillon Rose Gold Ref. DAAD01A1 has a retail price set at SGD 255,000. Price is inclusive of GST.

Commentary

Following the feeler from last year’s LVMH Watch Week which introduced the Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription in yellow gold, this year, the brand forges forward with a new limited edition, also for 20 pieces, but in rose gold. The watches are now available for regular sale off the counter. This revival of the Daniel Roth brand is interesting in that after its purchase by Bvlgari in 2000, the brand name is not used on watch dials, and the iconic case shape and distinctive design of the watches disappeared. Only to be modified and tempered with Italian characteristics and assimilated into the Bvlgari Octofinissimo line. In the landmark move in 2023, LVMH announced that the Daniel Roth brand, as well as Gerald Genta will be revived. Both brands have been parked under the Bvlgari umbrella. We understand that the two brands will leverage on the LV manufacture in La Fabrique du Temps and the brands will come under the management of Louis Vuitton’s Jean Arnault.

The watch is spectacular. As it always was with it was made by Daniel Roth himself. The design is inspired by the original Tourbillon C187 and was the first wrist watch with a large tourbillon showcased on the dial. Daniel Roth offered the model in many case materials ranging from stainless steel to various gold hues. The iconic design language used by Daniel to describe the dial is kept largely unchanged, with the famous moustache flanking the sector seconds chapter arcs where a hand mounted on the beautifully crafted tourbillon carries the seconds hand. The guilloché also mimicks the same en ligne pattern on the C187. The Souscription had a guilloché which is done Clous de Paris style. The dial is a collaboration with Kari Voutilainen.

The original carried the caliber DR307 which was based on the Lemania 387 ébauche. The original was presented as either the desirable double faced watch, or the a more standard sapphire caseback showing the back of the movement. Daniel Roth offered variants which had hand engravings as well. The original had a case size of 38mm x 35mm, and the novelty is a touch larger at 38.6 x 35.5mm. Interestingly, the Daniel Roth tradition of engraving the limited edition serial number on one of the arms of the moustache is continued, and the series numbering begins in this novelty as no “21”, following the Tourbillon Souscription which bore the series from “01” to “20”. The tourbillons is set under a magnificent bridge with two conical legs and secured by screws on turrets rising from the movement plate.

The movement keeps the form shape of the case, and is described as a double ellipse. The caliber DR001 is developed entirely by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton who also manufactures and crafts the finishing on the movement. Needless to say, the movement is finished to an exceptionally high level.

Price at launch is SGD 255k / CHF 155,000, which is an increase over the CHF 140,000 price of the Souscription model, which was powered by the same DR001 but had a closed case back, which might appeal to some purists. A quick check at auction results showed that in May 2023, Phillips sold the original C187 at CHF 152.4k, and more recently the Souscription Tourbillon was sold at only CHF 76.2k, also by Phillips in May 2024. But overall SGD 255k is rather a rather steep ransom to pay for a time only tourbillon, and is right up there with the upper echelons of the genre. The counter argument is that this watch is truly a magnificently beautiful masterpiece, worthy of the Daniel Roth name. How does one put a price tag on that?

Release details

The revival of DANIEL ROTH continues with the unveiling of the Tourbillon Rose Gold. Following the last year’s Tourbillon Souscription in yellow gold, which was a limited edition of 20 pieces, the emblematic Tourbillon now makes its debut in rose gold with a new guillochage en ligne dial.

Inspired by the original Tourbillon C187, designed by Daniel Roth himself and the very first wristwatch with a large tourbillon showcased on the dial, the Tourbillon Rose Gold is dressed in the “pink on pink” livery revered by watch aficionados – the 5N rose gold case is matched with a 5N rose gold guilloche dial.

“Rose gold is a rich, vivid, and striking precious metal that is modern in appearance yet widely used in classical watchmaking,” says Matthieu Hegi, Artistic Director of DANIEL ROTH, “It is a perfect evolution from the vintage feel of the yellow gold used for the Tourbillon Souscription.”

“At the same time, the complementary nature of the rose gold case paired with a rose gold dial is an example of the distinctive, elegant aesthetic that defines DANIEL ROTH,” continues Matthieu Hegi, “Moreover, the ‘pink on pink’ combination evokes many significant historical timepieces, both wrist and pocket watches, that are both desirable and beautiful.”

Within the rose gold double-ellipse case is the DR001 calibre, a movement developed entirely by Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini, the master watchmakers of DANIEL ROTH who are also the founders of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, the manufacture responsible for crafting the calibre. While the DR001 was concealed behind a solid case back in the Tourbillon Souscription, the hand-finished movement now sits under a sapphire back in the Tourbillon Rose Gold, showcasing its refined decoration and traditional construction.

As a continuation of the reborn DANIEL ROTH legacy, the Tourbillon Rose Gold will be individually numbered on the dial starting from “21”, following the Tourbillon Souscription that was numbered “01” to “20”. As a consequence of the natural constraints imposed by the high level of artisanal craft demanded by each watch, no more than 50 DANIEL ROTH Tourbillons will be produced each year.

Rose Gold 5N

One of the traditional materials for haute horlogerie watches, rose gold gets its name from the pinkish hue that results from the addition of copper to the alloy. For maximum visual impact, the Tourbillon Rose Gold employs the 5N alloy, an 18k gold alloy with a deeper, richer tone, such that it is sometimes known as red gold.

The 18k rose gold case takes the double-ellipse form, a shape that was the foundation of DANIEL ROTH, having been created by Daniel Roth himself when he established the brand in 1988. An amalgamation of a square and a circle, the double-ellipse case was conceived to frame the visible tourbillon at 6 o’clock. Some three decades after its creation, the double-ellipse case is one of the handful of modern-day case designs that has become an ageless icon.

At once classical and modern, the double-ellipse case has been artfully refined for the revival of DANIEL ROTH. Indistinguishable from the original at the distance, the case seemingly reproduces the dimensions of the original C187 – but not exactly, as the slimness of the DR001 calibre allowed for reworked proportions that give the new case a more balanced profile.

Another crucial element that was redesigned are the lugs, which are now gracefully curved to echo the rounded lines of the case while also being ergonomic.

While majority of the original C187 were made with a silver or grey dial, the Tourbillon Rose Gold is dressed up with a harmonious rose gold dial. But the dial is not just a colour-coordinated pairing with the case, it is also made of the same precious metal alloy: the dial itself is in 5N rose gold, while the applied chapters and scales are in sterling silver. To complement the vivid pink of the dial, all of its markings are printed in glossy black lacquer, and matched with black-coated stainless steel hands.

Just as with the Tourbillon Souscription, the dial is produced in collaboration with the famed engine-turning atelier of Kari Voutilainen. The guilloche is done by hand with a manually-operated straight-line engine that engraves each of the vertical lines one at a time. Each dial is a painstaking task that requires a sharp eye and deft hand, with the slightest mistake requiring the dial to be discarded.

The dial also boasts an attribute that a keen-eyed collector will appreciate: the rose gold dial plate is decorated with guillochage en ligne, an engine- turned pattern of parallel, vertical lines identical to that found in most examples of the original C187.

Although the very earliest examples of the C187 sported dials finished with hobnail guilloche, which is also found in the Tourbillon Souscription, Daniel Roth chose linear guilloche as one of the trademarks of his brand shortly after its founding, making the motif synonymous with DANIEL ROTH.

Haute horlogerie

Visible in all its glory through the sapphire back, the DR001 movement exemplifies the art of watchmaking. Developed in-house and manufactured at La Fabrique du Temps, the DR001 is a new calibre conceived from the ground up, but one that pays homage to traditional Swiss watchmaking in both form and finish.

Shaped by Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini, the DR001 has been generously endowed with elements evocative of traditional haute horlogerie. This was hidden in the Tourbillon Souscription, but can now be admired down to its smallest detail.

“Having known Daniel for many years before the revival of DANIEL ROTH, we understood his philosophy, with its emphasis on tradition, quality, and details, so we instinctively knew the DR001 had to be peerless in every way,” say Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini.

“We also understand Daniel’s preference for elegance and subtlety, so we designed the DR001 to showcase discreet but perfect finissagethat connoisseurs will appreciate under a loupe,” continue Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini, “Now we are especially proud and happy that the movement can be fully admired in all its glory through the sapphire back.”

The bridges of the DR001 are finished with Côtes de Genève with the stripes aligned vertically to mirror the linear guilloche on the dial. Each bridge is further enhanced by anglage, rounded, bevelled edges that are mirror polished, giving the bridges a radiant outline.

Furthermore, the wheel driving the tourbillon is held in place by a curved bridge of black-polished steel, while its pivot jewel sits in a gold chaton, one of three gold chatons in the movement. Also in black-polished steel is the linear winding click that creates the precise yet gentle sensation when winding the movement by hand.

But the exceptional hand finishing can also be savoured while the watch is on the wrist thanks to the tourbillon positioned at six o’clock. Framed by the fan-shaped tri-sectioned seconds, the tourbillon is a masterclass in traditional, haute horlogerie decoration.

Both the tourbillon bridge and carriage are in steel that’s been polished by hand to a mirror finish. Even the screws holding the carriage together, which are amongst the tiniest components of the movement, are mirror polished on their heads and chamfered along their edges and slots.

Attention has been paid to absolutely every element of the movement, no matter how small, a fitting tribute to Daniel Roth and his vision of fine watchmaking.

DANIEL ROTH Tourbillon Rose Gold DAAD01A1 Specifications

Movement

• DR001 Calibre: mechanical movement with manual winding developed and assembled by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton
• Tourbillon 1-minute
• Thickness: 4,6mm
• 206 components
• 80 hours of power reserve
• 21,600 oscillations per hour – 3Hz
• 19 jewels

Case

• 18K rose gold 5N
• Dimensions: 38,6 x 35,5mm
• Thickness: 9,2mm
• Flat anti-reflection sapphire crystal • Water-resistant to 30m
• Lug width: 20mm
• Sapphire crystal caseback

Dial

• 18k Rose gold 5N with “lignes” guilloche
• DANIEL ROTH and watch individual number engravings

Strap

• Brown calfskin leather

Buckle

• 18K Rose gold 5N tang-type buckle

Watch weight

• Approx. 77,5g