The time has finally come for the relaunch of the Daniel Roth brand with the new Tourbillon Souscription inspired by the master’s first model. Jean Arnault, together with Louis Vuitton’s La Fabrique Du Temps team, has revived the independent watchmaker’s most iconic timepiece, first released in 1988.
Daniel Roth’s relaunch with the Tourbillon Souscription
The brand’s newcomer is inspired by the forerunner of Roth’s career as an independent watchmaker, the reference C187 Tourbillon Double-Face.
As we said in this article, Roth treasured his experience at Breguet, a brand he relaunched in a big way with some references that are now treasures for collectors. Watches such as the 3350, 3330, and 3237 are all the result of years of study of the archives and major works of Abraham-Louis Breguet. The first one, the 3350, is definitely the one closest to the C187.
The new Tourbillon Souscription takes up that first reference from 1988 with a whole series of little touches that we will let you discover in a moment. The main peculiarity lies in the double ellipse case, unique to the master’s watches, which represented a completely new shape, but with the lugs typical of Breguet wristwatches created years earlier.
Proportions that drive collectors crazy
By now it is known: size matters, and collectors should be listened to. For years, brands have followed a trend of creating large, disproportionate watches, regardless of people’s feedback.
This is by no means the case with Daniel Roth’s relaunch, which has faithfully reproduced the proportions chosen by the watchmaker. The double-ellipse yellow gold case measures 35.5 mm wide and 38.6 mm long, with only 9.6 mm thickness (compared to the original’s 11 mm).
The differences with the first C187
The first model with reference C187 was a Double-Face Tourbillon, that is, with two dials. The front one had hours, minutes and seconds. The one on the back had the date and power reserve, two indications that Roth felt were not so essential that they needed to be on the dial, but could just as well be on the back.
For the creation of the Tourbillon Souscription, La Fabrique Du Temps opted for a closed case back, recurring, however, in several of the master’s watches, showing the brand name and the numbering of the piece. This choice made it possible to obtain a much thinner case than the one of the time (9.6 versus 11 mm).
The in-house DR001 caliber has a power reserve of 80 hours, compared with 40 for the C187, and beats at a frequency of 3 HZ. Finally, the crown has been decorated with a double ellipse case perimeter.
The dial crafted by Kari Voutilainen
The dial was made of solid yellow gold, exactly as it was made by the master. The artist behind the creation is none other than… Kari Voutilainen, one of the most prominent independent watchmakers of recent times, famous for the incredible decorations he creates.
(The relationship between the LVMH group and the master watchmaker has been established for a few years now, and began with the Zenith X Kari Voutilainen X Phillips collaboration.)
A Clous de Paris finish prevails on the dial, while a finish called ‘circular-grained’ has been adopted in the hour, minute and seconds indicators. The plate that can be seen from the opening at 6 o’clock is decorated with Cotes de Geneve, while below the Tourbillon we have a frosted finish that highlights it.
As for the typography, next to the bridges we notice the iconic numbering of the timepieces (Numéro XX) and the brand name, with a new font. A sans-serif font was chosen for the Roman numerals like the one mentioned earlier, very clean and essential, with a subtle vintage flavor.
The attention to all these details makes the watch worthy of the name it bears and denotes La Fabrique Du Temps’ commitment to truly creating a “watch as an art object.”
Price and availability
The new Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription will be produced in only 20 pieces with a retail price of CHF 140,000 (excluding tax). In order to purchase it, a deposit will have to be made, just as Abraham-Louis Breguet did in his time, so as to reserve the watch and start production.
This will only be possible through selected partners, such as Watch Box. Delivery of the watches is estimated for 2024.
What do you think of this relaunch? Did it meet your expectations?
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