Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The New Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription
After the spectacular Daniel Roth Tourbillon, now it's time for the second model of the resurrected brand.
Almost two years ago, the Daniel Roth brand was resurrected by Louis Vuitton’s La Fabrique Du Temps. It started with a yellow gold Tourbillon Souscription (ref. DR0011YG-01) that was pretty much a copy of the tourbillon made by Mister Roth, way back in the 1990s. After another tourbillon in rose gold that was introduced last year, we now get to see the second chapter in the revival of Daniel Roth: the Extra Plat Souscription ref. DBBE01A1. And as the name already suggests, it’s a thin watch. For the rest you have to know it’s time-only, two hands, a closed caseback, and, like the first tourbillon, it comes in 18k yellow gold.
The old “extra-plat” was introduced, if I’m correct, in 1991, as it was Roth’s second watch under his own name. It was introduced as reference C107 and was the perfect expression of an elegant dress watch. It was discreet, thin, time-only and again showed that very elegant shape of the case, which by the way, sits perfectly on the wrist! Reference C107 was available in yellow, white or pink gold, with a size of 35mm x 38mm and a height of 5.6mm. Inside ticked a nicely finished Frederic Piguet 71 automatic calibre, which was among the thinnest ever produced. This movement featured a decentralised rotor that was finished with a guilloché pattern. Besides this ref. C107 was another Extra Plat, reference C167, which is actually a bit less “extra” plat… This Reference C167, with a hand-wound movement, can perhaps better be labelled as “midiplat (or midplat)” as it measured 6.8mm in height, while its automatic sibling C107 measured only 5.6mm in height.
Anyways, back to the new watch at hand… The new Daniel Roth Extra Plat will be introduced as a “subscription watch” that will be limited to 20 pieces. In terms of case size, it’s close to the C107 but slightly bigger and thicker. Now measuring 38.6 x 35.5mm and 7.70mm in height. This means it’s more than 2mm thicker than the original C107, while it now comes with a hand-wound movement versus an automatic in the original model. The hand-wound movement, calibre DR002, is the second movement La Fabrique Du Temps developed for the (revived) Daniel Roth brand.
Calibre DR002 measures 31 x 28mm and is 3.1mm thick, offering a healthy power reserve of 65 hours, and it’s a 4Hz movement with the balance brating at 28,800vph. The hand-wound movement comprises 143 individual components, of which 21 are jewels. As you can expect, the finishing is top notch, as within La Fabrique du temps, each watch will be entirely made by one watchmaker who finishes and assembles it.
Geneva stripes on the bridges, circular graining on the main plate and a steel winding bar click for the barrel. The edges of the bridges are rounded and polished, feature sharp corners and this is only possible with skilled artisanal finishing. Unfortunately for owners of this first ‘souscription’ version, it comes like the original C107 with a closed case-back. Like with the Tourbillon, we expect that for a second version, the case-back will feature a sapphire crystal so the DR002 movement can be admired.
The dial is now made in-house at La Fabrique du Temps. Each dial comprises two parts, the base and an applied chapter ring, both of which are solid 18k yellow gold and engine turned by hand on antique restored machines in La Fabrique du Temps’s own guilloche workshop. The Clou de Paris pattern on the dial base is engine turned on a hand-operated straight-line engine, while the filet sauté border on both the base and chapter ring is applied with a machine from around 1850. Notably, both dial components are turned by a single artisan in-house at La Fabrique du Temps. 10 hours of work are required per dial just for the guillochage. The numerals and other printing on the dial are in a deep, rich blue that echoes the colour of the heat-blued hour and minute hands.
The Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription is available for CHF 45,000 before taxes. Altogether, this second Daniel Roth, following the Tourbillon, is a welcome addition to the revival of the brand, and I am already looking forward to what’s more to come!
For more details, please visit DanielRoth.com.
