Daniel Roth - watches & reviews

The name Daniel Roth is often mentioned alongside the great independent watchmakers of the 20th century: George Daniels, F.P. Journe, and Philippe Dufour. And indeed, he is a contemporary and sometimes collaborator of these great names in traditional watchmaking. Roth was born into a family of watchmakers in France and quickly began his training at no less than Audemars Piguet. He was quickly recruited by Breguet to lead the re-development of the brand in 1976, when he re-established the brand in Switzerland by opening its first workshop in Le Brassus. His influence in defining what Breguet would become over the next 12 years cannot be overstated. By 1988, Roth was one of the first watchmakers to leave the steady work of a major brand to begin an eponymous brand. Setting the bar right away to the highest of standards, the Master watchmaker started working on a wrist-worn Tourbillon housed in a unique double-ellipse case that would become a design signature of his brand. In 1988, a commission from Asprey of London for 25 hand-wound double-faced Tourbillon with special seconds display enabled him to fund the launch of his brand and vision.

In 1988, this distinctive Tourbillon would go into production as reference 2187/C187. Shortly after, Roth would introduce the C147, a two-register chronograph based on the legendary Lemania 2310, and a run of special rattrapante pieces using a Venus 179 caliber. This was a time, one must remember, that did not see hand-wound chronographs in the catalog of any of the major Swiss manufacturers, let alone any small brands. Roth would then go on to produce the C107 Ultra-Thin automatic, the C127 Retrograde, and the C117 Perpetual Calendar all in his now iconic elliptical case shape. The C117 Perpetual Calendar’s instantaneous jump mechanism was a direct collaboration with no one less than Philippe Dufour.