Introducing: The Stunning Daniel Roth Tourbillon Rose Gold
I was surprised and intrigued when word got out last year that Daniel Roth would make a comeback. As a fan of Roth’s watches, I was eager to find out whether the LVMH designers would honor his famous double-ellipse case design in style. When the Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription came out in March of 2023, I couldn’t help but smile. Seeing that familiar style that I love so much return in all its updated glory confirmed the brand’s relevance and the good eye of the LVMH designers who worked on the design. Now, roughly 18 months later, the brand introduces the Daniel Roth Tourbillon Rose Gold. It’s the same watch but in a rose gold case with a stunning rose gold dial featuring pinstripe guilloché. Great just got even better.
When I first got into watches right after the turn of the millennium, Daniel Roth was one of the brands that stood out immediately. I vividly remember scrolling through the annual German Armbanduhren Katalog pages, documenting the top releases from the most important brands. Whenever I got to Daniel Roth, I would stop and admire the brilliance of the double-ellipse case. It’s an instantly recognizable design that feels different but makes complete sense. Combined with wonderfully detailed dials and stunning movements, the brand offered something special. Therefore, to see the brand return in style was one of the highlights of last year for me.
The story of the Daniel Roth Tourbillon Rose Gold
With this new Tourbillon Rose Gold release, the revived Daniel Roth brand continues on its carefully chosen path. This is the second version of the Tourbillon model that came out in March 2023. There are two main differences between that watch and this one. While the first featured a case and dial in yellow gold, this new version utilizes rose gold for those parts. This creates an overall look and feel that I prefer over last year’s model.
But that’s not where it ends. Fans of Daniel Roth will recognize the dial pattern that refers to the brand’s legendary Double Face Tourbillon ref. C187 from the late 1980s. Early versions of the C187 had predominantly silver or gray dials finished with Clous de Paris guilloché. That’s why we saw the same pattern return on the dial of last year’s model. However, later C187 models came with a silver or gray dial finished with a linear guilloché pattern. While the original versions never had a rose gold dial, seeing the return of guillochage en ligne is a nice reference to C187. In my opinion, this one looks even better than the original version.
The start of a permanent Daniel Roth collection
Whereas last year’s Tourbillon Souscription was a limited edition of 20 pieces, the new Tourbillon Rose Gold is the first watch in Daniel Roth’s new permanent collection. That makes it significant as it marks the start of a true return to the industry after last year’s trial with the Tourbillon Souscription. It’s great to see the brand return in all its glory, and it makes me excited about what is to come.
If you are unfamiliar with Daniel Roth’s story, I suggest you read Robert-Jan’s introduction article for last year’s Tourbillon Souscription. In the article, he highlights Daniel Roth’s achievements as a watchmaker and what made his brand so special. It’s a remarkable story that took Roth from Jaeger-LeCoultre to Audemars Piguet before he joined Breguet in 1975. After 13 years at Breguet, where he reinvented the Breguet style, it was time to move on and start a brand of his own. Today’s revived Daniel Roth brand is part of LVMH, and the timepieces are produced at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, where Louis Vuitton’s high-end watches are also produced. This sparked Thomas’s article, which answered whether LVMH did Daniel Roth justice with that first release.
The details of the Daniel Roth Tourbillon Rose Gold
This new watch has a 5N rose gold case with the same dimensions as last year’s model. The case measures 35.5mm wide, 38.6mm long, and just 9.2mm thick. The case respects the original design but has been optimized by the LVMH designers to sit better on the wrist by placing the lugs at a downward angle. Additionally, the design has been tweaked with the characteristic “ridge” shifted to the middle of the flank compared to its two-thirds positioning on the original models.
If we then look at the dial, which comes courtesy of the Kari Voutilainen workshop, there are some differences from last year’s watch other than the rose gold base material. The applied chapters and scales are still made of sterling silver, but the markings are printed in glossy black instead of blue. Another difference is that the stainless steel hands are also black, whereas the hands of last year’s model were thermally blued. The black and silver contrast nicely with the rose gold, creating a super classy overall aesthetic.
The wonderful Daniel Roth DR001 caliber
Visible at 6 o’clock is the tourbillon mechanism of the stellar DR001 caliber, which consists of 206 parts. The tourbillon movement is the brainchild of LVMH master watchmakers Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini. It is entirely hand finished and specially created to fit the gold double-ellipse case. The brand decided to fit the watch with a display case back so you can see the movement in all its glory. The manual-winding movement operates at 21,600vph, has 19 jewels, and offers a comfortable 80 hours of power reserve.
The tourbillon makes one full revolution every 60 seconds, making it not only beautiful but also functional. On the dial side, the tourbillon cage has three black hands of different lengths. They correspond with the three 20-second scales located right above the tourbillon cage. It’s a fun and ingenious way of indicating the seconds. If the dial alone cannot pull you in multiple times a day, this smart feature definitely will. As mentioned, the development, production, decoration, and manual finishing are all done at La Fabrique du Temps. This watch is an impressive tour de force that perfectly connects the brilliance of the past with the renewed Daniel Roth brand.
Final thoughts on the Daniel Roth Tourbillon Rose Gold
To finish the fantastic look of the watch, it comes fitted with a 20mm light brown calfskin strap with an 18K rose gold buckle. I love the color of the strap because it adds greatly to the more contemporary presence of the watch. Whereas last year’s yellow gold model was a more classical celebration of the Daniel Roth style, this new version feels slightly more modern. I have explained how straps play a great part in making the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric models feel relevant. The same can be said of the strap choice for the Tourbillon Rose Gold.
By now, you will understand I am a fan of this new Daniel Roth Tourbillon Rose Gold. The watch hits a sentimental note without sacrificing modern-day relevance. The people behind the brand have done a phenomenal job of creating a watch that perfectly respects Roth’s legacy. At the same time, they have also updated the design to make it more suitable in today’s context. Finally, they have developed a pink-on-pink aesthetic for the dial and case that makes this model my favorite out of all the C187 executions. It truly is a triumphant permanent return of Daniel Roth.
Limited production
The brand will produce just 50 pieces of this new model per year. Each will be individually numbered on the dial starting at 21, following last year’s first 20 pieces of the Tourbillon Souscription. The Daniel Roth Tourbillon Rose Gold will be available for CHF 155,000 excluding taxes. That places it in the realm of possibility for the happy few. But seeing how meticulously executed the watch is, that small group of people will be extremely happy. I would love to simply try it out for a hands-on review, which would be one of this year’s highlights for me. That’s how much I love this new Daniel Roth Tourbillon Rose Gold.
To learn more about the Daniel Roth Tourbillon Rose Gold, visit the brand’s official website. In the comments section, let us know whether you think this new rose gold version tops last year’s yellow gold Tourbillon Souscription.
