What the revived Daniel Roth has recreated and what it intends to achieve with its new "Tourbillon Rose Gold"

It was reported that Daniel Roth would be relaunching the brand under Louis Vuitton's watchmaking atelier, La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, in 2023. The following April, 2024, the brand announced the "Tourbillon Subscription," followed by the launch of the new "Tourbillon Rose Gold" at Geneva Watch Days in late August. Michel Navas, who suddenly appeared during coverage of the event, revealed what LVMH "wanted to recreate" and "plans to achieve" with this work and the revival of Daniel Roth.

Daniel Roth's new "Tourbillon Rose Gold"

　In 2023, thanks to the efforts of Jean Arnault, Director of Watches at Louis Vuitton, and Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini, master watchmakers at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, the legendary microbrand was reborn: Daniel Roth.

　The brand will release its first model since its revival, the Tourbillon Subscription, in April 2024. It then added its latest model, the Tourbillon Rose Gold, to its lineup at the Geneva Watch Days, which took place from August 29th to September 2nd.

　The new Tourbillon Rose Gold is positioned as a cosmetic change to the model released in April. The major changes are the material and the guilloched dial. The exterior material, which was 18K yellow gold in the previous model, has been changed to 18K pink gold, and the hand-engraved guilloched pattern has been changed from a Clous de Paris pattern to stripes.

　As we will discuss later, when watchmaker Daniel Roth founded the brand in 1988, he released a manual-winding tourbillon model with a double ellipse case. After his revival, Daniel Roth recreated the design of this model. As a model released in the first year of the brand's revival, this watch is more than enough to attract the attention of watch enthusiasts.

　As I was listening to the presentation of the new model with such a story, Michel Navas, who led the revival of Daniel Roth together with Enrico Barbasini, suddenly appeared. The presentation, which he also participated in, revealed what the brand "wanted to do" and "what it wants to do in the future" with this model and the revival of Daniel Roth.

Daniel Roth's "successor"

　Watchmaker Daniel Roth launched his own brand in 1988. He had no funds at the time, so he turned to subscription services. At that time, he collaborated with London-based watch retailer Asprey to create the Daniel Roth Tourbillon, a limited edition of 20 pieces, which was custom-made for the store. This model featured a yellow gold double ellipse case.

　The company continued to produce small quantities of watches until 1994, when it was acquired by Hour Glass and then acquired by Bulgari, but the brand ceased production and went dormant.

　It was Louis Vuitton that brought the Daniel Roth watch back to life. To be precise, it was Louis Vuitton's watchmaking atelier, La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton. This workshop established the watchmaking techniques and know-how that led to the release of the Tourbillon Subscription in 2024. Michel Navas gave us a detailed explanation of the story behind the revival.

"In order to revive this independent brand, Jean Arnault, Enrico Barbasini and I visited Daniel Roth to talk to him about the idea of ​​'relaunching Daniel Roth'. He was very happy and agreed."

　Furthermore, when Jean Arnault and others revived Gérald Genta, they also obtained the approval of his wife, Evelyn Genta. This attitude also shows that Louis Vuitton has not simply inherited Daniel Roth's name or superficial designs. "The idea behind the revival was to inherit not only Daniel Roth's aesthetic sense, but also watches based on traditional manufacturing techniques. We have not simply inherited the brand. We feel a sense of responsibility as its successors." Navas also said, "As watchmakers, we are very happy to be able to carry on his will."

What we wanted to recreate with the brand's revival

　Although it was decided that Daniel Roth would take over, it took about two and a half years from then until the product was ready. During this time, Navas poured his heart and soul into "recreating" the original.

"The first watch we wanted to create was the Daniel Roth Tourbillon, which was released by Daniel Roth in 1988. Just like him, we wanted to create a limited edition of 20 yellow gold models. We also wanted to retain the double ellipse case shape as part of the Maison's identity, so that it would be recognizable from any angle as a Daniel Roth creation."

　However, they didn't set out to make an exact replica, but instead changed what needed to be changed while still retaining the Daniel Roth signature.

"The movement was made from scratch. In 1988, there weren't many good machine tools, so he did the best he could under those circumstances. That's why we, too, wanted to come up with new ideas as much as possible, even in this modern age of advanced technology. For example, we removed the screws from the movement to create a pure feel, and Enrico Barbasini and the team at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton worked through trial and error to perfect the watch. Oh, and by the way, don't you love the sound of the click (when winding the mainspring with the crown)? We put a lot of effort into the winding part, in order to keep it pure and traditional."

　While maintaining Daniel Roth's aesthetic sense, some changes have been made to the watch to create a purer style. For example, the case size is thinner and smaller than the original. This change was also intended to make the watch suitable for both men and women.

　As mentioned earlier, the changes from the model released in early spring include the change from the original Tourbillon Subscription's 18K yellow gold to 18K rose gold, and the change from a Clos de Paris guilloché pattern to stripes on the dial. This vertical guilloché pattern was a favorite of Daniel Roth, and is now called "lines" at La Fabrique du Temps. "This guilloché is carved using traditional methods. (La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton) has four traditional guilloché machines, so we can carve four different patterns." Incidentally, when I later visited La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, I could see that a guilloché machine was indeed installed.

"We have faithfully inherited Daniel Roth's craftsmanship, and have carried on what he would have thought, using current technology and our own ideas."

What we will achieve in the future

　Of course, the history of Daniel Roth as a brand will continue into the future. We spoke to him about the brand's future prospects.

"Up until now, we have recreated what Daniel Roth did. From now on, we intend to realize what he did not do or could not do in his career as a watchmaker. We will realize these things while discussing with Enrico Barbasini, asking ourselves, 'If it were him, he would have done this.'"

　Are there any plans to increase production or expand the brand in the future?

"At this stage, I think the annual production limit is around 50 watches. At La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, we have three watchmakers who work exclusively on Daniel Roth watches. Of course, this number may increase in the future. However, because it requires a high level of craftsmanship, we expect the number to increase to no more than four or five people."

　Finally, Navas talked about his ideas for his next work.

"Daniel Roth has a large collection. We first made an 18K yellow gold model and an 18K rose gold model, and now we're working on another one. It's so beautiful!"

　Michel Navas said this with a big smile. It makes me excited to see what happens next for Daniel Roth.