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lot 19

Daniel Roth

Skeleton Chronograph

Estimate CHF 5 000 / CHF 10 000
Starting bid CHF 5 000
Hammer price CHF 18 000
Total bids 26
All prices do not include 24% Premium

Specification

CaseRose gold polished case 750/1000, with solid rose gold caseback
StrapBlack alligator strap, with originial rose gold pin buckle
DialSkeletonized rose gold dial, with roman numerals, blued hands, 60 seconds and 30 minutes counter, small seconds at 9 o'clock, date indication at 6 o'clock
MovementRhodium-plated automatic movement, with Geneva stripes and column wheel chronograph
Cal.DR101
Ref.447.X.40
Movement No.02305
Case No.15772
D=38 mm

Condition report

Case:Very good, small sign of wear
Strap:Very good
Dial:Mint condition
Movement:Service needed
Box:Yes
Papers:Yes

Details 

A fine, extremely rare and attractive rose gold chronograph wristwatch from the haute horlogerie Swiss watch brand Daniel Roth, founded in 1989 and active until the 2010s. Estimated production period: 2000–2010. Double ellipse-shaped Ellipsocurvex case in 18k rose gold, measuring 41 x 38mm, 11.3mm thick, skeleton rose-gold toned dial with black printed Roman numerals and “filet sauté” guilloché motif, and solid-gold caseback with engraved brand logo, reference and serial number. Self-winding DR101 caliber with chronograph module on the dial side, power reserve up to 36 hours. Functions – indication of time in hours and minutes, small seconds hand at 9 o’clock, chronograph with central seconds and 30-minute counter, and the date at 6 o’clock. Black leather strap, 18k rose gold pin buckle. 

Lot essay 

Throughout its timeline, Daniel Roth has used many high-end chronograph calibers in his collection, including hand-wound or automatic movements of vintage and modern production from Nouvelle Lémania, Zenith, Girard-Perregaux, Frédéric Piguet, as well as in-house movements. 

The present example houses the self-winding DR101 caliber – the fruit of a joint development by Daniel Roth and Girard-Perregaux, undertaken by the brands in the second half of the 1990s. In the Girard-Perregaux nomenclature, the movement was originally designated 3080 (GP3080), now known as GP030C0. Introduced by Girard-Perregaux in 1999, caliber 3080/GP030C0 is based on the GP3000 basic automatic caliber (now GP03300-0030) and shares that movement’s relatively small 23.3 mm diameter, due to which it can also be used in the manufacture of women’s chronographs. It features a column wheel traditional design with lateral clutch and small seconds hand at 9 o’clock. An unusual feature of the DR101/GP3080 caliber is the chronograph module installed on the dial side, which makes it possible to create a very attractive watch with a chronograph movement open from the dial side, as in the present example. However, Daniel Roth, like Girard-Perregaux, used this opportunity relatively rarely. The bulk of the production was in the conventional solid-dial design, which did not bring out the visual advantage of this chrono movement. Finished to a high standard, this caliber reveals appealing and finely elaborated haute horlogerie finishings and rhodium plating, creating a beautiful contrast to his signature blued steel hands and subtle rose-gold toned skeletonized dial. 

According to our knowledge the present lot is one of the rarest Daniel Roth chronographs, keeping in mind that models with skeletonized dials are quite rare.

According to our knowledge the present lot is one of the rarest Daniel Roth chronographs, keeping in mind that models with skeletonized dials are quite rare. Rose gold models were usually equipped with a silvered skeletonized dial, while a rose gold design with rose-gold toned skeletonized dial is extremely rare. 

Reasons to bid 

The Daniel Roth Master’s Chronograph Ref. 447.X.40 would appear to be an extremely attractive purchase for the collector due to its rare design. It is easily recognizable and instantly memorable, and represents one of the most spectacular pages in the chronology of excellent wrist chronographs by this remarkable watchmaker and the brand he founded. 

Brand info 

Daniel Roth, considered to be one of the most important modern watchmakers, has been hailed a visioner of high-end complicated mechanical watchmaking. In 1989, he founded his own brand after fifteen years as the leading watchmaker at Breguet, where he recreated the classic Breguet style and developed some iconic watches, including tourbillon, chronograph, perpetual calendar pieces, as well as the charismatic Ref. 3130, inspired by Breguet’s pocket watch No. 5 of 1794. For his own brand, Daniel Roth developed a unique style, a kind of late-20th century Breguet with a double ellipse-shaped Ellipsocurvex case design, instantly recognisable amongst watch connoisseurs, ruthenium-plated guilloché dials and blued steel arrow hands. Among Daniel Roth’s masterpieces, the tourbillons and the perpetual calendars are probably the most memorable and desirable. In 1994, looking for opportunities to develop the brand further, he sold the business to the Singaporean Hour Glass luxury retailer, and finally left it after it was again sold to Bulgari in 2000. Nevertheless, his approach to complicated watchmaking and inimitable style were still preserved in the Daniel Roth collection under Bulgari’s supervision until 2010, when the production of collections with the Daniel Roth brand name ceased to continue. Therefore, Daniel Roth’s watches are now regarded as very attractive collectibles.