Introducing: The Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription
What We Know
For the second souscription release of the Daniel Roth relaunch, the brand is sticking to the double ellipse form while launching a new Extra Plat (extra thin) time-only model. While I haven’t seen it in the metal yet – it’ll be the first thing I try to see at LVMH Watch Week – it looks stunning in the images provided by Daniel Roth.
The watch takes the same case width and height of that tourbillon – 38.6mm x 35.5mm – and slims the yellow gold case to 7.7mm overall. The case body is made first; then, each lug is produced separately before being soldered to the case middle by hand.
Inside is the new DR002 extra-thin movement designed by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton that fits the double ellipse shape and echoes the style of the tourbillon but was developed from the ground up for this specific use case. The movement features all the tenets of high-end watchmaking, with rounded, polished anglage and sharp corners only possible by hand. The team has also focused on the tactile feel of the winding click for the manually-wound caliber, charging up the 65 hours of power reserve.
The dial is made in two parts and features hand-done guilloché. The Clou de Paris pattern on the dial base is engine turned on a hand-operated straight-line engine from 1935, while the filet sauté border on both the base and chapter ring is applied with a machine from around 1850. A single artisan does this work, which takes 10 hours per dial. They’re finished with blue font and capped with heat-blued hands.
Like the souscription tourbillon before it, this new Daniel Roth release launches in 20 pieces at a price of $45,000. The watch should start being delivered faster than the Souscription Tourbillon — as early as this month — after which a non-limited production of the Daniel Roth Extra Plat will join the brand’s catalog.
What We Think
The Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription was released last year, and it was an incredible watch that more than deserved the GPHG win in the tourbillon category, if in part mainly due to how beautiful, clean, and understated the whole package was. However, when I saw Jean Arnault and his team in Singapore last fall, I asked them when we might expect a simple time-only Daniel Roth that might be a bit more affordable. He promised the wait wouldn’t be too long, and here it is.
I’ll reserve my judgment for an eventual Hands-On, but my first impressions are largely positive. The watch looks incredibly balanced, well-sized, comfortable, and a nice balm to what has felt like a dirth of creativity in dress watches lately. The 38.6mm by 35.5mm case will likely strike quite a few people as being too small, but I know two owners of the souscription tourbillon, which has the same case width/height, and neither of them have complained about wearability.
The choice of the tonal yellow gold dial is an interesting one, something that feels distinctly out of the early 1990s, and the blue Roman numerals and hands emphasize that feeling. I’m curious to see what treatment the non-souscription model will get, as it could end up more suited to my taste. But heck, if I was offered one of these, I wouldn’t say no. Daniel Roth is certainly off to a great start.
The Basics
Brand: Daniel Roth
Model: Extra Plat Souscription
Reference Number: DBBE01A1
Diameter: 38.6mm x 35.5mm
Thickness: 7.70mm
Case Material: Yellow Gold 3N
Dial Color: Clou de Paris guilloche pattern
Indexes: Blue Roman numerals
Lume: None
Water Resistance: 30m
Strap/Bracelet: Taupe leather strap
The Movement
Caliber: Caliber DR002
Functions: Hours and minutes
Power Reserve: 65 hours
Winding: Manual
Frequency: 4Hz
Jewels: 21
Chronometer Certified: No
Additional Details: Manufacture manual winding developed and assembled at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton under the supervision of Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini
Pricing & Availability
Price: $45,000
Availability: Delivering January 2025
Limited Edition: Limited to 20 pieces.
For more, click here.
Hodinkee
