Daniel Roth Perpetual Calendar Skeleton 119.X.60 White Gold, 1990s

Dealer description — S.Song Watches

When we think of modern independent watchmaking, names like Kari Voutilainen, Philippe Dufour, F.P. Journe, and Roger Smith often come to mind. Independent horology has grown to the point where owning at least one piece is now common among serious collectors. Long before this wave of recognition, however, there was Daniel Roth, whose work helped shape modern independent watchmaking. Born into a family of watchmakers, Roth’s path into horology was almost inevitable. He began his career at Audemars Piguet in Le Brassus, where he spent seven years before moving on to Breguet during the Chaumet era. It was there that he truly refined his craft. During the 1960s and 1970s, Breguet had become a struggling brand with little direction until Chaumet acquired it and brought in Daniel Roth to revitalise the company. The reference 3130, with its guilloché dial and straight-lugged case, established much of the visual identity that came to define Breguet. Roth also played a significant role in developing complicated movements for Lemania, whose chronograph calibres were supplied to the likes of Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin for decades. Broadly speaking, the Daniel Roth brand can be divided into three periods: the early years when Roth operated as a truly independent watchmaker, the middle period following The Hour Glass Group’s involvement, and the later era after Bulgari took over and Roth himself departed the company. In 1995, Daniel Roth joined forces with The Hour Glass Group, and the example you see here emerged during this transitional period for the brand. While it is typically the earlier, independent-era Roth pieces that command the most attention among collectors, there are still several watches from this period that I believe deserve equal recognition, such as this Perpetual Calendar Skeleton 119.X.60 in 18-carat white gold. The 119.X design represents the mature evolution of Roth’s perpetual calendar concept, executed here in a highly elaborate openworked form. This complication had occupied a central role in Roth’s early vision of creating the world’s first instantaneous perpetual calendar module. In most traditional perpetual calendars, the date, and often the day and month, begin advancing gradually around midnight rather than switching in a single, decisive jump. Achieving a truly instantaneous change precisely at 12:00, however, required an extraordinary degree of technical mastery. To realise this ambition, Roth worked closely with the revered Philippe Dufour. Early executions of the 2117, the original perpetual calendar model from Daniel Roth, proved problematic due to the considerable torque required to advance the calendar discs instantaneously. As a result, the system underwent continued refinement, eventually leading to the configuration seen here. Mechanically, the perpetual calendar module within the 119.X remained closely related to the earlier 2117 architecture, albeit revised with hand indications for the day and month alongside an additional lever mechanism. Replacing aperture displays with hand indications reduced inertia and improved switching efficiency, while giving rise to the dual-register layout seen here. As a result, many collectors describe the mechanism as “semi-instantaneous”. The most significant technical shift came through the adoption of a heavily modified Girard-Perregaux GP3000 base calibre, replacing the earlier Lemania-based construction. Designated internally as the Cal. DR114, the movement marked a significant technical refinement within the brand’s perpetual calendar lineage. The introduction of the 119.X also coincided with the industry-wide shift during the late 1990s toward larger wristwatches. As a result, the earlier 38 mm “L-size” case gave way to the larger 41 mm “X-size” format seen here, offering greater wrist presence while preserving the elegant “ellipso-curvex” proportions that became synonymous with the brand’s designs. While most examples are known for Roth’s signature grey pinstripe guilloché dial, a small number were produced with fully skeletonised movements, like this one. The contrast between the openworked movement and the silver satin-brushed chapter rings gives the watch considerable visual depth while preserving the legibility of the calendar indications. Every bridge and component has been meticulously skeletonised and finished, transforming an already ingenious piece of watchmaking into something sculptural. The upper half of the dial is framed by elongated Roman numerals surrounding concentric registers for the day at 9:00 and the month at 3:00. At 6:00, the pointer date encircles the leap-year indication, creating a subtle “Hidden Mickey” motif. In the past, I’ve repeatedly expressed my disappointment with the direction Daniel Roth took after being acquired by Bulgari in 2000, which absorbed his trademark case design into their own lineup and enlarged it beyond recognition. Those reinterpretations were oversized, gaudy, and clearly lacked the elegance of the originals. Thankfully, that era has since given way to revival. With Daniel Roth’s recent resurgence under La Fabrique du Temps and LVMH, and the introduction of the Tourbillon Souscription, Extra Plat and Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton models, I’m pleased to see that Daniel Roth is finally returning to form and being recognised as one of the most important and original voices in independent watchmaking.