Introducing The New Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold Gilt, With Gilt Dial

When last we heard from Daniel Roth, it was on the occasion of the launch of the platinum-cased version of the Daniel Roth Extra Plat, featuring the beautifully designed and finished caliber DR002, in a platinum case directly descended from the Ellipsocurvex case originally developed by Roth when he established his own brand in 1988. Today, for Geneva Watch Days, Daniel Roth, which was revived by Louis Vuitton’s Jean Arnault, under the direction of Enrico Barbasini and Michel Navas at La Fabrique du Temps in 2023, Daniel Roth has announced a new model – this time, with a gilt dial.

The term “gilt dial” has been used somewhat loosely in the past to refer to any dial with gold colored dial markings, but the term has a narrower sense which refers to a specific manufacturing technique. Gold dial markings today can be produced through the usual pad-printing process by which most dials are made. However, a true gilt dial is produced in a complex, labor-intensive multistep process, and the result is a glossy black surface, in which the gold dial markings seem to sit in recesses below the surface of the dial itself. Historically, gilt dials were made by specialist dial suppliers like Singer, and they were at one time used by a number of brands, including Rolex, Longines, Audemars Piguet, and Patek Philippe. Rolex, according to Wind Vintage, used gilt dials on its sports models from 1955 to 1966.

The basic process for making gilt dials begins with a metal dial base plate – in the Extra Plat Rose Gold Gilt, 18k rose gold.

The dials have two components – a main base plate, and a chapter ring which sits in a recess on the main plate.

The first step in the dial making process is the engraving of guilloché on the chapter ring and main plate. This includes engraving on the perimeter of the chapter ring, as well as pinstripe guilloché on the circular central portion of the main plate.

Next, the areas of the dial which will become the dial markings are pad-printed with a varnish. The varnish acts as a mask during the next stage of the process, in which a black coating is galvanically applied.

Next, the lacquer is removed with a chemical demasking process, revealing the gold underneath.

Finally, the chapter ring is placed in its recess in the main plate, and the dial is complete.

The effect is subtle but very striking, and the dial has a depth and richness which cannot be produced through conventional pad printing. Because making real gilt dials is so labor intensive, it has all but disappeared in modern watchmaking and is usually only available to collectors in vintage watches, where gilt dials command a considerable premium.

The now-familiar caliber DR002 is of course, as stunning as ever. While there are movements with more obviously flashy architecture and finishing, the DR002 is really an example of old-school movement design and execution, where hand finishing is a natural extension of good workshop practices and high workshop standards. This feels very appropriate for Daniel Roth watches – Roth himself has generally eschewed finish for its own sake throughout his career, which included, prior to his joining Breguet, a period at Audemars Piguet during which he worked as a regleur on ultra-thin calibers like the AP caliber 2003 – in fact, it was his skill at polishing almost microscopic pivots which initially attracted François Bodet, who had been given the task of reviving Breguet by the Chaumet Brothers, and who was talent spotting.

It has become almost a cliché for new watches from Daniel Roth to receive near-universal praise, but I can’t help that – they’re magnificent watches and represent a kind of approach to watchmaking which has become extremely rare; nowadays we tend to have either mechanical reproductions of fine finishing in haute horlogerie watches, or actual hand finishing which feels as if it departs from its role as a final expression of overall high standards, and becomes and end in itself. Even the price, while high at CHF 55,000, seems almost reasonable in today’s overheated market, and the use of such revered and largely abandoned crafts like gilt dialmaking shows that the brand is serious about continuing to offer real value and real horological content that speaks to the collector community.

The Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold Gilt: case, 5N 18k rose gold, 38.6mm x 35.5mm x 7.7mm, with sapphire crystals front and back; 30M water resistant. Gilt dial with rose gold base and pinstripe central guilloché. Movement, caliber DR002, designed and assembled at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, running at 28,800 vph with a 65 hour power reserve. Price, CHF 55,000. 

The 1916 Company is proud to be an authorized retailer for Daniel Roth watches. Please contact us for pricing and availability.