The same goes for Daniel Roth. In the brief time Mr. Roth himself owned the company (from 1988 or so to 1994), he set clear, defined design guardrails, made what are now considered iconic and comfortably wearable pieces, and, in unfortunately short order, his eponymous company was out of his hands. While others later experimented with what the Roth brand could be, I think it became clear that Daniel Roth is best in its limited format: that simple, refined double-ellipse, or “Ellipsocurvex” shape and classic dials. And that’s fine by me.
The Daniel Roth Extra Plat Squelette (or Skeleton, for us English-speakers) is a small change for the brand, yet still something the brand hasn’t done before. Technically, most of what the team is doing now is somewhat uncharted territory for the brand—Mr. Roth wasn’t making his own calibers, after all, but instead modified and finished based on ébauches from Nouvelle Lemania, Frederic Piguet, and others. But this is the first all-new Daniel Roth from the relaunched brand: it’s comfortably familiar but (unlike the previous tourbillon or Extra Plat) a model the original brand never did. And damn, does it look great in the metal.