Roth poured all his experience into creating a double-faced masterpiece: the front features a time dial and three 20-second-long graduating scales, pointed to by three flame-blue hands of different lengths; the reverse has two dials indicating the date and power reserve. A window below reveals Roth’s exquisite tourbillon like the engine of a supercar.
‘The C187 has a distinctive aesthetic, notably its double-ellipse case and beautifully executed hand-guilloché dial. Combined with the tourbillon, it really broke with the production norms of the 1990s,’ says Remi Guillemin, Christie’s head of watches, Europe and the Americas. ‘This example is number two of only 20 made in steel, commissioned by Roth’s Italian distributor, Roberto Carlotti.’
Around 1995, Roth sold the majority stake in his business, and production quickly declined. Five years later, Bulgari acquired the brand and Roth finally left. When he helped revive the company under new ownership in 2023, the first release was a homage to the C187.