Under the aegis of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, the revived Daniel Roth has achieved something quite rare in watchmaking. Its watches are not only respectful recreations of the originals but also tangibly improved in every aspect. Introduced last year, the Extra Plat has quickly become a serious contender in the ever-growing field of finely made, hand-wound time-only watches. It has the advantage of a case design that is at once distinctive and elegant, as well as a shaped movement with enough care in its design and finishing to reward scrutiny. The latest Extra Plat Rose Gold Gilt adds a black gilt dial and is the most striking version yet.

Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold Gilt (©Revolution)

Unlike many modern watches to which the term is rather loosely applied, it has a true gilt dial, which is to say that the gold seen on the dial is the dial plate itself, revealed through negatives in the black finish. In its literal sense, gilt means covered with a thin layer of gold, as with the gilded movement plates traditional to English watchmaking. However, a gilt dial describes a painstaking dial manufacturing process in which the markings reveal the metal beneath the coloured finish. Gilt dials are most closely associated with Rolex’s Submariner, GMT-Master and Explorer of the 1950s and 1960s, as well as early Tudor Submariners, with their gold lettering against glossy black. It is a detail easily lost in photographs, but the lettering sits below the black surface, with a metallic brilliance that ordinary pad-printing can’t reproduce. The metal blank need not be solid gold. It can be electroplated with gold or contain no gold at all, such as bare brass.

Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold Gilt (©Revolution)

In the Extra Plat Rose Gold Gilt, the dial blank is 18k rose gold. There are two parts to it – a base plate and a chapter ring. The pinstripe guilloche pattern is first applied to the base in the traditional way, using a straight-line engine while the ratchet border patten is applied to the chapter ring with a rose engine.

Next, the Roman numerals, brand name and individual number are pad-printed onto the chapter ring and base respectively. This acts as a soluble mask that protects the area during the electroplating process that turns the surrounding surface black.

The depth of colour depends on the duration and conditions of the galvanic treatments, with the final shade assessed by eye. Once the black finish is complete, the varnish is chemically dissolved to expose the gold beneath. The chapter ring is then inserted into the dial base.

The effect is striking. The numerals and inscriptions have the brilliance of gold yet the fine definition of print, and seem to emerge from within the dial itself like inlay.

Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold Gilt (©Revolution)

The uniformity and precision of the guilloché work is remarkable and brings to mind George Daniels’ view that a watch should not look handmade, however much handwork goes into it. The gold hands, with their arrowhead tips, lend the dial a crispness that complements the richness of the gilt markings. The result is a dignified, self-assured face, rich in detail on close inspection yet so clear that the care behind the composition is easy to take for granted.

The rose gold case measures 38.6mm by 35.5mm and just 7.7mm thick. Its particular combination of shape, tactile quality and proportion tends to lodge in the memory after even a brief spell on the wrist. Where the original had straight, angular lugs, these curve gently downwards to echo the rounded contours of the case and allow it to sit more elegantly on the wrist. Each lug is individually welded, and a raised, rounded moulding encircles the case middle between the bezel and caseback, giving its overall form a pleasing fullness despite its modest thickness.

Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold Gilt (©Revolution)

Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold Gilt (©Revolution)

The crown is decorated with an ellipse that echoes the shape of the case, and winding is a pleasure, with a pronounced, tactile click. It falls between the Tourbillon and the Extra Plat Skeleton, the latter being the loudest, most tactile of the three. The now-familiar Calibre DR002 has a beautifully formed crossbar click, which despite its slenderness, has beveled, polished edges.

Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold Gilt (©Revolution)

The bridge layout is logical and harmonious, with contours that follow the movement’s construction rather than elaborate detours devised to accommodate inward angles. Its restraint shows confidence and a traditional understanding of finishing as a means of refining a component’s form rather than an end in itself. What it does, it does well. The bridges showcase rounded anglage, which can only be achieved by hand and differs from the usual flat, 45-degree chamfer. It involves creating a second shallower angle after the first bevel, and the two are then progressively blended by hand into a continuous curve, forming the rounded profile.

The finishing is of a considerably higher standard than that of the Extra Plats of the 1990s, while the DR002 also represents a technical advance over the earlier Frédéric Piguet movements, with a free-sprung balance, a frequency of 4Hz and a useful 65-hour power reserve. Even the keyless works, which can’t be seen in this model, are elegantly shaped and finely finished, and it is the attention to details like this that has kept Daniel Roth in the same conversation as leading independent watchmakers today, despite being owned by the world’s largest luxury conglomerate.

CHF55,000 is a considerable sum, but against the ever-increasing prices now asked for comparable watches, it is very competitive. The value is tangible throughout the case, movement and engine-turned dial, and now the revival of a demanding and uncommon craft of gilt dial making adds to the sense that the people responsible have a real understanding of what makes collectors tick.

Tech Specs: Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold Gilt

Movement Manual-winding DR002 Caliber; 65-hour power reserve
Functions Hours and minutes
Case 38.6mm × 35.5mm (7.7mm thick); 18K rose gold; water-resistant to 30m
Dial Gold base with black finish and pinstripe guilloché; Gold minute track with black finish; Rose gold font revealed using a “gilt” technique
Strap Calfskin leather with 18K rose gold buckle
Availability Not limited, available at Daniel Roth retailers
Price CHF 55,000