Artle - Regulateur Tourbillon 2187 in Stainless Steel LE 20

DETAILS

Daniel Roth, considered one of the most important modern watchmakers, is celebrated as a visionary in the art of complicated mechanical watchmaking at the highest level. After fifteen years as a senior watchmaker at Breguet, where he revived the classic Breguet style and developed several iconic watches, including tourbillon, chronograph and perpetual calendar models, as well as the charismatic Ref. 3130, inspired by Breguet’s pocket watch No. 5 from 1794, he founded his own brand in 1989. For his brand, Daniel Roth developed a unique style, a kind of late 20th century Breguet with a double-arched Ellipsocurvex case that is instantly recognizable among watch connoisseurs, with modest but impressive ruthenium-coated guilloché dials and blued steel ‘arrowhead’ hands. Among Daniel Roth’s masterpieces, the tourbillons and perpetual calendars are probably the most memorable and sought-after. Crafted to the highest standards, his watches are characterized by attractive and finely crafted guilloché dials, charismatic double-arch cases and haute horlogerie movements. Looking for ways to develop the brand further, he sold the company to Singaporean luxury retailer The Hour Glass in 1994 and eventually left after it was sold again to Bulgari in 2000. Nevertheless, his approach to intricate watchmaking and his inimitable style were retained in the Daniel Roth collection under Bulgari’s supervision until 2010, when the production of collections bearing the Daniel Roth brand name was discontinued.

REASONS TO BUY

The Régulateur Tourbillon Double Dial Ref. C187 from the early days of Daniel Roth is, in our opinion, the brand’s most charismatic design. The watches from the early period, from 1988 to 1995, are currently the most sought-after, especially the rare examples, which certainly include this elusive Régulateur Tourbillon Double Dial Ref. C187 ‘Italia’, a special edition of 20 pieces in stainless steel made for the Italian market. Steel watches were very rarely produced by Daniel Roth in the early years, and the appearance of such an example is a remarkable event in itself. The single-digit ‘Numero 5’ marking on the dial of this watch makes it even more attractive.

ABOUT THIS WATCH

This double-faced tourbillon watch has been one of the pillars of the brand since its launch in 1988. Daniel Roth designed his first double-faced tourbillon watch Ref. C187 in 1988 based on the Nouvelle Lémania 387 ébauche, which was previously developed with his active involvement when he was a leading watchmaker at Breguet. The movement features a rare double-sided design thanks to a module with date and power-reserve hands on the back of the movement. Unlike the Breguet Ref. 3350/3357, the Régulateur Tourbillon Double Dial Ref. C187 (2187) has the tourbillon open only on the side of the dial.

From the outset, the Ref. C187 was so enthusiastically received by collectors and connoisseurs that it is fair to say that this model is the most popular of all the models produced by Daniel Roth in the brand’s first period, from 1988 to 1995. During this period, the design and execution of the watches were entirely determined by Mr. Roth’s esthetic taste and vision, while his role in the brand he founded later diminished – although Mr. Roth completely severed all ties with his former brand shortly after it became part of Bulgari.

The Régulateur Tourbillon Double Dial Ref. C187 was the most popular model in the early years of the Daniel Roth brand, from 1988 to 1995, and has definitely retained its status as a collector’s watch. The variety of versions definitely increases demand, especially as some options were only used very rarely. One of the most important options is the type of guilloché on the dial. Most commonly, the watches have the dial with the ‘vertical lines’ guilloché, but there are also examples with the Clous de Paris guilloché. These are very rare, probably because the watch with the ‘Clous de Paris’ guilloché dial is too similar to the Breguet Ref. 3350/3357, which has the same guilloché pattern.

In addition, monochrome-watches.com states that “small quantities without this additional dial [on a caseback] were produced, and feature a single plate engraved and decorated with a burin, just like the Breguet 3350 Tourbillon. Finally, there’s also the reference C187S, a skeletonised version of the Daniel Roth tourbillon.”

As for the case metals, Acollectedman states: “It was principally available in yellow, rose and white gold, with a few platinum pieces having equally emerged. Rather unusually, twenty pieces were also produced in stainless steel. These were made on the request of Roberto Carlotti, the distributor for Daniel Roth in Italy.” The Italian edition, to which this watch marked Numero 5 on the dial belongs, is one of the elusive editions that have since appeared on the market extremely rarely; we have only discovered a few such examples. The single-digit marking on a dial seems to be no less attractive to collectors; it gives the watch a special chic.

The dial of the present watch is typical of early Régulateur Tourbillon Double Dial with ruthenium grey ‘vertical lines’ guilloché dial, traditional Daniel Roth applique scales in silver with black printed indices, open tourbillon at 6 o’clock, an unusual fan-shaped triple seconds track with corresponding three hands of different lengths attached to the tourbillon shaft. This is still the most recognizable and memorable Daniel Roth design.

It is very likely that production of the Ref. C187 was discontinued in 2002 when its successor, the Ref. 197.X.xx, was introduced. Its DR720 caliber has an impressive power reserve of 8 days. The case of the watch has an unusual design that allows the watch to stand upright, transforming it into a kind of table clock, while the rear date and power reserve dial is visible.