Daniel Roth

This double-faced tourbillon watch has been one of the pillars of the Daniel Roth brand since its launch in 1988. Daniel Roth designed his first double-faced tourbillon watch Ref. 2187 (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 Daniel Roth’s version of this movement features a 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. 2187 (C187) has the tourbillon open only on the side of the dial. From the outset, the Ref. 2187 (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. 2187 (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 ‘Ligné’ guilloche pattern, but there are also some examples with the ‘Clous de Paris’ guilloché. These are very rare, presumably, Daniel Roth produced few watches with this design because the watch with the ‘Clous de Paris’ guilloché dial is too similar to the Breguet Tourbillon Ref. 3350/3357, which has the same guilloché pattern. The dial of the present watch is typical of early Régulateur Tourbillon Double Dial with the rare ‘Clous de Paris’ guilloché dial, the same guilloché pattern being applied to the second dial of the watch on its back. Other design features include the unusual curved stripes on the sides of the tourbillon opening, on which the logo and watch number are printed – the design was nicknamed “Ripe Banana” due to the shape of these stripes. The list continues with the traditional Daniel Roth appliqué scales in silver with indices printed in black, the open tourbillon at 6 o’clock, an unusual fan-shaped triple seconds track with corresponding three-winged seconds hand with wings of different lengths attached to the tourbillon axis. This is still Daniel Roth's best-known and most memorable design. It is very likely that production of the Ref. 2187 (C187) was discontinued in 2002 when its successor, the Ref. 197.X, was introduced.

The Régulateur Tourbillon Double Dial Ref. 2187 (C187) “Ripe Banana” 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 Régulateur Tourbillon Double Dial Ref. 2187 (C187) with the rarest Clous de Paris guilloche pattern dials.