The curiously shaped watches of Daniel Roth would certainly catch your attention if you spotted one on a wrist. In fact, they would probably make you move closer still.
For a few years, the watchmaker produced pieces that offered a creative and playful take on the work of Abraham-Louis Breguet, combining double-ellipse cases, hand-finished details and an inventive approach to classic complications.
During the late 20th century, a range of independent watchmakers decided to start producing watches under their own name, usually following a period spent developing calibres for other brands, or restoring vintage pieces. Names such as Roger Dubuis, Franck Muller and Vianney Halter frequently come up when this new dawn of contemporary independents is discussed. Indeed, Daniel Roth was amongst the first to venture out on his own, establishing his eponymous brand in 1988, more than ten years before François-Paul Journe would do the same.
On the agenda
The path to watchmaking | Under his own name | The core principles | The core collection - The tourbillon C187 - The chronograph C147 | The rest of the collection - Back to simplicity with time only models - Developing the perpetual calendar with Philippe Dufour - The final models | Daniel Roth today
He released a range of noteworthy pieces, from the classic tourbillon, to a perpetual calendar developed in collaboration with Philippe Dufour, before he gradually became less and less involved with his brand. His ownership was diluted over time, culminating in the sale of the company to Bulgari in 2000. Today, Roth produces one-off creations under the Jean Daniel Nicolas name, working closely with his wife and son, completing around three pieces a year.
As one of the first independents, we thought we’d look back on the early days of his work, from his training at Audemars Piguet, to the resuscitation of the Breguet brand, all of which culminated in him setting-out on his own. During the process of putting this article together, we’ve been lucky enough to draw on the knowledge and insight of several individuals who have followed the watchmaker’s work closely, including a second-generation Roth collector and someone close to the man himself. Let’s have a look at where it all began.
The Path to Watchmaking
Daniel Roth was born into a watchmaking family in Nice, France. His grandfather and great-grandfather were both watchmakers in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Before he was born, the family moved to the south of France, opening up a small repair shop where he would spend much of his early childhood. Considering he was surrounded by watchmaking paraphernalia whilst growing up, it made perfect sense that Roth should eventually attend a three-year watchmaking course in Nice.
Upon completion, he traded-in the sandy shores of the French Riviera, for the snowy slopes of La Valleé de Joux, where he would take up work at a range of different manufactures, including Jaeger-LeCoultre. However, it was at Audemars Piguet that Roth would develop his skills, spending the next seven years working in Le Brassus. According to Roth, he was the only watchmaker working there who didn’t come from the brand’s historic home, and so they kept a particularly close eye on him.
It was after he began to blossom at Audemars Piguet that another opportunity arose for the young watchmaker. Jacques and Pierre Chaumet, the owners of the eponymous jewellery brand, had recently acquired Breguet. In the midst of the Quartz Crisis, they wanted to restore the brand to its former glory and were looking for a Master Watchmaker who could help. When applying for the role, Roth made a rather unusual choice – he sent a two-page CV, one page detailing everything he knew and another detailing all the things he had yet to learn. This brazen honesty clearly impressed the Chaumet brothers and François Bodet, the Director of Breguet at the time, as they decided to hire him.
The pocket watch Roth produced when he went back to school before starting at Breguet, from Daniel Roth via Quill & Pad.
Evidently dedicated to his craft, Roth decided to go back to school to further study Breguet’s archives and techniques, a decision he made entirely by himself, rather than it being a requirement imposed by his new employer. During his year of further education, he learnt everything he could about Abraham-Louis Breguet, a watchmaker who had pioneered significant technical and aesthetic innovations throughout his career. Breguet spearheaded a number of inventions, including the overcoil hairspring and the tourbillon, which he first invented in 1795 and patented in 1801. At the end of his year of study, Roth produced a perpetual calendar pocket watch, which was then sold to help offset the cost of his studies in Le Sentier. Finally, in 1973, he was ready to take-on the task of reviving one of the most storied names in horology. No small task.
At this time, Breguet was still very much a French brand. Their production took place in France and their only store could be found, as expected, in Paris. Unfortunately, the centre of watchmaking had moved away from the French capital, and now firmly resided within Switzerland, where the finest watchmakers and suppliers were based. Roth knew that if he was going to bring the Breguet name back, he would have to move their watchmaking operations to the Valleé de Joux. As such, he helped the brand establish a workshop in Le Brassus in 1976.
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