This is the Daniel Roth Small Seconds. Daniel Roth is a legend in the watchmaking industry that gets little attention in the today’s horological climate. A fourth generation watchmaker, Daniel Roth was selected by Audemars Piguet early in his career due to his technical watchmaking ability. Following his AP stint, Roth moved to Breguet where even until today, his design still leaves footprints.

The legacy of the Daniel Roth brand during the late 90s to early 2000s period can be largely divided into three periods. The first period, where he established his own brand post Breguet in 1989, to when Hour Glass bought a stake in 1995 and finally, to when his brand was bought by Bulgari in 2001. Most seasoned collectors long for the pre-Hour Glass era Roths that have become increasingly hard to find and when they come to market, tend to rightfully be snapped up immediately. During the Hour Glass era, his design language was still fairly prevalent with the guilloche dial and the well-proportioned ellipsocurvex case.

This particular reference, the Small Seconds, belongs to the Hour Glass era and was introduced in 1995 and still carries over some traits from the time that he was truly independent. Encased in yellow gold, the dial is trademark guilloche with a small seconds window at the six and an open caseback to view the Daniel Roth-signed movement with a Girard Perregaux base.

The early creations of Daniel Roth are almost always instantly recognizable, with some spillover into the Hour Glass Era. After his brand was sold to Bulgari, there were barely any identifiable traits left. As one of the pioneers of bringing independents mainstream, Daniel Roth will always remain one of the most respected and avant-garde watchmakers of his generation.