he epitome of functional elegance, the concept of an ultra-thin dress watch was long a personal favourite of Mr. Daniel Roth. Having already formed the outline of the design in his mind in the 1980s, Mr. Roth presented the original Extra Plat in 1990, one year after founding his brand with the Tourbillon C187.

Today Daniel Roth pays homage to its roots and founder with the Extra Plat Souscription. Echoing the template established by the Tourbillon Souscription, the Extra Plat Souscription is faithful to the original model of the 1990s in style and craft, but entirely new in terms of mechanics, with the DR002 movement within having been developed especially for the watch.

“Having known Daniel for many years, we wanted to stay true to his philosophy and vision of watchmaking,” say Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini, the founders of La Fabrique du Temps, “The Extra Plat Souscription is a simple watch with just two hands, but executed to the highest aesthetic and technical standards, just as Daniel would have done, but done in-house at the manufacture.”

Continuing the distinctive style of the Tourbillon Souscription, the Extra Plat Souscription is presented in an 18k yellow gold case matched with an 18k yellow gold dial decorated with hand-made clou de Paris guilloche.

Staying true to the tasteful form of the original models of the 1990s, the Extra Plat Souscription has the same measurements as the Tourbillon Souscription – the case measures 35.5 mm wide and 38.6 mm lengthwise. But the case is thinner than the Tourbillon Souscription, standing a svelte 7.70mm high, as a result of the ultra-thin DR002 movement inside and its mere 3.1mm thickness.

The case design stays true to the original, but has been gently reworked in keeping with the visual codes of Daniel Roth. The 18k yellow gold case retains the iconic double ellipse form, but with a perfectly centred godron along its outline for a balanced profile. At the same time, the lugs have been gently rounded for visual coherence and arched downwards for superior ergonomics.

Not only is the case designed in the same style as the original, it is also put together with the traditional methods. Each of the lugs is produced as a separate component, which is then carefully soldered to the case middle, by hand and one at a time.

Equally traditional is the guilloche dial that is made with time-honoured artisanal methods. Each dial comprises two parts, the base and an applied chapter ring, both of which are solid 18k yellow gold and engine turned by hand on antique restored machines in La Fabrique du Temps’s own guilloche workshop.

The clou de Paris pattern on the dial base is engine turned on a hand-operated straight-line engine dating to circa 1935, while the filet sauté border on both the base and chapter ring is applied with a machine from around 1850. Notably, both dial components are turned by a single artisan in-house at La Fabrique du Temps in a painstaking process that requires 10 hours of work per dial just for the guillochage.

Each dial also boasts a detail only a keen-eyed observer will notice: the print on the dial, from the Roman numerals to the serial number, is in a deep, rich blue that echoes the colour of the heat-blued hour and minute hands.

The second movement conceived by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton for Daniel Roth, the DR002 seeks to honour both Mr. Daniel Roth himself as well as Swiss Haute Horlogerie. The DR002 echoes the distinctive visual style of the DR001 in the Tourbillon Souscription, but it was developed from the ground up for the Extra Plat Souscription.

The DR002 is a form movement that takes the same double ellipse shape as the case. Despite its unconventional form, the calibre boasts all the hallmarks of traditional high-end watchmaking, both in terms of construction and decoration. Inspired by classical movements, the flowing outline of the bridges is finished with rounded, polished bevels known as anglage, which also incorporate sharp corners that are possible only with skilled artisanal finishing.

“We understand Daniel’s devotion to traditional high-end watchmaking, both as friends and watchmakers, so we wanted to respect his approach when we constructed the DR002”, explain Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini, “As a result, we made sure it has the hallmarks of traditional Haute Horlogerie, like the steel winding bar click for the barrel.”

Attention was paid not only to the aesthetics of the calibre, but also the tactile feel. The winding click, for instance, is a single piece that’s entirely satinated. Not only does it endow the DR002 with visual beauty, the winding click is responsible for the precise, rewarding feel when winding the movement.

Despite the classicism of the movement, the technical underpinnings of the DR002 are sophisticated. The 4 Hz balance wheel, for example, is free-sprung and made up of four arms, each with a variable inertia weight for regulation – which promises superior and stable timekeeping over prolonged periods. And the single large mainspring delivers a 65-hour power reserve - a convenient three days, or a weekend’s running time.

The undeniable beauty of the DR002 is concealed beneath a solid 18k yellow gold case back, as the calibre was in the Tourbillon Souscription. This act of discretion is once again a tribute to the past: the original Extra Plat watches were similarly equipped with solid backs.

The Extra Plat Souscription is a limited edition of 20 pieces with delivery starting in January 2025. It will be followed by an Extra Plat model that will join the Daniel Roth catalogue.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Case: Case material: Yellow Gold 3N • Case dimensions: 38.6 x 35.5mm • Case thickness: 7.70mm

• Dial: Clou de Paris guilloche pattern • Manufactured in house at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton • Blue font

• Hands: Thermically blued steel

• Water resistant: 30m

• Lugs Width: 20mm

• Strap material: Calfskin leather

• Caliber DR002: Manufacture manual winding developed and assembled at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton under the supervision of Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini • Power reserve-frequency : 65h – 4Hz • Dimensions : 31 x 28mm • Thickness : 3.1mm • Components – Jewels : 143 – 21

• Limited to 20 pieces