DANIEL ROTH INTRODUCES THE EXTRA PLAT ROSE GOLD GILT

Daniel Roth turns its attention to a traditional dial-making technique with the Extra Plat Rose Gold Gilt. Joining the Extra Plat collection, the watch places its emphasis firmly on the dial, using a gilt process in which the indications emerge from the solid gold base rather than being printed onto its finished surface. The approach brings another dimension to the Maison’s familiar double-ellipse form, pairing a black gilt dial with a 5N rose gold case and the hand-wound calibre DR002.

For Daniel Roth, the gilt dial sits within its Montre Objet d’Art philosophy, where the appearance of a watch is shaped by the techniques required to make it. Unlike conventional printed dials, its numerals and inscriptions are formed as negative shapes that expose the metal beneath. Here, that underlying surface is solid gold, giving the Roman numerals, Daniel Roth signature, and individual dial number their colour and definition. Historically, gilt dials were valued for the sense of depth created through this method, a quality that becomes central to the Extra Plat Rose Gold Gilt.

The process begins with the solid gold chapter ring. Before its black finish is introduced, the Roman numerals, Daniel Roth signature, and individual dial number are masked with varnish. Applied through a semi-automatic process, the varnish is transferred from the printing plate to the gold surface with a silicon pad, with positioning controlled to a hundredth of a millimetre. These protected areas remain untouched during the stages that follow and eventually become the visible rose gold markings of the finished dial.

The dial then undergoes several electroplating treatments to establish its black colour. Rather than being achieved in a single application, the shade develops through repeated immersions, with timing, temperature, and ambient conditions all influencing the outcome. The final intensity is judged by the artisan overseeing the process. Once the intended tone has been reached, the masking varnish is removed through a controlled demasking process that dissolves the protective layer without affecting the surface beneath. The Roman numerals, the 'Daniel Roth' name, and the individual dial numbers are consequently revealed directly from the original gold plate rather than added afterwards.

The technique produces a subtle physical separation between the exposed gold and the glossy black surface surrounding it. Beneath, the dial carries a pinstripe guilloché pattern executed on a rose engine. The engraving can require several days of work and is undertaken by a single artisan using the manually controlled machine to guide each line across the surface. Once complete, the chapter ring is secured to the dial base before the assembled dial is fitted directly onto the movement.

The guilloché further alters the way the dial responds to light. Its pinstripe pattern creates variations in shade as the viewing angle changes, while the rose gold indications remain clearly defined against the black surface. The effect depends on the physical construction and layering of the dial and cannot be reproduced through pad-printing alone.

The case is made from 5N rose gold, extending the colour of the exposed dial markings into Daniel Roth’s double-ellipse architecture. Against the black dial and black calfskin leather strap, the case establishes a clear contrast between reflective and light-absorbing surfaces. As the watch moves, the changing relationship between the rose gold case, gilt indications, and black guilloché gives the dial a different appearance according to the angle from which it is viewed.

Its proportions remain characteristic of the Extra Plat collection. The case measures only 7.7 mm thick, with a flat anti-reflective sapphire crystal and a sapphire crystal caseback. Gold hands continue the restrained palette across the dial, while the 20 mm lug width accommodates a calfskin leather strap. Water resistance is rated to 30 m.

These dimensions reflect the broader principles of the Extra Plat family. Daniel Roth describes the collection through the idea of the thin dress watch, retaining the slender double-ellipse case while developing a movement specifically for its internal proportions. The Rose Gold Gilt therefore introduces a different treatment of the dial without changing the underlying architecture around which the collection has been developed.

Inside is the calibre DR002, the Manufacture manual-winding movement used across the Extra Plat collection. Developed and assembled at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton under the supervision of Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini, the movement was conceived to fit the slim double-ellipse case rather than requiring the case to accommodate an existing calibre. It measures 31 x 28 mm and 3.1 mm thick, allowing its architecture to correspond closely with that of the watch surrounding it.

Its 143 components and 21 jewels are visible through the sapphire caseback. Across the bridges, edges are shaped and polished by hand, including defined inner angles and extensive bevelling. The DR002 operates at 4 Hz and provides a 65-hour power reserve, while its winding mechanism incorporates a bar click that gives the crown a distinct mechanical response during manual winding.

The Extra Plat Rose Gold Gilt remains a two-hand watch, leaving the dial itself to carry much of the visual interest. Its depth comes from construction rather than additional indications: a solid gold base, rose-engine guilloché, repeated electroplating, and the removal of the masking layer that finally exposes the rose gold beneath. Each step contributes to the way the finished surface interacts with light while preserving the straightforward display that defines the Extra Plat collection.

In that respect, the gilt treatment fits naturally within Daniel Roth’s approach to the Extra Plat. The proportions and movement remain unchanged, while the dial introduces another traditional technique through which those existing design codes can be read. Rather than altering the architecture of the watch, the Rose Gold Gilt concentrates its difference in the making of its surface, giving the Extra Plat greater visual depth while retaining the restraint of its original format.