During LVMH Watch Week that took place at the end of January, two iconic names of the contemporary horology made a definite comeback. High horology brands Daniel Roth and gérald genta both unveiled stunning timepieces that carried all the DNA codes of their respective marques. Both the maisons have evolved in a radical new direction with the support of la Fabrique du Temps – Louis Vuitton, and under the supervision of Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini who have both worked with Mr Roth and Mr Genta. “Day & Night” magazine sat down for a chat with the dynamic duo
DANIEL ROTH
Daniel Roth announced its re-entry into the world of high horology by unveiling the Tourbillon Souscription, which as its name implies, is a subscription model. This begs the question as to why a watchmaking brand that comes under the aegis of a luxury conglomerate such as the LVMH Group would opt for the subscription model as it is under no compulsion to raise the necessary funds for an inaugural timepiece.
Why a Subscription Edition
Navas and Barbasini explain that the gambit was utilised more to respect the philosophy of Mr. Roth, who started his brand with the subscription edition of 25 pieces when he left Breguet and began his new brand; he needed to make it a subscription model. The Tourbillon Souscription is a homage to the Double Ellipse Tourbillon, his first timepiece launched in 1988. “The 20 subscription pieces differ in small but significant details from the other model. This one is in yellow gold with a guilloche dial and with all the respect for high watchmaking – the details of the angles, the polishing of the screws, and the finishings on the inside. At the end, while the case is more or less similar to the case design of Mr Roth, the movement is totally new.”
This is to give watch collectors the opportunity to own one of the 20 pieces that are different from the rest. The duo was keen on adhering to the same high quality of the finishing as on Mr Roth’s original creation, as they feel the responsibility of upholding not only the brand name but also of “satisfying the spirit of Mr Roth,” who still lives at Vallée de Joux, Switzerland.
“Every model to be released by the brand will first be issued as a subscription model with a small, limited run, followed right after by a regular-edition model that will differ in slight details. The subscription edition will always be limited to only 20. For instance, the Tourbillon Souscription is in yellow gold. The next will be in another metal and have a dial different from this one but will still be only 20. Of course, the subscription will be priced lower than the regular model.”
On the choice of a Tourbillon for the 1st relaunched Daniel Roth watch
The duo chose to go with a tourbillon because they felt that a tourbillon was the best fit for the case, which is similar to the first model launched by Mr Roth in 1988. It was an amazing watch when he presented it in ’88 – a classic watch, but not a round shape. It was something that was very much ahead of its time; it was this that made them opt for a tourbillon – the first Daniel Roth case housing a tourbillon. In their quest to match the standards of the original timepiece, all the finishings – the details on the bridge of the tourbillon, the three hands in blue steel, and the gear were made by hand on the old machines. “The respect for Mr Roth’s legacy is totally 100%.”
Future of Daniel Roth
“We are definitely not aiming for 1,000 pieces a year or anything like that. We are not a big production house, but a small manufacture. After the Subscription Edition, we will launch 100 pieces in another metal and stop. Perhaps, later, another 100 pieces in another metal. In all, we would be aiming for something like 200 pieces and not in just one year. We may be bringing in something new every two years and our price range may be a bit wide, but we would be having an entry price of around CHF 40,000.”
gérald genta
The revamped maison has unveiled its inaugural timepiece, the Gérald Genta Minute Repeater Jumping Hours Minute Retrograde Only Watch 2023 Edition. It houses the new Manufacture Caliber GG-001, developed and assembled by La Fabrique du Temps under the supervision of Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini and features all the iconic Gérald Genta signatures such as the “The octagonal shape, the chiming sound, and High Watchmaking complications as well as Gérald Genta’s personal touch in the form of High Watchmaking complications reinterpreted into whimsical horological creations.
While Gérald Genta was known for the octagonal case, he also played around with cases a lot. For its first watch, the brand has already utilised the octagonal case. “We wanted to gather all the DNA of Mr. Genta in this timepiece – the octagonal shape, the jumping hours, the retrograde minutes, and the sonnerie. Mr Genta was primarily a designer and as such, his first priority was the shapes of the cases. Complications came second, but he did not neglect them either. His creations pushed the boundaries not only in terms of design, but also as high complications.
“Mr Genta is quite a complex personality and so is the brand. It is much more easier to define Daniel Roth and his brand; he is first and foremost a watchmaker. Mr Genta, on the other hand, was essentially a designer, but produced high complication watches. And then, there is a touch of whimsy in his collaboration with Disney.”
To be transgressive or not?
Gerald Genta, in his time, was considered the Picasso of the high watchmaking. “While some people admired him, some of his other colleagues hated him but Mr. Genta did not care. He actually liked it when people hated him. He was a little transgressive, and so we have to be a little transgressive too. We will go beyond Disney. We, as a brand, respect Mr Genta but we cannot do what he did. We can only try to channel Mr Genta when we create, but it is difficult. That is what Mrs Genta also advised us to do when we met her in London. She told us, ‘Please go ahead to release new models because if Mr Genta would have been here, he would have wanted you to improve and to go further because he never stopped creating.’”
Artisanal savoir-faire
Though Gerald Genta had never used enamelling for any of his horological creations, the Mickey Mouse timepiece features enamel work. “At LVMH, we have three in-house enamellers. If we did not have them, we could not have done it. Perhaps it was not possible for Mr Genta at that time; also, his Disney line was an affordable one and that might have been part of the reason. He did love working with colours and Mr Genta did release watches with precious stones – both white and coloured gemstones, so it was still part of his style.”
