In today’s sea of skeletonized watches, the question is no longer how much skeletonization a watch has, but how it is executed. La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton deserves recognition for the stunning, flora-inspired skeletonization of its latest release.
La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton has skeletonized a never-before-openworked Daniel Roth icon and masterfully finished every single surface.
The third Daniel Roth timepiece released under LVMH ownership, the Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton transforms its rose gold plates into thin pillars (the horological term for “struts”) that evoke nature. Beyond this, the unassailable anglage, perlage, straight graining, and black polishing applied even to obscured surfaces mark this watch, in my humble opinion, as a future classic.
The Revival’s Triumvirate
Adorned with openworked finger bridges on the dial side that echo those on the caseback, the Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton also features an openworked barrel and escapement—details sure to captivate any enthusiast.
Released during LVMH Watch Week 2026, this timepiece follows 2024’s yellow gold Tourbillon Souscription (a reproduction of Daniel Roth’s C187; priced at CHF 155,000; 50 pieces produced per year), whose tourbillon doubles as a small seconds sector, and 2025’s rose gold Extra Plat Souscription (a reproduction of his C107; CHF 45,000; limited to 20 pieces).
Encased in Roth’s signature double-ellipse case, the new release is priced at CHF 85,000 and will also be produced in limited quantities. It shares the same dimensions as its predecessors: 35.5mm across and 38.6mm from top to bottom. Essentially, it is an openworked version of the time-only Extra Plat Souscription, but skeletonization has reduced its thickness from 7.7mm to 6.9mm. Personally, I love modestly sized watches under 40mm, and this ultra-thin trilogy’s proportions are very similar to the originals’.
The skeletonized DR002 movement of the opaque Extra Plat has been christened the DR002SR, with multiple applications of masterful finishing meant to showcase La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton’s in-house decorative capabilities.
So thorough is the skeletonization that even the serial number plate, which Roth traditionally preferred to display on the dial side, has been omitted. Blued hands sweep over these slender pillars, pointing to imaginary numerals.
Where is Daniel Roth Now?
While Daniel Roth owned his eponymous brand from 1989 to 1994 (some argue 1988 to 1995), he skeletonized some of his complications but never the time-only Extra Plat.
One of our generation’s greatest living watchmakers, Roth was born into a watchmaking family and honed his craft at Audemars Piguet and Breguet (Abraham-Louis Breguet is his idol, whose influence is evident in Roth’s creations) before venturing out on his own.
Constrained by slow, limited production and high overheads, he eventually sold a majority stake to The Hour Glass in 1994, and the Singaporean retailer would later sell the Daniel Roth brand to Bulgari in 2000.
The brand remained dormant until Bulgari’s acquisition by LVMH in 2011—a deal which also transferred the rights of the Bulgari-owned Daniel Roth and Gérald Genta brands to LVMH. At the cards fell into place, a revival of a brand as revered as Daniel Roth seemed inevitable.
Shortly after this acquisition, LVMH first overhauled Bulgari, releasing the iconic Bulgari Octo in 2012, paving the way for the multi-award-winning Octo Finissimo series.
As for Monsieur Roth, he continues to handcraft watches under the marque Jean Daniel Nicolas—a combination of his son’s, his, and his wife’s names. He produces two tourbillons a year in his Le Sentier workshop, the same region where the first Daniel Roth workshop was located.
He says that he now creates “at his own pace”, free from mainstream market pressures or investor demands.
“I was very anxious that the Daniel Roth brand would fall into the wrong hands and drag my name through the mud as it did,” he revealed to Grandfather Clocks Blog in 2023. He is elated that his namesake brand is now in the good hands of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton’s founders Enrico Barbasini and Michel Navas, whom he regards as close friends.
“Now I feel like it’s heaven after hell. It’s a resurrection… (I am) very happy, very proud and at peace.”
I’ll be at peace too if I get the chance to interview this soft-spoken master one day, just as I did with Christian Klings.
