hile firmly grounded in the brand’s historical vocabulary, the Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton is the first step in the revival of Daniel Roth, moving beyond faithful reinterpretation, as the Extra Plat was never skeletonised during the brand’s founding era by Mr. Roth.

“The Extra Plat has always embodied the quiet refinement at the heart of Daniel Roth,” says Matthieu Hegi, Artistic Director of La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton. “Opening the movement allows its elegance to speak in a new way, while remaining faithful to Mr. Roth’s earliest ambitions and attachment to traditional high watchmaking.”

Simple yet perfectly executed watchmaking has long been central to the identity of Daniel Roth. During his early years as an independent watchmaker, Mr. Roth considered the Extra Plat a complication in its own right; it was, in fact, his favourite complication after the tourbillon for its apparent simplicity and the technical discipline required to execute it properly. The balanced restraint of a thin movement, confined within the precise geometry of the double-ellipse, formed a foundational pillar of the brand’s reputation.

In the early 1990s, shortly after establishing his namesake brand, Mr. Roth began producing skeletonised versions of select references. Made in extremely small quantities due to the painstaking craftsmanship involved, these early openworked pieces served as both technical exercises and demonstrations of the brand’s expertise: slim architecture, open volumes, and hand-finished details.

The new Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton continues this tradition in a contemporary idiom. Produced in limited numbers each year, it reflects the original spirit of the Extra Plat while expanding its expressive range through transparency. The refinement of the double-ellipse case remains, while the movement, now visible in its entirety, reveals the structural logic that has always been central to the Daniel Roth aesthetic.

“As a complication, the Extra Plat represents the essence of Daniel Roth,” continues Matthieu Hegi. “It emphasises proportion, clarity, and a certain discreet sophistication. By skeletonising the calibre, we allow the architecture to be understood on its own terms. It is a respectful evolution of what Mr. Roth first imagined more than thirty years ago.”

At the centre of the Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton is the calibre DR002SR, a new shaped movement manufactured entirely in-house at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton. Based on the DR002, the DR002SR reinterprets the original architecture with newly shaped bridges and plates designed to accommodate an openworked construction. Bridges and plates have been redesigned with the beauty of the skeleton in mind, ensuring that the calibre could be rendered with lightness and transparency, without compromising rigidity or chronometric performance.

The DR002SR is constructed in solid 18k 5N rose gold to match the case, a choice that reflects both tradition and intention. Gold provides a naturally warm contrast to the black-polished steel components and offers an ideal substrate for the extensive hand finishing that defines the Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton.

“With the DR002SR, we revisited the original calibre and reworked its architecture specifically for skeletonisation,” explains Michel Navas. “We reshaped the bridges and plates to open the movement as much as possible, while ensuring that rigidity, reliability, and chronometry were never compromised.”

“The decision to craft the bridges and plates in solid gold was both technical and aesthetic,” adds Enrico Barbasini. “Gold is a noble metal that responds beautifully to traditional finishing. It allows the handwork to speak clearly, which is essential in a skeletonised movement.”

Despite its transparency, the DR002SR retains the technical specifications of the DR002: a free-sprung balance, a 4 Hz frequency, and an ample power reserve of 65 hours, all within the elegant contours of the double-ellipse shape.

Skeletonisation is an exercise in reduction. The Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton brings this principle to its highest expression, with a movement that bears the full imprint of the artisan’s hand. Nowhere is the human touch more apparent than in the numerous internal angles; impossible to achieve by machine, each crisp transition is shaped and polished by hand.

Each of these sharply defined internal angles reveals the steady hand and patient rhythm of the craftsmen and women at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, who complete every stage of finissage, from bevelling to black polishing, entirely in-house.

“The work required to finish a skeletonised calibre of this nature demands complete mastery of traditional techniques,” note Barbasini and Navas. “At La Fabrique du Temps, we can perform all of these operations under one roof, ensuring that every component reflects the standards of Daniel Roth. This internal capability is essential to the integrity of the final watch.”

Reduced to its essential form, the DR002SR becomes a mechanical gallery of traditional craftsmanship. Balancing form and function, its openworked architecture demonstrates the technical mastery and aesthetic sophistication that have become synonymous with Daniel Roth.