Encased in a Roth’s signature double-ellipse case in white gold, the present example is an extremely rare configuration of the reference C127S (S for Squelette – skeletonized in French). The Roth Retrograde was first introduced to the watch community at Baselworld in April 1991 and was later released in 1993. It is estimated that the Retrograde was produced in low hundreds, with the Skeleton Retrograde produced in even smaller numbers. Most of the Retrogrades found on the market today are produced after mid-1990’s. The present watch is stamped No. 32 on the movement, indicating that it is from early production. While examples with Arabic numerals are believed to be introduced later than those with Roman numerals, the unengraved case back of the present example also hints that the present watch is likely produced in the early 1990’s.

The rarity of this watch stands in equal measure to its exquisite quality. The openwork dial renders all minute details of the beautifully engraved movement visible to the wearer, and what joy it is to see the jumping hour mechanism in action, with even the 4 o’clock driving wheel interacting with the hour and minute wheel observable. No words can express the experience of seeing this wonderful creation for yourself.