Daniel Roth was one of the earliest watchmakers to embark on his own, fully independent career, creating contemporary, complicated timepieces, now highly sought after for their design and mechanical innovation.
In the early 1990s, Daniel Roth sought to create a perpetual calendar wristwatch for his signature double-ellipse case. Roughly at the same time in 1992, legendary watchmaker Philippe Dufour announced his decision to become completely independent and create timepieces under his own name. Residing just down the road from each other, it was inevitable for the two to work together and collaborate.

With the acceptance from Dufour, the two set out to create the Daniel Roth Perpetual Calendar reference C117. The foundation of choice was the reliable and robust Lemania caliber 8810, which they used as a base with modifications made by Dufour to fit inside the unusual dimensions of the double-ellipse case. Described as hard work even for someone of his skill, the pair was not only developing a regular perpetual calendar but also aimed to create the world’s first instantaneous perpetual calendar where all indicators would change instantly once the hands passed midnight.

However, due to the weight of the day and month discs, the movement would require too much energy, and this proved technically challenging as such, Roth retained the more classical "semi-instantaneous" system for this watch. The present example is a superb example of Roth's philosophy: technical prowess, perfect legibility and a strong design.