Daniel Roth is widely regarded as one of the greatest watchmakers of his generation. Among the first to establish an eponymous brand in 1987, he is also credited with sparking the modern fascination with the tourbillon wristwatch. His career began at Audemars Piguet in the late 1960s, but it was his move to Breguet in 1973 that changed the course of contemporary watchmaking. At a time when the manufacture was languishing, Roth revived its spirit by reinterpreting Abraham‑Louis Breguet’s pocket watches as refined wristwatches. In the mid‑1980s, he unveiled a wristwatch with a visible tourbillon escapement, a creation that ignited a trend and soon became a rite of passage for both established maisons and independent artisans.

Founding his own brand, Roth immediately established a highly personal design language: the distinctive ellipsocurvex case, guilloché dials with horizontal motifs, and elegantly pointed hands. His first major creation, the Double‑Sided Tourbillon ref. C187, debuted in 1988 and was commercialized the following year. It remains one of his most celebrated works.

On the front, the composition is dominated by the large tourbillon escapement, accompanied by an ingenious triple‑arm seconds hand whose three arms of varying lengths each trace a separate 20‑second scale. Turning the watch over reveals a retrograde power reserve indicator and a retrograde date display, demonstrating Roth’s mechanical creativity on both sides of the case.

Executed here in a rare pink gold case and preserved in outstanding condition, this fresh-to-the-market Tourbillon “Double Face” ref. 2187 sold by a Japanese retailer in 1993 is emblematic of Roth’s artistry—marrying Breguet‑inspired tradition with independent boldness—and is rightly considered one of his signature masterpieces. Accompanied by its full set of accessories including its COSC certificate, this early Roth Tourbillon is a treasure not to be missed.