Let’s get this out of the way—most elements are the same as the past models, themselves an homage to Roth’s original C187 tourbillon, a darling at auctions for its early impact on the original brand. The distinctive double-ellipse case, an immediate identifier of a Daniel Roth with its prominent gadroon set through the midcase and its soldered lugs, is now done in ice-cold platinum, a stark contrast to the warmth of rose or yellow gold. Its 38.6mm x 35.5mm dimensions render this watch supremely wearable, especially with its short lug design and slim height of 9.2mm.
While the original Souscription model in yellow gold featured a solid caseback, this new platinum model follows its rose gold predecessor, with a sapphire crystal caseback to showcase the impressive finishing of the manually-winding DR001 caliber and its 80 hours of power reserve. No, the architecture isn’t dramatic or revolutionary, but it’s got all the elements that make this a very attractive movement in person—light Côtes de Geneve striping on the bridges, gold chatons for the gear train, a distinctive horizontal click bar (a joy to wind in person), and a beautifully black-polished bridge standing in the middle of it all.