Rosneathian
1471
Thanks. Yes this is the third of three so far.
Jun 08, 2021,17:15 PM
I wanted to achieve two things:
1. Sample work from all phases of DR, both during and after Monsieur Roth's direct involvement
2. Align the watches I selected to my personal tastes
It's a balancing act. I like to approach watches as a purist, but I'm not a puritan who'll aggressively chase specific references just because of exclusivity, reputation or status.
This meant selecting from among the more conservative options available. This translates, for me, into yellow gold; solid dials; and preferably L scale references (34mm x 38mm).
While I admire Monsieur Roth's initial push to deliver a complete range of high complications - tourbillon, monopoussoir, minute repeater, etc., my tastes mean I'm more inclined to the chronographs, small seconds, date/no date, three-handers (I added moonphase from the Bvlgari period as well). His butterfly - your watch - is a fascinating design and technical feat but it's not for me.
All the above means I'm still interested in early-period pieces such as the BB2147 chronograph and the C127 retrograde. I'm aware that these get snapped up quickly these days, so neither becomes available that's okay too. No matter.
There are plenty of references that don't appeal to me. The Hour Glass/El Primero chronographs are quite popular at the moment. I have that movement working away in a couple of watches already. But in my estimation their execution in DR watches ruins the balance and symmetry that was a core design feature. I also feel that much of the Bvlgari output became increasingly garish as time passed, just as we've seen happen to watches bearing the name of Franck Muller or Roger Dubuis. Companies acquiring names and skills is acceptable to me only if there is an underlying respect for the originator. For all of Bvlgari's technical accomplishments, their DR products became increasingly discordant.
Alongside pursuing specific watches I've derived the most pleasure from connecting with veteran collectors and tapping historical sources of information. That's been the glue that's held this little exercise together to date. Fascinating stuff.