Daniel Roth Masters Chronograph S247

Today, the world of independent watchmaking is dominated by celebrated names like Kari Voutilainen, Philippe Dufour, François-Paul Journe, and Roger W. Smith. Owning a piece from one of these revered independents has become almost a rite of passage among serious collectors. But before the rise of this now-mainstream appreciation for independents, there was Daniel Roth—a pioneer whose work arguably laid the foundation for much of what we admire today.

The piece offered here—a Daniel Roth Masters Chronograph S247—hails from the mid-1990s Hour Glass period. While purists may favor the earliest pieces, there are select watches from this era, like the S247, that capture Roth’s original spirit with remarkable integrity.

This model features a vertically brushed black guilloché dial, echoing the textures and finesse of Roth’s Breguet-era work. The symmetry of the chronograph layout, paired with applied hour markers and a stepped chapter ring, lends the watch a sophisticated depth and unmistakable Roth character. Its signature ellipsocurvex case—an elegant fusion of round and tonneau shapes—remains one of the most distinctive silhouettes in independent watchmaking.

Powering the S247 is the legendary Zenith El Primero Caliber 500, a high-frequency automatic chronograph movement known for its precision and robustness. Famously used in the Rolex Daytona Ref. 16520, the El Primero brings technical credibility and performance to match the watch’s artistic merits.