This Watch Changed My Life: The Jean Daniel Nicolas Two-Minute Tourbillon by Daniel Roth

Credits: Article and images by Ian Skellern @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/11/20/this-watch-changed-my-life-the-jean-daniel-nicolas-two-minute-tourbillon-by-daniel-roth/

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Audemars Piguet o el tiempo que crea KAWS

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My first published article

As I got to know Daniel Roth better over that time, I thought what a fascinating life he had and was disappointed not to be able to find more information about him on the internet. This led to me thinking that I probably knew as much about Roth as anyone, so I decided to write an article about him for ThePuristS (some of which I have purloined for the history section of this tome).

ThePuristS independent forum moderator, Curtis D. Thomson, and site founder, Thomas Mao, were already writing occasionally for iW magazine in America and thanks to recommendations by them I received a call from then iW editor, Gary Girdvainis (now editor of WristWatch Magazine), who asked if he could publish my Daniel Roth article in iW.

My first shaky baby steps as a watch journalist had begun.

Platinum Jean Daniel Nicolas Two-Minute Tourbillon by Mr. Daniel Roth (photo courtesy Guy Lucas de Peslouan)

That Roth article led to another piece about an up-and-coming brand making some waves at the time, and continues to do so: Greubel Forsey. Before I knew it, I was iW’s Swiss correspondent (Elizabeth Doerr was long a regular contributor to iW at that time as well).

One thing led to another and I began writing for a number of magazines and even wrote a book with Peter Speake-Marin for the 25th anniversary of the A.H.C.I. called Hands of Time.

A business

It isn’t easy making a living as a full-time watch journalist as I’m sure any of my colleagues will attest, especially when you spend far too much time watching and talking to watchmakers and less time writing about them. So, I began writing press releases and website texts for independent watchmakers and small brands and that led to a small communications business called “underthedial,” which is now my main day job.

And that special Jean Daniel Nicolas watch?

When I met Max back in 2004 I wasn’t by any means a serious collector or even a casual collector − I still would not consider myself a serious collector now − because the watches I was most passionate about were far beyond my financial means.

After two years, the No. 00 Jean Daniel Nicholas Two-Minute Tourbillon was finally ready, but Max’s life was going through a few changes. After he picked his watch up, he asked if I would keep the watch in Switzerland until he had more stability.

So I put the watch that I had spent two years following and chronicling, the watch that was responsible for my budding career as a watch journalist, in my bank safe deposit box . . . and basically forgot about it. Seriously.

Jean Daniel Nicolas Two-Minute Tourbillon by Mr. Daniel Roth in pink gold

And then

And there the JDN Two-Minute Tourbillon remained for two years until I received a call from Max. His life had returned to a more even keel, but, unfortunately, the watch that had meant so much to both of us would have to be sold.

I casually asked how much he was asking. Not for me, but in case I came across any potential buyers. Max replied with a fair figure based on how much the watch had cost him at the time.

I mentally translated Max’s figure from pounds to Swiss francs. The gods of international exchange rates must have been in a good mood because when Max paid for the watch years before, the pound was strong against the Swiss franc, and now it was weak.

This meant that although it was still an eye-wateringly large sum for somebody who had never spent even $5,000 on a watch, the Jean Daniel Nicolas Two-Minute Tourbillon No. 0 that had changed my life in so many ways − including leading to the opportunity to launch Quill & Pad with Elizabeth − was (just barely) within my reach and with the help (and required blessing) of my wife became mine.

Many watches hold a special significance for their owners:

Some timekeepers may be a powerful emotional reminder of an esteemed person, place or event.

Others the long-searched-for keystone in a valued collection.

There are watches that can change your mood and generate a smile just by thinking about them.

There are even watches that have changed lives.

And there is one that has done all of the above and more for me: the Jean Daniel Nicolas Two-Minute Tourbillon No.00.

Exquisite dial details of the Jean Daniel Nicolas Two-Minute Tourbillon by Mr. Daniel Roth; the engraving on left is a stylized “No 0” and on the right “JDN”

Quick Facts Jean Daniel Nicolas Two-Minute Tourbillon
Case: three-piece clipped (not screwed) case, two versions: 38 mm round case and 32 x 42 mm shaped case, both available in gold or platinum
Movement: hand-crafted, manually wound two-minute tourbillon caliber, 60-hour power reserve, two spring barrels
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; power reserve indicator
Price: 220,000 Swiss francs in gold, 250,000 Swiss francs in platinum
Limitation: rare as hen’s teeth

Further reading
The Daniel Roth “Papillon”: a looong-winded review by AlbertoS
A Family Affair Mr. Daniel Roth: A History & Interview by Ian Skellern
Time’s ‘Auteurs’: The 15 Greatest Watchmakers by Michel Clerizo

* This article was first published on August 7, 2014 at The Watch That Changed My Life: The Jean Daniel Nicolas Two-Minute Tourbillon By Daniel Roth.