Fratello Dress Watch Season: Round 1, Match 3 — Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription Vs. Patek Philippe Calatrava 6196P

This is the third match in the Fratello Dress Watch Season contest, our effort to identify the best new dress watch of 2025. The series continues with a beautiful and classical duo. Match three in round one sees RJ defending the Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription in yellow gold and Mike making his case for the Patek Philippe Calatrava 6196P. Let’s determine which of these two watches will progress to the semifinals.

As you are now aware, these Daniel Roth and Patek Philippe models were among the eight watches that won our initial public poll the other week. You voted for your favorites from a rather lengthy (but still incomplete) list of contenders, and today’s Daniel Roth and Patek Philippe watches were two of them. Let’s see what RJ and Mike have to say about each.

RJ: Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription

This will be a tough one for me, as I’m fully aware that Patek Philippe’s Calatrava 6196P is a crowd-pleaser. There’s nothing not to like about that watch. It was also my favorite of Patek’s new releases this year.

That said, it’s also a rather boring watch. While there’s nothing wrong with that at times, in the end, it’s also about the watch that makes you smile the most. And that’s what the Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription did when I strapped it on my wrist during a cold winter day in Geneva.

Classic Daniel Roth

While this watch came out this year, it’s far from a brand-new design. It is based on Daniel Roth’s watches from 1989 onwards, and we’ve seen it reintroduced since 2024 in a few variations. This year’s Extra Plat Souscription is my favorite of these, though. This one is yellow gold, features only two hands, and has a solid gold case back. Although its DR002 movement is beautifully constructed and finished by the watchmakers at La Fabrique du Temps, I am just a sucker for all-gold case backs. Also, the case shape is so different from classic round or rectangular dress watches. It just intrigues me.

Embellishing both the base and chapter ring of the Extra Plat Souscription’s dial are intricate filet sauté borders crafted with a vintage machine dating back to around 1850. Roman numerals, the Daniel Roth logo, and the watch’s serial number in deep blue add touches of elegance, harmonizing beautifully with the heat-blued handset. This vivid hue not only complements the design but also highlights the watch’s exquisite craftsmanship.

Navas and Barbasini, an amazing watchmaking duo

Master watchmakers Michael Navas and Enrico Barbasini, who are responsible for these new Daniel Roth watches, have an incredible résumé in the watch industry. They’ve worked on high-complication watches at brands like Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe, and eventually founded their company, La Fabrique du Temps, in 2007 (and Louis Vuitton took over in 2011).

I have met both watchmakers on several occasions, and besides being immensely talented, they’re also very nice people to talk to. To me, it’s essential that when buying a watch, the people working at the brand are just nice. Granted, this is probably not very important to you if you’re not working in the watch industry. Similarly, I don’t care much whether the people at BMW are friendly; I just want to buy the cars. However, if you are in this industry, it’s nice to be surrounded by people you like and respect. I am not at all implying that the people at Patek are not lovely. At La Fabrique du Temps and Daniel Roth, though, they’re far from being corporate.

On the wrist

I have tried the Daniel Roth Extra Plat more than once, and it wears incredibly well. This is thanks to its modest 35.5mm diameter, 38.6mm lug-to-lug, and 7.7mm thickness. As I mentioned earlier, when I put one of the Daniel Roth watches on my wrist, it immediately elicits a smile, as well as a lot of wrist movements, as I want to admire the watch’s shape from all angles.

The DR002 movement in the rose gold Extra Plat

Caliber DR002

While the yellow gold Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription features a solid yellow gold case back, inside is a beautiful hand-wound caliber DR002. Navas and Barbasini, along with their team, designed this movement. It measures only 3.1mm thick and has a free-sprung balance wheel with four arms, each fitted with a variable-inertia weight for regulation. The DR002 movement is nicely decorated with Côtes de Genève, perlage, anglage (chamfering), and high-polished screw heads.

I know that Patek Philippe speaks to most people’s imaginations a bit more. It has the name, the world-famous slogan “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation,” that many take to heart, and a high resale value on the secondary market. Patek is such a strong brand that it will be hard to beat it in this dress-watch competition, and perhaps deservedly so, but it would not be my choice. The Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription will probably not be your first high-end watch, though. The target buyer is slightly different and might already own a Patek Philippe or two.

Mike: Patek Philippe Calatrava 6196P

I was pleased to see that one of my favorite watches of 2025 made the initial shortlisting in our Dress Watch Challenge. The Patek Philippe Calatrava 6196P was a real standout at Watches and Wonders 2025 and showed us all that the brand still has an interest in producing classic dress watches. Of course, there are some nits to pick, but I’d happily add one of these to my collection.

Some thoughts about the competition

First, let me say a word about the challenger. Admittedly, I’ve been ambivalent toward Daniel Roth. I can appreciate the workmanship of these pieces, new and old, but I’ve never found the case shape very pleasing. Now, I must agree with Robert-Jan and admit that the Extra Plat is a far more endearing piece than Roth’s complicated offerings. The dial work is simply gorgeous, and the size is also interesting. But, and I’m sure some will disagree with my sentiment, there’s nothing quite like a Patek.

A return to classic form

The 6196P, as the “P” indicates, is a platinum dress watch. This one has a 38mm case, and thankfully, it eschews the textured bezel that has found its way to so many recent Calatravas. Instead, it has a flat bezel that, while not quite coin-edged like an old 96 or 570, allows all of the aesthetic elements to shine. A salmon — or “rose-gilt” in Patek-speak — dial pairs with anthracite-coated applied indexes and dauphine hands. It’s a classic look from a distance that becomes decidedly more modern when viewed closely. The color scheme, especially the leaden color, has proven controversial, but that’s Patek in 2025.

A beautiful — and visible — movement

Turning the watch over reveals a massive sapphire-display case back and the underlying caliber 30-255 PS. Here again, this sadly isn’t the series of bridges one would find in a vintage Patek, but it’s still an attractive movement. In fact, the layout resembles a set of lungs, an appropriate bit of imagery considering that this watch is breathing life back into the line. It’s a modern runner too, with 65 hours of power reserve and a healthy 28,800vph frequency. The large caliber also allows the front sub-seconds register to sit lower on the dial, a common complaint with the watch’s spiritual predecessor, the 5196.

A different but classic choice

So, how does this watch compare to the Daniel Roth? Well, price-wise, the two are within CHF 5,000 of each other, but both are positioned in the stratosphere. Yes, at CHF 40,000, the Patek Philippe Calatrava 6196P is a pricey consideration. Yet, for me, the two pieces are very different. Whereas the more expensive Daniel Roth shows off metiers d’art, the Patek trades on its classic lineage. That’s not giving the Calatrava short shrift, mind you. No, I’d say that the Daniel Roth would find its way to my wrist on very formal occasions. The Patek, on the other hand, would see a lot of wrist time. It’s simply the type of watch that strikes me as more wearable.

Time to choose

There’s no wrong choice here, but, unfortunately, you must make one. Is your heart aligned with the resplendent Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription or the Patek Philippe Calatrava 6196P? Your vote will help decide which watch continues to the next round. Also, make sure to let us know in the comments below why you voted the way you did.