William Massena to Sell the Upcoming Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription through the Newly Created Massena HOUSE Retail Concept

The latest news to come from our friends at Massena LAB doesn’t actually concern a new watch, but rather an entirely new retail operation. Last week, William Massena, the founder of the NYC based creative studio that has produced a string of popular limited edition watches over the last three years, announced Massena HOUSE, which he describes as a new community and retail concept that will focus on independent watchmaking. We seem to be heading toward a period where interest in independent brands across the pricing spectrum is at a fever pitch, so the timing here would appear to be ideal on Massena’s part. What’s more, the first brand announced to be sold through Massena HOUSE is a real coup. 

Daniel Roth, having recently been relaunched, is the first brand Massena has announced will be retailed through his Massena HOUSE operation. To paraphrase a quote that is sometimes heard in the political realm, this is a very big deal indeed. Daniel Roth’s eponymous brand is one of the origin points of the modern independent watchmaking movement that is currently flourishing worldwide. It’s been owned by Bulgari for years, and thus wrapped up in the LVMH corporate structure, but earlier this year after a great deal of speculation it was confirmed that the brand would reappear with an assist from La Fabrique Du Temps, Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking arm. It would be a mistake to write La Fabrique Du Temps, or Louis Vuitton for that matter, off as part of a larger “fashion brand” style of watchmaking. La Fabrique Du Temps is involved in some cutting edge stuff, while also celebrating traditional, historic watchmaking. 

The first watch out of the gate for Daniel Roth is the Tourbillon Souscription, a watch that is inspired directly by the first Roth watches to surface in the late 1980s. It has the famous “double ellipse” case that Daniel Roth watches are known for, and this one in particular is identical in terms of dimensions to the very first watch Roth produced. The angle at which the lugs slope has been very subtly adjusted for a better wearing experience, and the typeface has also been changed in favor of a more contemporary look, but otherwise the new watch is very close to the original. The manually wound caliber feature a one minute tourbillon and a healthy 80 hour power reserve, and it’s all assembled by La Fabrique Du Temps (the dial is made in Kari Voutilainen’s workshop). Of course, there is elaborate hand finishing found throughout. 

Only 20 Tourbillon Souscriptions will be made, and the price is set at CHF 140,000. That makes for a very small, but likely extremely competitive, market, and as a first product for a new retailer it’s about as high profile as you could imagine in 2023. Given Massena LAB’s involvement with brands at more affordable price points (Ming, Unimatic, and Louis Erard, just to name a few) we’re extremely curious what might be in the works for Massena HOUSE. 

More information on Massena HOUSE can be found here. Detailed information on the Tourbillon Souscription can be found via Daniel Roth here.