Philippe Dufour
Celebrities, artisan
A proponent of traditional watchmaking, Philippe Dufour has been instrumental in engaging collectors with the work of independent watchmakers.
Born in 1948, Philippe Dufour is one of the most highly respected – in Japan, revered - independent watchmakers. His timepieces are seen as works of great artistry, both for their construction and their finishing. He is the collector’s watchmaker par excellence, having produced 230 watches between 1992 and 2020, or eight a year; a rate dictated by the fact that virtually every single component is hand-made. Dufour’s first job was at Jaeger-LeCoultre, where he reorganised the brand’s customer service in the United Kingdom. From there, he went to General Watch Company, a position that took him all the way to the Caribbean. In 1974 he returned to Le Sentier where he found work first at Gérald Genta, then Audemars Piguet, before setting up his own business in 1978 as a watch restorer – at the same time as he made five Grande & Petite Sonnerie pocket watches for Audemars Piguet. Despite the immensity of the task, he was inspired to launch his own brand. In 1992 he presented his first watch with the Philippe Dufour name: the world’s first Grande & Petite Sonnerie in wristwatch format combined with a minute repeater. Yet another world-first followed four years later in the form of the Duality wristwatch with two balances.
Philippe Dufour began his next project in 2000. The Simplicity would return to the fundamentals of a watch, with a display of hours, minutes and small seconds. He initially intended to make 100, in 34mm and 37mm sizes, but demand from collectors was such that he ultimately doubled production - always with the same almost obsessive attention to detail. In 2020, as a final chapter to the Simplicity story, Philippe Dufour announced he would be making one last anniversary series of 20 watches in white gold, pink gold or platinum with a 37mm diameter. N° 00/20 in the series sold at auction in Geneva for CHF 1.3 million. A proponent of traditional watchmaking, Philippe Dufour has been instrumental in engaging collectors with the work of independent watchmakers. True to his ethos, he has contributed to a number of projects designed to pass on the traditional skills which digital technologies might otherwise erase.
1967
Graduated from École Technique in Le Sentier.
1978
Opened his own workshop.
1982-88
Made five Grande & Petite Sonnerie pocket watches for Audemars Piguet.
1989
Grande & Petite Sonnerie No1 pocket watch, signed Philippe Dufour.
1992
Grande & Petite Sonnerie wristwatch, a world-first, debuted in Basel. Total production of 8.
1996
Duality wristwatch with one geartrain and two balances connected by a differential gear. Total production of 9.
2000
Simplicity with hours, minutes and seconds. Total production of 204 in 17 years.
2020
Anniversary edition of 20 new Simplicity watches was announced. The first in the series sold at auction in Geneva for CHF 1.3 million.
Interview . Interview . Interview . Interview . Interview . Interview . Interview . Interview
On his chosen profession
“At the age of fifteen, I wanted to learn to be a mechanic. Following the entrance exam for the Ecole d'Horlogerie de la Vallée de Joux, I was made to understand that I had some deficits in mathematics and that I was just good enough to learn watchmaking. So I didn't choose my profession! From the first months of learning, I made my own tools and started my school watch. Creating an object or a watch element from a piece of material was a great discovery that I really enjoyed. I had somehow caught the virus and since then, I haven't come out of it. After the four years of apprenticeship, I obtained the diploma of watchmaker repairer in 1967. Following this, I was able to work for different watch manufacturers in Switzerland, Germany, England and even in the Caribbean! In 1978, on a whim, I became independent overnight. And for 5 years, I restored complicated pocket watches for an auction organisation. During this period, I learned a lot and realized that 7/10 watches that passed through my workbench were of Vallée de Joux origin. One day I said to myself: “The old people did it, why not do it again!?” So I created my first Grande Sonnerie Minute Repeater movement, pocket watch (19 lines). Not being known, everyone congratulated me but I didn't have enough credit in the eyes of those in the know. I therefore chose to make five timepieces for a manufacturer in the region which says five years of work. But the desire to make timepieces under my own name was always present. So much so that in 1992, at the Basel Motor Show, I presented my first Philippe Dufour watch, a world first, a Grande Sonnerie Minute Repeater as a wristwatch. Followed in 1996 by the release of the Duality, a watch with a double regulator, and in 2000 the Simplicity model which, as its name suggests, a simple watch...”
On the most unexpected detail of his
day-to-day life
“I was surprised to see that people are able to wait years to get my timepieces. And for them, every day is a pleasure to wait for. The evolution of the media means that my watches are known all over the world, even in countries where I have never set foot! Despite my age, I still enjoy walking through the door of my workshop every morning, lighting a pipe and putting on classical music while looking at the chamois or cows through the window in front of my workbench.”
His advice for future generations
“In 2013, when I received the special prize from the GPHG jury, in my speech, I said this: "To the young person I say to you, go ahead, achieve! There is room for you! Make your dream come true, because in every watchmaker's heart there is a dream, to make one’s own watch." But independence comes at a certain price. Before you begin, you need to erase certain words from your vocabulary. The words: vacations, weekends and retirement! Once you've done this, you're good to go!”