Our article published about Reuge in 2004 harks back to an era when Aldo Magada was the CEO of the niche music-box manufacturer based in Sainte-Croix, Switzerland. Magada is now CEO of Zenith, long since replaced at Reuge by Kurt Kupper, who joined the company in 2006.
The article from our archives details the steps required to produce the music boxes for which the company is famous and which few, if any, other companies produce today using such traditional techniques. Everything is mastered in-house (and from this year, in a brand-new factory in Sainte-Croix), from fixing thousands of pins on to the cylinders down to the final adjustment, which requires the dexterity of a watchmaker. Reuge has been working this way for over 150 years.
Since Mr Kupper’s arrival, Reuge has forged a unique path that combines a highly traditional craft with numerous innovative products. In the space of just a few years, Reuge has incorporated its music boxes into coffee machines and showers. The company also embarked on a successful design collaboration with MB&F to produce a series of space-themed Music Machines that bear the unmistakable signature of Max Busser.
More recently, thanks to an acquisitive new shareholder, Reuge joined forces with singing-bird automaton producer Frères Rochat, which is now integrated into the company with its headquarters in Sainte-Croix.
