Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo is announces the sale of a Philippe Dufour Simplicity 20th Anniversary model in rose gold number 00/20, to be offered in RETROSPECTIVE: 2000-2020, a themed auction curated by Phillips & Blackbird. The auction will take place at La Réserve Hotel in Geneva on 8 November 2020.
30 years after creating his first Grande & Petite Sonnerie pocket watch, Philippe Dufour has made less than 230 watches, less than 8 watches a year. Among the most elite Swiss watchmakers to be operating today, the watches Dufour creates by hand are of beauty and quality, infused with passion and love. An extremely talented and passionate watchmaker, he is an ardent defender of traditional watchmaking that he considers a dying art. Dufour’s watches are considered masterpieces, coveted and treasured by collectors, making them extremely difficult to obtain as they rarely appear on the market.
An independent watchmaker since the late 1970s, Dufour restored antique and vintage timepieces for ten years, until he went on to develop a very small series of pocket and wrist Grande Sonnerie watches, followed by the Duality, the world’s first wristwatch incorporating a double escapement. In 2000, having exemplified such talent and expertise for creating ultra-complicated mechanisms, Dufour set out on the challenging task of creating a simple three hand watch, aptly named Simplicity. With a movement architecture designed specially by the maker himself, Dufour achieved a hand finish and decoration that modern horology had not yet witnessed.
For the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Simplicity, Dufour has decided to close the Simplicity adventure with a limited edition (a first for Dufour) of 20 pieces of which Phillips has the honor of offering number 00/20. This piece will also be the very first one on the market to be delivered. Dufour will be making the Anniversary Simplicity in 7 pieces in pink gold, 7 pieces in white gold, and 7 pieces in platinum of which he will be keeping a piece for himself.
With the world’s greatest collectors identifying a modern masterpiece and icon, Dufour’s quota of approximately 200 movements was rapidly reached, and those lucky enough to have been able to order a Simplicity had to wait many years before delivery, with others having to wait for a piece to appear on the secondary market.
The Anniversary model is slightly different from the other Simplicity models. Keeping with the original elegant 37mm diameter, the case has been slightly modified to include a hinged back. In addition, the crown now has his initials PD engraved on it, initials that can be found at 12 o’clock, applied on the guilloché grey dial with Breguet numerals. However, as is the case with Dufour, the movement is the star. The gentle flow of the bridges’ curves, the bold and alluring inward and outward angles, the hand applied Geneva waves and red rubies provide a seductive visual harmony. Needless to say that the decoration and assembly are done by hand.
