Philippe Dufour

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Philippe Dufour - Philippe Dufour
2 minutes read
Independent watchmaker**

Philippe Dufour is best known for three iconic timepieces. The first two were both ultra-complicated models, starting with the Grande Sonnerie, which premiered in 1992 and featured the first grand strike mechanism ever fitted in a wristwatch. This was followed in 1996 by the Duality, also a very complicated watch equipped with two balance wheels driven by a single train via a differential.

In 2000, Dufour turned his attention from the extreme complexity to focus on Simplicity, embodied in a three-hand watch designed to showcase the best the Swiss had to offer. This became his most successful watch and one which brought him the greatest fame. He originally planned to make 100 of these timepieces, although it was not strictly intended to be a limited edition. After initial market inertia, demand picked up around 2002 and he increased the plan to 200 to meet this demand, finally delivering a total of 205 over the next 15 years.

Philippe Dufour

With these three iconic pieces, he acutely raised the awareness and appreciation for handwork and finishing of watch movements. Together with other AHCI members, he was the driving force that propelled independent watchmaking into the heart and minds of collectors. The focus on in-house design from concept watch to final implementation was a key feature, along with the use of traditional methodology, hand craftsmanship and classical aesthetics. Philippe became not only the poster boy, but the strongest defender of this tradition. For this achievement, he was awarded the Special Jury Prize by the GPHG in 2013.

Though he always worked alone, or with one master apprentice, Philippe is intensely keen to share his knowledge. He partnered Greubel Forsey in its Le Garde Temps Naissance d’Une Montre project (2012), and consulted with the Micro Artists Studio of Seiko (circa 2002).

He is known to be a very tough and demanding master. Those who persevered gained much insight for their own practices. Among his finest apprentices are his own daughter Magali who is now in the complications department at a major brand, and Bernhard Zwinz, the main player behind the revival of J.T. Winnerl.

*Written by Peter Chong

*On the occasion of GMT Magazine and WorldTempus' 20th anniversary, we have embarked on the ambitious project of summarising the last 20 years in watchmaking in The Millennium Watch Book, a big, beautifully laid out coffee table book. This article is an extract. The Millennium Watch Book is available on www.the-watch-book.com, in French and English, with a 10% discount if you use the following code: WT2021.

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