Independent watchmaker
Philippe Dufour
Also recorded as: Dufour, Philippe · Dufour
Vallée de Joux watchmaker whose handmade Grande Sonnerie, Duality and Simplicity wristwatches became the benchmark for traditional hand finishing.
Philippe Dufour was born in the Vallée de Joux in 1948 and trained at the valley's technical school. He worked for Jaeger-LeCoultre, Gérald Genta and Audemars Piguet, servicing and making complicated watches, before setting up on his own in 1978, at first making complications for other houses.
In 1992 he presented a grande and petite sonnerie with minute repeater in a wristwatch, which he made himself. The Duality of 1996 had two escapements joined by a differential, and the Simplicity of 2000 — a time-only watch made in about two hundred examples with exceptional hand finishing — became one of the most sought-after modern watches. His work and teaching did much to revive interest in traditional independent watchmaking.
- Country
- Switzerland
- City / centre
- Le Solliat, Vallée de Joux
- Life / active
- 1948 (born); independent from 1978
- Status
- Active (individual)
- Key people
- Philippe Dufour (b. 1948)
Innovations & specialities
- Grande and petite sonnerie with minute repeater in a wristwatch (1992)
- Duality: two escapements with a differential (1996)
- Simplicity time-only watch with traditional hand finishing (2000)
Timeline
- 1948Born in the Vallée de Joux
- 1978Independent workshop
- 1992Grande Sonnerie wristwatch
- 1996Duality
- 2000Simplicity
Works by Philippe Dufour in the catalogue
Open in the catalogue →
Linked through the Atlas maker authority list, which reconciles the spellings used by different institutions. Attributions are as stated by each holding institution or auction house.
