Philippe Dufour
Le Solliat, Switzerland
Born in the Vallée de Joux in 1948, independent watchmaker Philippe Dufour is regarded as one of the greatest living masters of his craft. Having worked at Jaeger-LeCoultre and Gérald Genta and built a career in restoration and prototype development, he founded his own workshop in 1989. There, he produces watches entirely by hand and in extremely small numbers. Dufour is celebrated for his flawless finishing, which is widely regarded as a benchmark for the entire industry. His most notable creations include the Grande Sonnerie (1989), the first wristwatch to feature this highly complex chiming mechanism, the Duality (1996), the first wristwatch with two escapements for enhanced precision; and the legendary Simplicity (2000), renowned for its classical elegance and exceptional craftsmanship.