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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Philippe Dufour says he has worked independently since 1978. In a 2018 interview with Xavier Markl for Monochrome Watches, he reflects on the path from restoring antique watches to creating the Grande Sonnerie, Duality and Simplicity—and explains why he believes a watch should reveal the human work behind it.
How did Philippe Dufour become an independent watchmaker?
After watchmaking school, Dufour worked at Jaeger-LeCoultre and restored antique watches, largely pocket watches. He says that work shaped his ambition to perpetuate what he calls “Belle Horlogerie”—traditional, carefully executed watchmaking. He established himself as an independent watchmaker in 1978.
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In the interview, Dufour described the beginnings plainly: “First of all, it takes patience and hard work.” He also said, “I have been an independent watchmaker since 1978.”
His early independent work included five Grande Sonnerie pocket watches made for Audemars Piguet. He later developed a Grande Sonnerie wristwatch, which he presented at Baselworld after two and a half years of work. Dufour dates its development to 1989–1992 and describes it as a grande and petite sonnerie minute repeater and his first watch under his own name.
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How do the Grande Sonnerie, Duality and Simplicity differ?
| Watch | What distinguishes it | Historical detail in the 2018 interview |
|---|---|---|
| Grande Sonnerie | A grande and petite sonnerie minute repeater, representing Dufour’s early work under his own name. | He dates development of the wristwatch to 1989–1992. He said he made seven wristwatches, as well as five Grande Sonnerie pocket watches for Audemars Piguet and one pocket watch under his own name. |
| Duality | Two balance wheels linked by a differential intended to average their errors. | Introduced in 1996 after clients asked for something less complex than the Grande Sonnerie. Dufour said he planned 25 and made nine. |
| Simplicity | A comparatively simple watch made to Dufour’s taste, with a movement he designed himself. | Presented in 2000. Dufour gave an overall production figure of about 210; the interview also describes an earlier count of 200. |
Grande Sonnerie: a demanding complication
Dufour describes the wristwatch as a major early project under his own name. A sonnerie chimes the time, and the Grande Sonnerie’s combination of grande and petite sonnerie functions with minute repeating made it a technically ambitious undertaking. These are Dufour’s account and the interview’s description, not the result of a comparative performance test.
Duality: two balances and a differential
Dufour says the Duality grew out of client requests for a less complex watch. Inspired by a historical watch with two balance wheels, he developed a prototype connecting the two through a differential. He explained that the mechanism averages errors between the balances, reducing potential errors by half. That is his explanation in the interview, not an independently verified accuracy measurement.
Simplicity: a simpler watch with an in-house design
A friend suggested making a watch for Japan. Dufour decided to create a simpler design to his own taste and to design its movement himself rather than place his name on a movement supplied by another maker. He presented the Simplicity in 2000.
The interview says Shellman in Tokyo had worked directly with Dufour for 18 years and had sold 120 of the 200 Simplicity watches made by the time of that discussion. Later, when asked about his overall production, Dufour said he had made about 210 Simplicities. Both figures are approximate statements in the 2018 interview, not a single reconciled or current production total.
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What did Dufour say about craft and the watch industry?
Dufour says he drew inspiration from historic watchmaking, especially antique watches from the Vallée de Joux, and wanted to create work that had not been done before. He criticizes what he sees as a lack of vision and originality in an industry that can follow trends, including dial colors. He also argues that rising total value can coincide with fewer watches being made. These are his views in the interview, not independently established industry statistics.
He puts particular emphasis on the relationship between a maker and an owner. In his words, “You have to be transparent, show what you are doing to create a relationship with the object.” He added, “People want to know if their watch has been crafted by a watchmaker or a robot.” For Dufour, seeing how a watch is made—and, where possible, meeting its maker—gives the object a different dimension.
His commercial outlook was similarly direct: “Product speaks for itself’ was the only option.” He argued that the industry needs to put people back at its center, saying, “This is what we miss today, and not just in the watchmaking world.”
How many watches had Dufour made?
In the 2018 interview, Dufour gave approximate totals of about 210 Simplicities, nine Dualities, seven Grande Sonnerie wristwatches, five Grande Sonnerie pocket watches for Audemars Piguet, and one Grande Sonnerie pocket watch under his own name. The article also gives an earlier Simplicity figure of 200, so the counts should be read as approximate figures from different points in the interview—not as exact, current totals.
Could someone buy a Philippe Dufour watch?
In November 2018, Dufour said he could not take new orders and suggested that prospective buyers wait for a watch to appear at auction. The interview identified Shellman in Tokyo as his exclusive Japanese retailer at that time. It does not establish whether he currently accepts orders, whether Shellman remains his retailer, or whether any particular watch is available now.
An editor’s note in the 2018 article estimated a Duality at approximately US$1 million and a Simplicity at approximately US$250,000, describing these as roughly five times their retail prices. Those are historical estimates from that article, not current prices or valuations.
Source: Xavier Markl, “In Conversation with ‘Monsieur’ Philippe Dufour,” Monochrome Watches, 24 November 2018.
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