This early 2004 example of the Simplicity, confirmed by Philippe Dufour to have originally been sold in Japan, remains in excellent condition and includes its original box and paperwork. The Simplicity brought Dufour’s exceptional craftsmanship to a wider audience, embodying the traditional movement architecture and artisanal finishing of the Vallée de Joux from 1850 to 1920, often regarded as the golden age of Swiss watchmaking. This 37mm white gold model features a solid silver dial with a guilloché centre, while the sapphire caseback reveals calibre 11, a thoroughly reworked version of the historically significant Valjoux VZSS.
THE Watchmaker
Philippe Dufour was born in 1948 in Le Sentier, in the Vallée de Joux, to a mother and father who were both watchmakers. At the age of fifteen, he attended the Ecole d’Horlogerie in Le Sentier, where he excelled in his studies. Upon graduation, in 1967, he joined Jaeger-LeCoultre, spending time in their after-sales department. Whilst there, he worked closely with Gabriel Locatelli, who became a mentor for the young watchmaker, educating him on “all the things you don’t learn at watchmaking school,” Dufour recalls.
In the following years, he worked for a number of different manufacturers, including Audemars Piguet, before focusing on restoring antique and vintage watches, on behalf of collectors and auction houses. In doing so, he became enamoured with the pieces which were created in the Vallée de Joux between 1800 and 1920, before any sort of industrialisation was introduced. He realised that the ébauches created here had been used throughout Switzerland, Germany, and even Britain, making this the epicentre of traditional watchmaking.
Born in the Vallée de Joux himself, Dufour was determined to bring back this long-lost style of watchmaking. As he puts it, “I never invented anything, I just took inspiration from what was done before me.” He has only produced three series models in his time as an independent watchmaker - the Grande et Petite Sonnerie, the Duality and the Simplicity.
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