LIFE BEYOND FIRST CLASS
ARTS & COLLECTIBLES
FROM LE SENTIER
TO LEGENDS
Philippe Dufour’s Grande & Petite Sonnerie Sapphire Dial,
sold for $3.7 million at Phillips’ New York Watch Auction, highlights the unmatched artistry and enduring legacy of one of horology’s most revered independent watchmakers.
Philippe Dufour’s journey into watchmaking is one of passion, precision, and perseverance. Born in 1948 in Le Sentier, Switzerland, the cradle of fine horology, Dufour honed his craft at the prestigious Ecole d’Horlogerie de la Vallée de Joux. Early in his career, he worked with esteemed Swiss brands such as Jaeger-LeCoultre and Audemars Piguet, gaining invaluable experience in traditional watchmaking. Later, during his time in the Caribbean repairing antique watches, Dufour deepened his appreciation for artisanal techniques. Upon returning to Switzerland, he set out as an independent watchmaker, determined to preserve the methods that were vanishing in the age of mass production. In 1992, he released his first wristwatch, the Grande Sonnerie, cementing his reputation as the “watchmaker’s watchmaker.”
At $3.7 million, the Philippe Dufour Grande & Petite Sonnerie Sapphire Dial emerged as the crown jewel of the recent New York Watch Auction: XI, hosted by Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo. A unique and historically significant masterpiece, this wristwatch captivated collectors, reinforcing Dufour’s legendary status in haute horology. Known for operating outside the bounds of mass production, Dufour crafts each timepiece by hand with meticulous precision, creating works of art in extremely limited quantities that embody the zenith of technical mastery and artisanal finesse.
This Grande & Petite Sonnerie, with its open sapphire dial and hunter caseback, is one of only three such examples ever created. Its rarity and provenance—consigned by its original owner and offered publicly for the first time—ignited five minutes of intense bidding, ultimately securing its place as the top lot of the auction. Paul Boutros, Deputy Chairman and Head of Watches, Americas, remarked, “The timepieces featured in The New York Watch Auction: XI represent the pinnacle of horological achievement, from Philippe Dufour’s magnum opus—the Grande & Petite Sonnerie—to F.P. Journe’s Sonnerie Souverain Ruthenium Dial.”
Philippe Dufour’s work represents the preservation of traditional watchmaking techniques in an era dominated by industrialization. Each Grande & Petite Sonnerie requires months of labor from a single watchmaker, reflecting a level of dedication rarely seen in modern craftsmanship. The $3.7 million sale price underscores the increasing market enthusiasm for independent makers like Dufour, whose legacy lies not just in his unparalleled technical achievements but also in his reverence for the heritage of Swiss watchmaking. This sale not only shattered records but also reaffirmed the enduring allure of bespoke timepieces as the ultimate collectible for connoisseurs.