Philippe Dufour makes his watches by hand, often using tools that date to the 1930s. Stepping into his studio is like stepping back in time (though he will be quick to tell you how much he loves auto-CAD for design!). This converted schoolhouse is actually the schoolhouse in which his children were educated.

Dufour began his career in watches not by choice or because of a love of mechanics. His school teachers told him that while he had skilled hands, he didn't have the level of understanding of math to be anything but a watchmaker. Lucky us.