Philippe Dufour
From a working-class family, Philippe Dufour becomes a watchmaker by chance. After years as an apprentice at Jaeger-LeCoultre, he goes abroad to gather experience then sets up on his own in 1978. He exhibits his first creation at Baselworld in 1992. Two models made him famous: Duality, with two adjusting mechanisms, and Simplicity, a neoclassical jewel which has remained unchanged for twelve years.