Having been immersed in the world of watchmaking since childhood, I have always been attracted to this particular universe. After studying and becoming a qualified watchmaker, I joined Rolex in Bienne, but I soon realised that this was not the environment in which I could flourish. So I did a spell in a jeweller's in Lausanne, but all I really wanted was to open my own workshop, a restoration workshop in the heart of my region.
The creation of my restoration workshop
On 15 June 1987, La Clinique Horlogère was born in the premises of a former bakery in Porrentruy, a town with a rich watchmaking past. For 10 years, I worked with passion and determination, and I achieved my goal: collectors and jewellers came from all over Enthusiasts Switzerland and even much further afield to ask for the restoration an antique or modern watch, clock or pendulum. My Workshop has also become, to my great pleasure, a place where people can meet and talk, where casual onlookers and watchmaking enthusiasts like to drop in to discover my work, exchange ideas or see watches that I have acquired and restored. My door is always open. I'm never happier than when I have the opportunity to share my knowledge and experience.
The Clinique Horlogère
In 1996, the Renaud & Papi company, "Audemars Piguet", was looking for watchmakers to work on grand complications. I started working with top watch brands.
In January 2001, I opened a new workshop and began taking part in watchmaking fairs in Switzerland. My name began to circulate among many collectors around the world.
A new watchmaking challenge
In 2004, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey, from the CompliTime watchmaking company, asked me to assemble a grand complication clock that would be made in a single copy. After assembling 1,400 components and three years of work at the very limits of mechanical construction, the Richard Mille Planetarium was born, a clock unique in the world that reproduces, among other things, part of the solar system. It was a highly enriching and educational experience, with some exceptional encounters.
Working with the leading watch brands
I also continue to work with major brands such as Girard Perregaux, who commission me to restore watches in their museum, Ulysse Nardin to overhaul repeater watches and Jacquemarts, Baume & Mercier to restore an old pocket watch with complications.
In 2011, I was asked by Audemars Piguet to appraise their entire museum collection. A colossal task, appraising 1,100 watches.
Encounters and a new step in my career
In 2012, I did several replacements at the watchmaking school in Porrentruy. I was then hired for a part-time position as a master watchmaker. It was a great opportunity to put my passion into practice and pass on my knowledge to the younger generation.
In 2017, the Clinique Horlogère celebrates its 30th anniversary.
The big leap
After all these years of repeated requests, the idea of creating my own collection of watches was on my mind. I'm starting this new entrepreneurial activity in 2019.
It's the start of a new adventure in watchmaking, which would never have been possible without the support of all my friends and partners in the region, where you can find every imaginable source of excellent watchmaking expertise.
This site is dedicated to the partners who have helped me in this adventure and to this new collection, which I hope you will enjoy discovering.