What is surprising at first glance is the small size of M. Dufour's manufactory...

...and the fact that much of his equipment is of the old-fashioned, hand-operated type

  ... although we also spotted a Schaublin 70mm lathe and a precision drill press, accurate to six decimal places!

M. Dufour is a charming host...

...and took great delight in showing off what he claims is the world's smallest complete watchmaking facility. With only a few assistants, he manages to turn out about 25 hand-made timepieces per year, most of which go to the Asian market, where he is regarded by aficionados there as something of a demigod . 

One look at his timepieces explains why: from his earliest creation -  here's his 'school watch'

 ... through the five 'Grande Sonneries' he created for Audemars Piguet and to his own creations today (his first eponymous watch wasn't created until 1992), his absolute dedication to the classic methods of watchmaking is evident; one easily understands why there is a three-year minimum wait for a Philippe Dufour timepiece. The  Grande Sonnerie model alone requires 2,000 hours to make!

Each watch starts with a German silver movement blank; all movements are hand-made at the atelier. M. Dufour eschews automatic movements, preferring instead traditional hand-wound ones. All screwhead sinks are hand-polished with a traditional bow.

Precision, precision, precision!

 Here, Philippe explains to Rob, Linda and Clark his dedication to traditional methods

Below, M. Dufour demonstrates how Cote de Geneve is achieved:

Listening attentively are Mike, Rob, Linda, Clark, Rick and myself..

 And you thought *your* desktop was cluttered?

A poster above his desk from his daughter reminds him of her expectations