A visit with Mr. Dufour

naonao1122 · 发表于 2011-1-29 22:27

也不画蛇添足翻译了，直接转载原文。。。

Crossing the pass into the Vallee de Joux -- a lovely winter panorama!

naonao1122 · 发表于 2011-1-29 22:28

本帖最后由 naonao1122 于 2011-1-29 22:29 编辑

So, of course, being watch guys we all hopped out and started taking wrist shots...

naonao1122 · 发表于 2011-1-29 22:29

With that fol-de-rol out of the way, we proceeded to Le Solliat and arrived at the destination of our pilgrimage. Of our five travelers, two of us (myself included) were making our first visits:

naonao1122 · 发表于 2011-1-29 22:31

Mr. Dufour graciously spent the better part of 2 hours showing us around his small workshop and telling us slices of his fascinating life story. He kindly brought out some amazing things for us to see, including his student watch, dated 1967:

naonao1122 · 发表于 2011-1-29 22:32

As well as the sonnerie movement that he created in order to attract funding. Because of a lack of funds at the time, he put it in a simple brass case:

naonao1122 · 发表于 2011-1-29 22:32

Many people with whom he visited advised him to take his movement to one of the major manufacturers, and ultimately he approached AP and received a commission to make 5 sonnerie pocket watches. We had the great good fortune to have our visit during a time at which one of these watches was in Mr. Dufour's shop for service. The chiming of this watch was one of the greatest sounds I have ever heard.

naonao1122 · 发表于 2011-1-29 22:33

We were also treated to the fascinating (if painful) stories about how two of the five watches were severely damaged early in their lives, including how one was placed in a jacket pocket and then shut in the door of a sports car...

naonao1122 · 发表于 2011-1-29 22:34

We spent a long time discussing the Duality, a watch being worn by one member of our group. Mr. Dufour said that his design had been inspired by a student watch (which I believe we saw later in the week in a case on the top floor of the Patek Museum in Geneva). He showed us his escapement prototype, a very simple affair in brass that nonetheless enabled him to test and prove the concept.

naonao1122 · 发表于 2011-1-29 22:34

He then set up for us an example of the Duality differential in a small holder on his benchtop and showed us how to use a small brush to spin one gear in one direction, causing the second gear to spin the opposite way. Several of us, including myself, had the treat of sitting in the master's chair, at his bench, using his loupe!

Then, out came the box of in-process Simplicity movements -- all assembled and ****ing timing testing, but not yet decorated. The movement in the foreground will go into the watch to be delivered to another of the members of our visiting group -- very exciting for him to see his watch in progress, but he'll be even more excited when it arrives!

naonao1122 · 发表于 2011-1-29 22:35

Mr. Dufour also gave us demonstrations of some of the machines in his shop and showed us some cool finishing techniques for barrels and gears -- wonderfully interesting for us gear-heads, to be sure. Then, off to an enjoyable and leisurely lunch and finishing with photos of each of us with Mr. Dufour.