Remembering Mr. Roger Dubuis (27 May 1938 – 14 October 2017)

Today on the day of his passing, we’d like to share with you the little story that Mr. Roger Dubuis told us when we asked him about how and when his passion for watchmaking was sparked. The following are his own words from an interview, which he had granted to our own Sophie Furley, back in 2012, upon his triumphant return to the brand after a few unfortunate years away.

My Passion for Watchmaking — Roger Dubuis

It all started when I was about 10 or 12 years old and was living in the village of Corsier-sur-Vevey (a beautiful village overlooking Lake Léman). I really wasn’t that interested in school at the time, and I loved to wander around the village visiting the various artisans, who were quite numerous at that time. My favorite was the village cobbler. I remember him vividly with his impressive moustache and pipe, which he would puff on continuously.

“One day, he told me that he was getting a bit tired and asked if I could help him ring the church bells on Sundays. There were three bells, and it was important to pull on the cord strongly and quickly so that the bell would have a clean ring. The cobbler was impressed with how quickly I had mastered the technique, and, as his health was diminishing, he asked my teacher if it would be possible for me to be excused from school five minutes early to ring the bells at midday. I just loved this daily task, and one time I ventured up the stairs to see the bells and the clock with their barrels, cords, weights and spectacular movement… It was love at first sight.

In 1952, the church was restored and the town decided to put in an electric system, but the seed had been sown in my young mind. I was desperate to study watchmaking, but I didn’t have the necessary qualifications to start such a course. Luckily, a kindly teacher helped me to take a preparatory course during my summer vacation at the Geneva School for industrial and mechanical engineering, which was the start of my watchmaking studies and a lifelong passion.

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