Much as a simple 12-bar blues song or a loaf of French bread showcases the talents of a musician or a baker, the simple time-only watch stands as a kind of litmus test for watchmakers. After a storied career as a specialist in complications at Jaeger-LeCoultre, Gérald Genta, and Audemars Piguet, Philippe Dufour stepped out on his own to create insanely complicated pocket watches. In 2000, he dropped the Simplicity wristwatch. It is his blues song, his French loaf. For that, it is revered as one of the most beautiful independently-created watches of all time. The eye is drawn to every detail on a simple watch like this, from the exquisite dial engraving to the immaculate Geneva stripes on the large bridges of the movement and Dufour’s unrivaled anglage (beveled edges), which wind around complex corners with perfection.
The relevance of the Simplicity is reflected in record-breaking prices as of late, proving that 21st-century watches produced in the traditional manner are now valued as highly as their mid-20th-century counterparts. There are 37 mm and 34 mm versions of the Simplicity, and those who own either have a veritable gold mine on their hands.
From the article by Allen Farmelo, Paige Reddinger, Victoria Gomelsky, Oren Hartov, Blake Buettner
