Having stepped in to acquire Brodbeck Guillochage in 2022, Voutilainen has announced the opening of a new, larger facility in Fleurier that is poised to become a new centre of excellence for guilloché.

Retaining the name Brodbeck Guillochage in honour of its founder Georges Brodbeck, the new facility is located in what was once the local watchmaking school of Fleurier, the town adjacent to Voutilainen’s hilltop headquarters at Chapeau de Napoléon.

The new home of Brodbeck Guillochage in Fleurier

Initial thoughts

This is welcome news for a number of reasons. First, it will help perpetuate the legacy of Mr. Brodbeck, ensuring that his life’s work will continue to have a positive impact watchmakers and lovers of fine objects for years to come.

Second, the steady hand of Kari Voutilainen, whose accomplishments as an entrepreneur rival his skills as a watchmaker, should help the new enterprise navigate potential industry downturns in the future.

Finally, the impressive scale of the operation should be a magnet for talent, improving the economic prospects for young artisans interested in guilloché.

A new centre of excellence

A self-taught guillocheur, Mr Brodbeck founded his eponymous firm in 2004, gradually building up a stock of more than 30 antique engine turning machines, each restored to working order by Mr Brodbeck himself. In 2023, Mr Brodbeck was awarded the Prix Gaïa, arguably the highest award in the Swiss watch industry, for his contributions to the preservation of this time-honoured craft.

Georges Brodbeck

Staffed by six guillocheurs, Brodbeck Guillochage makes dials for Voutilainen as well as for other watchmakers. The skill of the team is evident; I had the opportunity to inspect the dial of the Tourbillon 20th Anniversary introduced just before Watches & Wonders this year, and the work is of outstanding quality.

The unique dial for the one-off steel version of the Voutilainen Tourbillon 20th Anniversary

Though now sporting a refresh facade, the building itself was completed in 1896 and once housed the local watchmaking school, as evident by its location between Rue Ecole d’Horlogerie and Avenue Daniel-Jeanrichard, across the street from Fleurier’s main train station.

A historical photo showing the building when it served as a watchmaking school

Restored and renovated, the new building is now home to nearly 40 rare guilloché machines, including a tapestry machine with impulse transmission, the last of its kind in operation.

A unique Lienhard & Cie tapestry machine from 1913

The new chief executive of Brodbeck Guillochage is Angélique Singele, who joined Voutilainen as a logistician in 2020 before becoming Chief Operating Officer about a year later.