Dubois et fils dbf007 – the case

DuBois et fils, led by its highly inventive CEO, Thomas Steinemann, recently tokenised 330 vintage calibres. Now, those token owners can purchase the brand’s new divers’ watch, the DBF007, fitted with their own period movement, the Calibre AS 1895. In this article, Angus Davies looks closely at the Swiss brand’s penchant for vintage movements. Moreover, he looks at the design of the case and its protracted manufacture.

In 2010, Thomas Steinemann acquired the historic watch brand, DuBois et fils. Ever since I first met Steinemann back in 2014, he has repeatedly shown an amazing capacity for ‘thinking outside the box’. Eager to revive the historic brand and return it to its former glory, he raised funds via crowdfunding. Today, crowdfunding is a popular means of attracting inward investment, but when Steinemann first released shares using this funding mechanism it was quite unusual, especially in the rather conservative world of watchmaking.

This spirit of innovation has become part of the DuBois et fils’ paradigm. While the company’s early models featured modern-day movements, the advent of the DBF004 saw the brand take the unusual step of pairing contemporary habillage with a vintage movement. By employing the Calibre Record 662, a hand-wound movement from 1955, DuBois et fils imbued this model with a becoming period charm.

It proved a winning formula, leading to the Maison unveiling the DBF006. This model is presented in a 42mm case and displays the hours, minutes, central seconds and date. DuBois et fils engaged Stephan Messmer of Messmer Design to style the model. The resultant watch, still a current model, is neoteric in character and beautifully detailed. Once again, the model features a period movement from the 1950s, the Felsa Calibre 4007N, often referred to as the Bidynator.

Steinemann was drawn to the Felsa Calibre 4007N for its robustness, long service intervals and accuracy. Many experts often believe that historical steel is superior to the metals of today. In the 1950s, Felsa Calibre 4007N was often selected for watches aimed at manual workers. Indeed, watch brands knew their timepieces would not be handled with kid gloves but subject to harsh, daily use.

Felsa, based in Grenchen, was a small movement specialist, known for being very innovative. Like many of its competitors, it was incredibly flexible meeting its client’s demands. Moreover, these specialist firms conceived ingenious products that strongly influenced the timepieces produced by the large watch brands.

Calibre AS 1895

Once again, Steinemann has chosen to equip his latest model with a vintage movement, the Calibre AS 1895 made by A. Schild S.A. This latter firm was always known for producing quality movements. Indeed, the Grenchen-based firm supplied Blancpain, Girard-Perregaux and Tudor. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, A. Schild, along with Eterna, became part of ASUAG in 1931. This process of consolidation continued over the years. Ultimately, amid the quartz crisis of the 1970s, A. Schild became part of today’s movement behemoth, ETA.

A few months ago, DuBois et fils announced it was selling 330 examples of the AS 1895 movement. With each of these movements, the buyer receives a DBF-token signifying ownership. According to the brand, these movements are stored in optimum conditions before eventually being used in a future DuBois et fils model. Alternatively, the movement can be sold back to the brand at a future point for a potential premium.

Part of the charm of this concept relates to the blockchain, where the owner is provided with regular information on their movement. Ultimately, the token holder has the opportunity to allocate their movement to a specific limited edition timepiece of their choosing. Once the watch is made and supplied to its owner, they continue writing the history of the watch via blockchain.

Given that the 330 examples of the AS 1895 movement were snapped up soon after release, the brand has now announced a further sale of another 330 vintage movements, albeit this time the AS 1985 calibre from A. Schild.

The DBF007 – an introduction

Given that the DBF006 has proved to be a resounding success, it was perhaps inevitable that DuBois et fils would create another new watch endowed with a vintage heart. Again, Steinemann commissioned Stephan Messmer to work on the new divers’ watch, the DBF007. From initially briefing Messmer to receiving a full set of drawings took six months, however, excellence is seldom achieved in haste.

Messmer is an industry veteran with an impressive portfolio. With the DBF006, and subsequently the DBF007, he has cleverly endued each model with a unique appearance while at the same time ensuring the DBF family likeness remains clear to see. Rest assured this sounds far easier than it really is. Nevertheless, Messmer has fulfilled his brief spectacularly.

The design process began with a few hand-drawn sketches using a Hysek ballpoint pen. Eventually, the drawings were uploaded to a CAD system (Computer Aided Design) and subtle fine-tuning took place. Ultimately, scale models were produced using 3D-printing.

Lines, proportions, textures and curves were painstakingly honed, paying due consideration to the interplay with light, touch, legibility, robustness and ergonomics. Quite simply, great design never happens by accident.

Having completed the design of the DBF007, the AS 1895 movements now have a potential home. However, should the DBF007 not be your thing, DuBois et fils does offer token owners other options for consideration.

DBF007 – a worthy case

Many steel cases are formed using stamping. This process involves punching a rough case from a metal sheet using colossal pressures. Thereafter, the case is tempered (heated to temperatures in excess of 1000°C) to allow repeated stamping without the metal becoming brittle. A tempering cycle is needed after each stamping process. Sometimes the shape of the case is refined using Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines. Finally, the case is usually finished using a rotating buffer wheel or similar.

However, instead of stamping, DuBois et fils prefers to employ CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines to create the cases of its models. From milling the base material to refining the final case, this is far costlier than relying predominantly on stamping. However, CNC can produce 3D parts to incredible tolerances. Moreover, the ductility of some materials does not facilitate stamping, hence CNC is the default choice. Some materials springback when being stamped which can adversely affect production tolerances. Again, CNC obviates such inherent problems. Lastly, CNC provides greater control over the final surface finish.

The intricate shape of the DBF007 case is endowed with numerous surfaces suffused with polished and satin brushed treatment. Moreover, the case encompasses many intricate facets which further heighten the overall complexity of the composition. The caseback is elaborately engraved with the DuBois et fils’ family coat of arms, incorporating three fir trees (sapin), a symbol synonymous with the Swiss Jura. The superbly defined coat of arms is again the product of using CNC. This is a far costlier means of making a case and associated parts, but the superior results are clear to see.

Another important pillar of the DuBois et fils brand is an overriding desire to make a 100% Swiss watch. The words ‘Swiss Made’ are often the subject of much controversy. Many individuals assume that if 60% of the parts within a watch are made in Switzerland, a timepiece can be labelled ‘Swiss Made’. However, the law is more complex than this. For example, where has the ‘technical development, assembly and inspection taken place?’. In the world of watchmaking, some things are not as they first appear.

Steinemann is very open about the source of the company’s cases. For example, the bronze alloy is procured from France and then processed in Switzerland using CNC. As Switzerland is a comparatively small nation, some raw materials have to be sourced from outside the country before being processed in Switzerland. Unfortunately, there are a few parts where the quality demanded by DuBois et fils is simply not available from Swiss companies. DuBois et fils wishes to purchase more parts from its home nation moving forward. Nevertheless, it is safe to say currently the prestigious watch brand more than surpasses the aforementioned 60% rule.

Closing remarks

The notion of transparency is at the heart of the firm’s recent tokenisation initiative using blockchain. Likewise, it is the principle of transparency that has led to the Swiss marque freely talking about the origin of the parts it uses.

DuBois et fils is clearly proud of its Swiss origins and it endeavours to purchase from domestic suppliers providing its high standards are maintained. The design of its models is undertaken in Switzerland. Messmer and his Swiss design company have employed their impressive expertise and crafted two exquisite watches (DBF006 and DBF007). The air of Swissness and quality pervades all aspects of this company’s products.

The Swiss watch brand also shows a sensitivity to the environment. It is clearly more sensible to repurpose vintage movements than use vast quantities of energy and other resources to make new calibres. In terms of the AS 1895, all the movements are refined and regulated prior to use.

Escapement is an online magazine owned and operated by Angus Davies and his wife, Heidi Davies.