ounded in 2017 by Master Watchmaker and engineer David Candaux, the eponymous brand is not only dedicated to preserving the Swiss watchmaking tradition of the Vallée de Joux. It draws on technology and science to offer contemporary timepieces for lovers of modern, uncomplicated and ambitious haute horlogerie.

Discreet like its founder, who draws his inspiration from the wilderness of his beloved Vallée, the David Candaux watch brand has established itself in just a few years as a benchmark among connoisseurs. The incomparable aesthetics of its timepieces and the very high technical level of its manufactured movements make them veritable works of watchmaking art sought after by collectors.

“My watches are a tribute to the past and a look to the future.” - David Candaux

With its large central second hand and straight lugs, the 2017 DC1 collection in steel is a homage to the great watchmaking tradition of the Vallée de Joux. The titanium DC6 of 2019, on the other hand, breaks the codes and presents a more personal vision of haute horlogerie according to David Candaux. The classic aesthetic of the former is succeeded by the more assertive and totally assertive design of the latter, which marks a decisive turning point in the brand’s history and opens up a new path that its founder intends to pursue. DC1 or DC6, both collections share the same philosophy: to create timepieces with timeless design, regardless of fashion, with particular attention to ergonomics, efficiency and ease of use .

Guillochage “Pointe du Risoux” and “Côtes du Solliat” are two of the brand’s aesthetic signatures. The powerful geometry of hand-guilloché decoration “Pointe du Risoux” evokes the famous Risoux forest as seen from the air. “Côtes du Solliat”, another brand exclusive, was designed by David Candaux, paying homage to the natural beauty of the village of Solliat, where the brand’s workshops are located.

Totally innovative and protected by several patents, the retractable “Magic Crown” (at 6 o’clock and composed of 31 elements) is a world first and the watchmaking signature of the David Candaux brand. Another must-have is the flying tourbillon, inclined at 30° to the base and mounted on a ceramic ball bearing inclined at 3° to the case. This double inclination and the presence of the winder ensure an exceptional constant amplitude of 250°.

The Manufacture movements powering the timepieces of the David Candaux watch brand feature the traditional rounded angles of the Vallée. The three degree incline bridges evoke the reflections of the majestic Lac de Joux, so dear to the Combiers, proud inhabitants of the Vallée.

Born in 1979 in the heart of the Vallée de Joux, David Candaux (45) inherited Haute Horlogerie. His grandfather, then his father - a specialist in grand complications at Patek Philippe for over 20 years - passed on to him a passion for fine traditional watchmaking, that of Ferdinand Berthoud and Abraham-Louis Breguet.

In 1994, David joined Jaeger-LeCoultre as an apprentice and stayed for 17 years. He made his own the words of Günter Blümlein, then at the helm of La Grande Maison, who used to say that “a watch must speak to the heart and the mind”.

“My watches provoke an aesthetic and emotional shock.” - David Candaux

But David has no intention of simply copying his illustrious elders and, at 45 years old, the complete and now recognised watchmaker that “L’Ours” du Jura - as he is affectionately called by his peers – has become, aspires to independence in order to give free rein to his creativity. Sponsored by Philippe Dufour and Miki Eleta, he joined the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI) in 2017. That same year, he unveiled the DC1 in Basel, a watchmaking manifesto and founding act of the Swiss watch brand David Candaux.

A keen mountaineer, snorkeler and Alpine horn enthusiast, David Candaux is now one of the few independent Swiss watchmakers capable of designing his own movements and each of their components from scratch. In 30 years, he has conceived and designed over 30 inventions, patented in his own name and for major watch brands. A true aesthete, his watchmaking is personal and singular, timeless and uncompromising.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Movement
• Dimensions : 16 lines (35 mm diameter), 6.20 mm high
• Materials : Platinum and bridges in natural titanium, tourbillon cage in natural titanium and blued natural titanium
• Undercarriage, wheels and axles inclined at 3° to the turntable
• Mechanical, hand-wound
• Frequency : 21,600 vibrations/hour (3Hz)
• Setting : 47 semi-gloss rubies with moulded solid gold bezels
• Number of components: 287
• Polished-blocked steel power reserve bridge
• Haute horlogerie finishes : hand-bevelled, 18 re-entrant convex angles, poliblocked, drawn lines, beading under the bridges, “Côtes du Solliat”.

Functions and indications
• Hours and minutes on dedicated counter
• Chronometer display with blue central second’s hand
• Power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock

Technical specifications
• Single-axis titanium flying tourbillon 30° at 9 o’clock, cage inclined at 3° to the case, 30° inclination of the balance in relation to the cage
• Spiral with Breguet-type terminal curve
• Cascade movement made entirely of titanium

Power-reserve
• 55 chronometric hours
• Indication by cam system

Crown
• “Magic”, pressure release
• 3 positions : neutral, time setting, winding
• 31 components

Dial
• Central back in hand-grained 3N 18 ct yellow gold
• Titanium and white opal hour and minute microdials
• Pad-printed black numerals
• Hand-beveled and polished hour-markers in 18 ct white gold
• Satin-finish gold top, black zapped varnish

Watch hands
• Hours and minutes : syringe-shaped in blued 18 ct white gold, fluted and polished by hand
• Center seconds : in Bronze, beveled and polished by hand, blued
• Power reserve : inverted “syringe” shape in white-varnished titanium

Case
• Asymmetrical, basin-shaped
• Natural titanium Gr5
• Diameter : 43.9 mm
• Total thickness : 12.90 mm
• Asymmetrical upper crystal in anti-reflective tinted sapphire; back in chimney-type sapphire
• Clipped back with olivette at 6 o’clock
• Titanium side rails
• Haute Horlogerie titanium finishes : satin-finishing and hand-polishing

Waterproofing
• Guaranteed waterproof to 30 meters

Bracelet
• Leather
• Entirely handmade

Buckle
• Ardillon buckle
• Materials : titanium and gold