Jean-Vincent Huguenin

Engraver

©Sully Balmassière

©Anita Schlaefli

Keeping a Swiss secret

Jean-Vincent considers himself both artist and artisan
He specialises in making miniature erotic automata for watches
He uses a burin to engrave and give three dimensions to his creations

Jean-Vincent Huguenin is one of the very few craftsmen to keep one of the most secret traditions of Swiss luxury timepieces alive in the 21st century: that of erotic automata for watches. In the 18th and 19th centuries, pocket watches were produced with hidden licentious scenes animated by the same mechanism used for the watch hands. The erotic scenes were hidden in a secret compartment under a false base, so only the owner of the watch could see them. Born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the very heart of the Swiss watchmaking industry, Jean-Vincent continues a tradition that has been in his family for generations: his father was a press tool maker while his grandfather was a watchmaker and engraver, from whom Jean-Vincent inherited the know-how, the workbench and the tools.

Interview

©Anita Schlaefli

©Anita Schlaefli

What do you love about this work?: What I love most about this craft is the independence, the creation, working with the hands, the chance to make a product from A to Z, sometimes working for months. Each unique piece is an adventure, a gestation, a birth, sometimes even followed by a little 'baby blues'!
Why did you begin creating erotic automata?: It all started quite by chance. I received a phone call in 1989: someone was asking me if I knew how to make erotic automata. I replied: 'No, but I'm interested!' This is how, with Blancpain, we created the first automaton on a wristwatch. In 30 years we have produced several hundred unique pieces.
Where do you find inspiration for your engravings?: I engrave romantic subjects based on original drawings and sometimes using live models. I either create according to the wishes of my clients, or I suggest to manufacturers subjects related to the magic of time, to the history of the brand in question or even in connection with watchmaking.
How important is the design process in the creation of an engraving?: My starting point is a traditional drawing, which I realise on paper by means of the old technique called 'two pencils': a black and a white pencil on grey paper. In my opinion drawing by hand is essential and will always remain superior to drawing on a computer.

Jean-Vincent Huguenin is an expert artisan: he began his career in 1974