Some things have to be earned. Such as catching a few moments with Denis Flageollet at the recent Geneva Watch Days. The master watchmaker and head of developments at De Bethune is a rare visitor. He also likes to take time to explain an idea and to explain it in full. Two tendencies, neither compatible with a schedule of back-to-back appointments.
It was worth taking that time out. Following Denis Flageollet downstairs from De Bethune’s lakeside showroom, the more curious were rewarded with a hidden treasure: Reuge. Here, in just a few square metres, there was magic in the air.
Because Reuge is enjoying a breath of fresh air. This creator of art mechanics and specialist in musical automata is at the head of a truly remarkable legacy. One that dates back hundreds of years, considering that automata accompanied the earliest striking clocks. The first astronomical clock at Strasbourg Cathedral (built between 1352 and 1354, later dismantled), marked religious festivals with the crowing of a mechanical cockerel. Known as the “Merveille de Strasbourg”, its fame spread throughout Europe. Automata were objects of wonder.
Safeguarding expertise
Not only has Reuge made this heritage even more marvellous, it has done so in miniature form. What is already an achievement on the scale of a cathedral becomes all the more complex when reduced to the size of a table clock or a tiny automaton. Its takes dexterity, ingenuity and creative thinking to find the perfect compromise between movement and sound, crafted with a skill that only a rare few artisans still possess.
A rare few: an understatement. At Reuge, four people are the last in the world to master a particular expertise. From finetuning the comb for the musical mechanism to feathering a singing bird, a heritage is threatened with extinction. Even for a company such as Reuge, which looks to the long term, there is an urgent need to preserve these skills.
This hasn’t escaped Denis Flageollet. After 30 years devoted to the measurement of time, this “horological alchemist” - as he describes himself in a wonderful book he has written - has too great a respect for, too intimate a relationship with craftsmanship to allow these skills to fade away. Which is why, as well as De Bethune’s takeover of Reuge, he has set up Mec-Art, a non-profit organisation teaching art mechanics.
Nurturing talent
A four-week course provides theoretical and practical training in the different aspects of art mechanics, at the end of which students leave with an object of their creation.
Who are these students? Watchmakers, mechanical wizards, individuals who have discovered a new vocation. There are none of the usual entrance requirements. Denis Flageollet doesn’t believe in ticking boxes – too restrictive - any more than he intends to let talent go to waste on the pretext that a person hasn’t already completed this or that diploma.
With such an all-round view, Reuge is again taking flight. One of its recent creations is a singing bird… without a cage. The message could not be clearer. Reuge has set itself free and is returning to the origins of its mechanical art to create beauty and, most of all, wonder.
