Antoine Lutra turned his family barn into a watchmaking studio. That was in 1833. Now it houses the global brand Ja Lutra.The work is segmented. Each employee tasked with one of 180 watchmaking crafts. Adjusting springs, sure, but also >> turning caterpillar secretions into glue for jewel bearings.This artisan reproduces masterpiece paintings on the back of the watch with a onethread brush. The back of the watch is prime real estate at Jja Lutra, best known for a model called the Reverso. Originally made fo ...

Venture an hour north of Geneva and wedged between ridges of the Jura Mountains, baby cousins of the Alps, you'll enter the Valley Deju. Don't be lulled by the green meadows and grazing cows. This is a global manufacturing hub.Has been since the 17th century when local farmers needed a side hustle during harsh winters and started tinkering with big hands and little hands. Bigname watch brands came of age here as did solo master craftsman like Philipe Dufour. >> When I arrive the morning here, light my pipe, ...

Time flies and waits for no one and once lost is never found. Yet still we try to keep time and measure it. Let the French, Germans, and British fight over who invented the wearable clock or watch in the 1500s.This we know. It's the Swiss who refined the art, crafting the world's most intricate and expensive time pieces. This though is a curious interval for Swiss watches.those mechanical wonders running not on batteries but on springs and gears. For one, you hardly need wrist candy to tell time. You can ju ...