Reuge celebrated its 150th anniversary

The Sainte-Croix manufacture celebrated its 150th anniversary on 7 October this year at a gala evening held on premises that will accommodate Reuge workshops from the summer of 2016.

Established in 1865 in Sainte Croix, the firm manufactures pocket watches already equipped with musical movements. Its founder, Charles Reuge, has worked hard to perfect the acoustics of his musical boxes by improving both the comb and packing of the cylinder. The complex technique consists in transcribing a piece of piano music covering 6 or 7 octaves to a miniaturised mechanical cylinder and a comb consisting of 36, 72 or 144 blades. Design of the movement involves more than fifteen operations carried out by artisans trained in-house in a range of unique and exceptional skills.

While artisanal tradition is at the heart of the movement, Reuge continues its quest for creativity by redesigning its contours, thereby optimizing the tone. The exterior, too, becomes a means of expression, featuring new design concepts and materials. These innovations give rise to micromechanical works of art, like the Arche model.

Renowned for its century-old savoir-faire, the firm receives commissions from personalities in the worlds of politics, business, stage and screen, and even the Church. Leading luxury brands such as Ferrari, Harry Winston, Vertu and Baccarat seek to benefit from this expertise. Others opt to co-design sensational musical boxes, for example Lancôme with its "La Vie est Belle" perfume, or the Music Machine series developed with the independent watchmaker MB&F.

Reuge remains the only firm in the world capable of sustaining the manufacture of mechanical musical boxes. The 150th anniversary of the manufacture celebrates its extraordinary history and the exceptional skills of its artisans, who continue to work with passion to create dulcet tones for music lovers everywhere.

November 05, 2015