The Rudis Sylva is a traditional Swiss Watch brand which has its roots as far back as 1384.That was the year in which a tax exemption was granted to anybody inhabiting the summit of the Jura, at an altitude of 1,000 metres.Having cleared the region's forests, the population became more settled and the harsh winters forced many farmers to set up as watchmakers. Thus were born the peasant-watchmakers, whose ever more industrious devotion to the construction of timepieces led to them becoming widely revered today as the master watchmakers of the Jura mountains.Rudis Sylva aims to celebrate the skill of these craftsmen who, in their discreet, almost secretive way, laid the foundations for the prestige enjoyed by the major Swiss watchmaking brands.
On the 17th November 1384, Imier finally gave in. It was late, he had heard and he had listened hard. Listened to the passionate appeals of one Jean Ruedin, come straight from Cressier – Le Landeron, on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel, to seek a tax exemption for anyone willing to undertake the task of clearing the trees up on the mountain.A mountain, or rather a vast plateau towering 1,000 metres above sea level, covered by rugged firs which no-one had ever dared tackle.
The king of forests - as it was known to those who lived around its edges - commanded the high ground, and no tool or effort of man had thus far come close to conquering it. The fir reigned supreme, lord of the pasture, home to fox and wolf, its branches creating an arena for winds and rains. The fir was king, and none had yet ventured to challenge its supremacy atop the Hauts Plateaux of the Jura.
But Jean Ruedin and his friends had defied the decrees issued by the Bishopric of Basel. Imier de Ramstein, Prince-Bishop of this vast territory, had granted a complete tax exemption to inhabitants of the heavily forested region.With the arrival of spring, Jean Ruedin had set out to brave the last remaining snows on the Haut Plateau. Armed with axes and saws, the adventurer set up camp on the slopes bordering the Doubs, a raging river whose course led it through a 400-metre deep canyon.Riven by the teeth of the saws, licked and consumed by the flames of ferocious fires, the firs surrendered to the grim determination of the voyager from the lands below.The broad trunks were used to construct the buildings that would house the very first settlers on the high terrain of the Jura, christened Les Bois (The Woods), Le Noir-Mont (Black Mountain), Les Breuleux (Burning Torches) or even Les Enfers (Hell).Imier could not have known it, but his decree was about to set this lofty community on a great and glorious path: the pursuit of watchmaking expertise.And so La Franche Montagne was born.Rudis Sylva: From Jean Ruedin and Sylva, Latin for ’forest’. Rudis Sylva became Les Bois.
It is said that the first watchmakers in the Franches-Montagnes region were Captain Girard, François-J. Froidevaux or J-B Mauvais who, having set up at La Planche farm in the village of Les Bois around 1769, produced movement blanks which sold for 50 batz each. People also talk about Joseph Bouverat, a watchcase maker at Les Breuleux in 1730, who learned his trade at Le Noirmont with the watchcase maker, goldsmith and engineer François Surdez. Froidevaux also owned the Rosées farm in the village of Les Bois. The farmhouse had numerous windows, proving the extent of watchmaking activities that were taking place. There were a good number of farms such as this on the outskirts of La Chaux-de-Fonds: a testament to the long heritage of watchmaking in Switzerland. The greater the number of windows that were built into a farmhouse, the richer a farmer would be as an artisan would be working behind each window. On the ground floor, these windows were fitted with bars in order to offer protection from bears. Behind the windows, large tables would be found on which components were manufactured. There were also buildings where raw material would be melted down. The Franches-Montagnes or the Franche-Comté region comprised a multitude of artisan watchmakers who would take their products to the counters of shops in La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle. The journey was long and was made on foot, often over snow-covered terrain. Nonetheless, it was worth the effort as the rewards contributed significantly to the family's "bread and butter"…
…attracted by the profits made by manufacturing watch and clock components, a large number of farmers gave up agricultural pursuits in the 19th century and began manufacturing machines which allowed them to increase the production of components. The obsession with increasing production capacity pushed the inhabitants of the region to the heights of invention. Small factories sprang up manufacturing lathes, cutting tools or other machines, each ever more innovative than the last, but which still met the precise needs of watch and clock makers. In the Franches-Montagnes region, one often hears of the Huot or Beaumann families, who came from Franche-Comté to set up in Les Bois to manufacture watch movement blanks or assortments. These two products were subsequently sold to an assortment factory, which is today owned by ETA.
The history of the Beaumann family is intriguing and it stands testimony to the creativity which is responsible for our region still being at the height of watchmaking expertise: Born in 1848 in Damprichard in neighbouring France, Lydic settled in Franches-Montagnes to manufacture wheels and cylinders. Subsequently, his son Henry and his grandson Raymond became involved with the growth of the business. In 1937, the Beaumann factory manufactured 1 million cylinders per year, which equated to more than one third of all cylinders produced world-wide. Having predicted the decline of the cylinder - for which sales fell to zero in 1964 - Raymond created a frictionless cylinder escapement, called Libra. This ingenious manufacturer then went on to develop the parking meter, a small mechanical device with a key-like design, intended to inform someone of his or her parking time via a bell. 80 million meters were sold world-wide. Born in 1914, Raymond Beaumann still lives opposite his factory. He owns a small museum which exhibits a number of cylinder-making machines. He enjoys recounting the time he attended an auction at Zurich where he put in a bid for a record of the daily life of the Baume family from Les Bois, the founders of Baume & Mercier. A few years later, he offered this vestige of time to the Genevan brand in exchange for a mechanical watch from the Villeret house, owned by the Richemont group…
The Rudis Sylva brand dates back to 1384. With its independent past, the brand has hugely complicated watchmaking history!The artisans of the region, regardless of whether or not they contributed to the production of this timepiece, are the real founders of the Rudis Sylva concept. The sole objective of the brand managers is to connect history and technology to offer the world a product which showcases the expertise of the region in the best possible light.
Born out of mathematical formulae worked out over days and nights, portrayed through the imagination of designers or sculpted in the workshops of watchcase makers, decorated by the highly dextrous engravers and magnified by the delicate touch of the dial face workers, the first watch bore witness to the excellence of these artisans. The complex machine processes applied to certain moving components such as bearings, pivots or plates for example, only serve to show how talented the mechanics and cutters were too. And thus the watchmaker comes on to the scene: calm and serene, he assembles components to create this beating object, a heart to which one forms an instant attachment for fear that it might stop. Listening to the tick-tock, admiring the oscillation of the regulators, caressing this jewel of technology in one's hand: it all evokes strong emotions for the purist.
Amongst the abundance of fir trees "up here, 1000 metres above sea level", a multitude of companies have established themselves and are specialising in the watchmaking industry. Various watchmaking-related businesses are present, such as those involved in bonding glass, honing and fritting - all of which have a positive impact on the regional economy. All these subcontractors have acquired specific expertise which would effectively dash the hopes of anyone thinking about producing a watch alone.
If there was anything to worry about on 17th March 1810, it was not so much the thick layer of snow into which a boot would sink with each step, nor the glacial north wind which froze trees and streams, but rather the bears and wolves, two inhabitants of the Plateau of the Jura that artisans feared the most…
That morning, Joseph Gillet rose early as the journey to Switzerland would be arduous. He could not postpone his journey as the master watchmakers could not wait. They were impatient to discover the gear-trains, rods, springs and pivots that had been crafted during long winter days by Gillet and his helpers. With a bowl of milk from the evening milking and a baked apple - taken from the mouth of a tiled stove - inside him, Joseph embarked on a 6-day journey taking him through countryside all the way to the counters of the watchmakers of La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle…
The years went by and his son, Auguste, his grandson, Henri F., and then his great grandson, Henri A., all of whom were watchmakers, assumed responsibility for delivering the family's goods to the likes of Breguet, Jean-Richard and others.Time and watchmaking was thus a real vocation for the Gillet family of Haut-Doubs. In the 1960s, the Gillet Henri & Sons business, based in Charquemont, supplied the whole of Europe. The skills of the expert profile turner Henri A. were in demand by manufacturers in the Jura region in order that a set of cams needed for the production of balance staffs could be developed.
The 5th generation of expertise was born in 1947. A certain Roger Alphonse set up business in the Franches-Montagnes region and started to create timepieces. He was always scribbling down ideas for watch cases and movements on scraps of paper. His passion developed at an exceptional rate and Roger, who was a level-headed, restrained and realistic person, looked to the world around him to explore what time could bring to his creations.
Roger Alphonse produced his first Gillet watches whilst working for various regional businesses. However, illness got the better of this eclectic character and his passion and hence these first chronographs were not developed any further. Fortunately though, he had found time to pass on his passion to his son, Romain.
The watchmaking DNA, be it an inescapable genetic fact or the ultimate symbol of truth, is now in Romain's blood, the 6th generation of the Gillet family committed to the watchmaking industry.When he was still a child, those close to him noted his analytical nature. He showed that he had a great imagination and he listened attentively to what his father had to say. He was blessed with a sharpness of character found in those who can change history. He loved drawing and he would always finish his canvases with a flourish. With inspiration, incredible machines would be discovered and gear-trains and pivots would be designed. It seemed indisputable, therefore, that the blood of a great dynasty of watchmakers was already running in the veins of the 'young one'.
Romain Gillet qualified as a watch and clock maker and repairer at the Le Locle Technicum. Shortly after he finished his studies, he was taken on at the Christophe Claret movement factory and he was actively involved in the development of several watches with high complications. However, Romain, wanting to let his artistic instincts flourish, decided to go it alone and set up a watchmaking business in the village of Les Bois.
The brand's first piece is the work of Romain Gillet, descended from 6 generations of watchmakers and the creator of the Rudis Sylva: a model available in rose gold, white gold or platinum comprising a resonant double regulator, a musical box-type hourly chime and a grande date indicator.The time is shown on a dial featuring hand-crafted guilloché by Saignelégier craftsman Georges Brodbeck. The circular radiating motifs represent an exceptional feat of technical expertise. This grande complication timepiece will assure the brand a position at the very pinnacle of the watchmaking art, thus paying homage to the skill and industry of the craftsmen of the Jura region.
Official Website:http://www.rudissylva.com/
Product Updates:
Romain Gillet Collection
The Harmonious Oscillator (2009)
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