Independent watchmaking manufactory for mechanical luxury timepieces with in-house calibres, hand-guilloché dials and restoration.
Voutilainen SA
St-Sulpice (CH)New on Amplifa
About Voutilainen
Voutilainen SA is an independent watchmaking manufactory under the direction of the Finnish master watchmaker Kari Voutilainen, located in the Val-de-Travers region in St-Sulpice, Switzerland. The atelier produces mechanical luxury timepieces in limited numbers, including in-house manufacture calibres such as the Vingt-8 (Calibre 28) with its own distinctive lever escapement. Value creation takes place largely in-house: fine watchmaking, development and assembly of the movements, hand-guilloché dials, hand engraving, enamel work and gem-setting. Materials include steel, brass and sapphire; traditional Japanese urushi lacquer from the partner studio Unryuan (Tatsuo Kitamura) is used for the dials. Voutilainen also realises collaborations such as Louis Vuitton X and Chapter III with Andreas Strehler (Maîtres du Temps). The after-sales service is carried out exclusively at the company's own Swiss facility and includes complete servicing as well as warranty extension. The company addresses the Fine Watchmaking and Haute Horlogerie sectors; among customers and collector circles, the brand is internationally present.
- Site
- St-Sulpice, Switzerland
- Processes
- Fine watchmaking / manufacture calibres (in-house movements), Hand guilloching of dials, Hand engraving, Enamel work (enamel processing), Gem-setting, Revision and after-sales service for watches, Personalisation/watch adjustments, After-sales service (complete servicing, warranty extension, exclusively at the company's own
- Materials
- Sapphire, Urushi lacquer (Japanese lacquer, Unryuan), Steel, Brass, Urushi lacquer, Enamel, Gem-setting
- Founded
- 2002
- Industries
- Luxury watches / Fine Watchmaking / Haute Horlogerie
- 01
Development of in-house manufacture calibres
- 02
Fine watchmaking / movement component production
- 03
Guilloching and engraving of the dials
- 04
Enamel work, urushi lacquer decoration, gem-setting
- 05
Assembly of the timepieces
- 06
Revision and after-sales service at the company's own facility
Materials and Processes
Steel
Material used for movements and movement components in the in-house calibres.
Brass
Base material for mainplates and bridges as well as guilloché dials.
Sapphire
Crystal glass and decorative elements, e.g. on the 28SB08 Sapphire Unique Piece.
Urushi lacquer
Traditional Japanese lacquer from the Unryuan studio for artisanal dials.
Enamel
Material for handcrafted dials produced in the company's own workshop.
Gem-setting
Gem-setting as an artisanal finishing process.
Sites
St-Sulpice
CHAtelier/workshop (Val-de-Travers): production, assembly, after-sales service
- Lot size
- Prototypes/one-off pieces, limited small series
- Materials
- Steel, brass, sapphire, enamel, urushi lacquer
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fine watchmaking / manufacture calibres (in-house movements)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Steel, Brass, Sapphire |
| Hand guilloching of dialsSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Hand engravingSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Enamel work (enamel processing)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Gem-settingSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Revision and after-sales service for watchesTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
History
- 1986
Kari Voutilainen graduates from the Finnish watchmaking school; subsequently studies at WOSTEP.
- 1990
Work at Parmigiani Mesure et Art du Temps (restoration of complicated and rare watches) until 1999.
- 1999
Kari Voutilainen teaches as an instructor at WOSTEP until 2002.
- 2002
Founding of the independent watchmaking company in Môtiers, Switzerland.
- 2005
Introduction of the world's first decimal minute repeater (hours, 10-minute intervals, minutes).
- 2012
Collaboration with Andreas Strehler: watch 'Chapter III' for Maîtres du Temps.
- 2013
Start of the collaboration with Tatsuo Kitamura (Unryuan) for traditional Japanese lacquer dials.
- 2021
Acquisition of the watch company Urban Jürgensen with an investor group; Kari Voutilainen becomes CEO of Urban Jürgensen.
- 2025
28 GML SOYOU wins the GPHG 2025 in the Arts Crafts category; discontinuation of the Vingt-8 calibre (28MPR) announced as of 31.12.2025.
- 2026
Angélique Singele becomes CEO of the Voutilainen manufacture; trade fair participations: Watch Show of Finland (May), Masters of Horology Geneva, WatchTime New York (October).