The Swiss watchmaker Frederic Jouvenot was born in 1977. Frederic's mentor was his grandfather, who taught him about music, winemaking, and watch mechanics. His inspiration comes from period architecture, contemporary design, and the watchmaking heritage of past centuries. A talented watchmaker, Jouvenot loves to blend different styles and colors. Honoring the traditions of the past, he gives his watches a modern twist. All this helps him to realize his unique vision of high-class watchmaking.
For several years Frederic Jouvenot has worked for well-known and prestigious brands, developing complications for independent and established watchmakers. When Jouvenot joined the Minerva manufacture at the age of 27, he developed an in-house caliber and a mystery tourbillon watch with no hands. All this time he has remained a discreet man, whose name never appeared on the dial of watches released by major watchmaking and jewelry brands.
Finally, in 2008 he founded his eponymous brand to express his talent as a designer of inventive fine watches. Finding his inspiration in works of art presented in museums and architectural forms from all over the world, Jouvenot aspired to connect antique watchmaking with contemporary watchmaking in his designs.
The first watch made by Frederic – the Chronographe Evolution 1 - was presented at the SIHH watch exhibition. It was the first chronograph in history fitted with a winding system on the dial side, which naturally became a sensation.
At Baselworld 2009, the Swiss company GoldVish, which produces luxury mobile phones, presented a cell phone with Frederic Jouvenot's Chronograph Evolution watch integrated into the phone case. The carefully decorated watch movement was visible through the sapphire crystal, while the unique dial with the patented front-facing automatic movement was visible on the front side of the phone.
In 2011 Jouvenot received the GTE Superwatch award for his Helios watch, which uses an innovative way of displaying the time and pays homage to ancient Egyptian sundials. Named after the Greek god of the Sun, this watch shows the nighttime and daytime, while the hours are indicated by 12 rotating sunbeams. At noon, all rays become gold. Then the rays begin to gradually blacken. From midnight to noon, the process is reversed - the black hands gradually become gold.
The following year, Frederic Jouvenot was commissioned by DIOR to develop the famous “DIOR Inversé“ caliber, fitted in the “Grand Ball“ collection.
In 2014, the prestigious Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève pre-selected two “Grand Ball” timepieces, that soon became some of DIOR's best-sellers.
