When I first met the Claude Meylan team, they presented a watch that paid tribute to the cow, an animal firmly associated with Switzerland and the Alpine pastures surrounding the brand’s base in L’Abbaye, in the Jura-Nord Vaudois district in the Vallée de Joux.
Intent on linking its watchmaking heritage to its rural roots, the handpainted dial of a blue-eyed bovine lying in lush grass accompanied by a ladybug. The decoration is sculpted in relief before being painted in bright colours. A Swiss-made automatic mechanical movement appears at 3 o’clock. The look is mischievous and playful, its execution no less technical. Their parting gift? A Moo Can Noise Maker teasing out laughter at their lighthearted approach to a centuries-old trade Claude Meylan takes very seriously.
“We love smiling, laughing, and enjoying,” says Philippe Belais, owner and CEO of the brand since 2010 and with a long history in the watch industry before that.
This attitude is the Claude Meylan spirit shared by the team, which includes the former owner’s granddaughter and anyone who connects with them.
“When you laugh, you work well and enjoy it and so we play,” adds Pia De Chefdebien, PR and marketing manager at Claude Meylan.
Meylan is a distinguished name that played a pivotal role in expanding watchmaking. In the mid-18th century, Samuel-Olivier Meylan from the Chenit district and Abraham-Samuel Meylan from L’Orient honed their skills in the art of horology in Rolle and Fleurier. On returning home, they applied their newfound expertise with remarkable success. Samuel-Olivier Meylan created the first pocket watch equipped with a musical disc mechanism, sparking a passion for intricate movements that became a cherished family tradition.
Building on this legacy, Claude Meylan elevated the inherited craftsmanship to new heights by reinterpreting the essence of time. By meticulously “stripping” and artistically decorating every conceivable element of the movement, the brand redefined the art of “squelette” (or skeleton) watchmaking for women, pushing its boundaries toward new and innovative horizons. Skeletonisation involves producing a watch with a partially open dial, through which you can see the mechanics of the movement. Key to its complexity is the handcraftsmanship and the care necessary to not weaken the structure by cutting out too much.
That playful approach continues into other designs like the gorgeous Ondine 35mm, revealed in 2024. Sparked by the visual effect of throwing a stone into water, the bracelet of the latest addition to the women’s line takes its inspiration from La Lionne River, which flows in front of the Claude Meylan atelier. “The design idea came from a kid playing on the lake, throwing stones to make rings on the water, and Lionne translates as lioness. What could be a better name than this for a women’s line?” asks Philippe.
After making their mark in skeleton watches, the team realised they needed a matching bracelet. “We didn’t have a skeleton bracelet. That excited me. By removing the lugs, we were left with a round watch dial that was so simple, so pure, we decided to replicate it. We made four or five executions before finding the correct ring diameters to ensure the watch didn’t dominate the bracelet and vice versa and that their design looked vintage but not outdated,” he adds.
“It’s nice to have something different and feminine, but really for the women,” says Pia. “Also, the design of the movement was intended to be very feminine. “
Philippe explains that the skeletonisation aspect is the heritage of Claude Meylan himself. “He was the master of the skeleton and, remember, 15 years ago, skeletonisation in watches made them extremely expensive because of the handwork. We took the opportunity to make these skeletonised movements available to a broader public because there weren’t many watchmakers producing skeleton watches. Today, you have much more to choose from, but we still have the largest offering in our collection. These are our bestsellers, really.”
The Ondine retails for CHF 18 000. In the greater scheme of things, this is considered an accessible price point for a watch of this calibre, a goal achieved by incorporating a mass-produced and, therefore, more inexpensive automatic movement and redesigning it.
The point becomes more apparent with the Tortue models. With the case shaped like a tortoiseshell, the Claude Meylan designs incorporate round movements requiring redesigning and reworking the base plate and bridges to work for the case.
“I have been in the industry for quite some time so everything we do has to be different. The next step is the interpretation of the Tortue Lady, which has the rotor in front of the dial. What we did is listen to our customers, mainly ladies, who said stop telling us that we don’t like automatic movements. We like them, but we would like something to happen in the watch and we like curves. So, we created a movement that would respond to all these criteria. We started with the curve, which has a nice yin and yang curve from eleven to four to reveal the balance wheel and the key elements of the movement. Then, we considered putting the rotor up to mirror the dial and the hour. So, when it moves, if you shake it, this little rotor gives further life to the watch. Even the back of the watch has new bridges. We wanted to design them to evoke petals of flowers, so even the shapes of the bridges were rethought and revamped to redesign this feeling,” says Philippe.
It’s no wonder that Claude Meylan Tortue Lady models feature regularly among the watches nominated for the prestigious Grand Prix d’Horologerie de Genève (GPHG) prize. The style is defined by a polished, minimalist dial, ensuring a clear and refined reading of the time. The bridge at 3 o’clock, adorned with a delicate and refreshing design, adds a touch of charm that enhances the sensual allure of this exquisite watchmaking gem. Every wrist movement brings it to life, creating a joyful, playful, and functional animation that delights the wearer. Right on brand, then.
Claude Meylan’s key markets are Europe (mainly Switzerland and France), the Middle East, Asia, and Japan. Philippe is adamant that they are not after volume. “Production is limited to my freedom. I am fortunate to have been able to buy a watch company 15 years ago and frankly, I never had this dream. I used to work for large groups, and I know how much it costs to manage watches in the industry. My freedom is to be alone in a profitable company, surrounded by people where, at my age, the human experience is a thousand times better than making and chasing volume. So, there is no limitation, but we want to walk before we run.”
