In the wonderful city of Zurich, a very talented watchmaker with a creative sense of design sits in his atelier hand-crafting just a couple of hundred timepieces a year. His name: Daniel Dreifuss. It was just about 15 years ago that this one-time banker turned watchmaker and started his own brand – Maurice de Mauriac. Today, his timepieces are sought after by collectors in the know, and he has even garnered a following amongst the auto racing circuit.
Dreifuss has a store front atelier, with a window that enables passersby to watch him work, and even venture into the shop if they so choose. In his small but articulate space, Dreifuss produces stunning moonphase watches, modern and classic chronographs, modern and classic automatics and a line of Maurice de Mauriac tonneau 
and square timepieces – all with mechanical movements. The line retails for anywhere from approximately $1400 to $3800 depending on the watch model, and goes up to $14,800 for the large 18-karat gold moonphase beauty.
These elegant watches can be purchased only when in Zurich at the store location, or on line at mauricedemauriac.ch. Interestingly, Dreifuss offers a Lego-boutique type concept – where one can start with a watch at a certain price and build up later with different bezels and other step-by-step add ons. So, if you are someone who really wants to be in the know when it comes to elite timepieces, and have a look that others wonder what you are wearing, this is a brand you won’t want to miss.
