In the 8th century, within the mountains of Georgia, the art of cloisonné enamel flourished under the influence of the Byzantine world.

Early craftsmen used clay muffles to control the fire and melt enamel. Inside these small chambers, glass powder slowly turned into color. They worked only with their hands and eyes, learning to guide the heat by experience and patience.

By the 10th century, cloisonné enamel was widely used to create sacred icons and biblical scenes. Artisans combined gold with layers of colored enamel to capture divine stories in lasting form. Through fire and precision, these images were made to endure forever, preserving faith in light and color.

800 years later, Swiss farmers began crafting watch parts during the long winters. In their mountain homes, patient hands and quiet precision gave birth to Swiss watchmaking.

At his bench, the watchmaker used small lathes to shape gears, fine files to smooth pivots, and wooden sticks to clean each jewel hole. With a loupe and precise hands, he assembled the movement piece by piece, making time come alive through patience and skill.

With only a few handmade tools, watchmakers relied on intuition and patience. Each discovery came through trial and error, and giving life to a balance wheel felt like a small miracle.

In 2021, Deguiret's founder travelled to Georgia to meet enamel artists he had only spoken with from afar. It was their first encounter, driven by the wish to collaborate and give new life to the art of cloisonné enamel. From that meeting, the vision of Deguiret began to emerge.

Around a table, they finally met in person. The connection was instant. Ideas flowed, curiosity grew, and a shared energy took form. From that moment, the spirit of Deguiret truly began.

In the autumn of 2021, the first enamel dials began to take shape. Together, we worked to adapt enamel to watchmaking precision, down to a hundredth of a millimeter.

Each challenge became a shared experiment, and from those early trials came the techniques we still use today.

Back in Switzerland, the enamel dials met their mechanical counterparts. Each assembly was a careful balance: protecting the enamel while ensuring perfect fit within the case. Seeing the first watches come alive was a defining moment, the union of Georgian artistry and Swiss precision made real.

In 2025, Deguiret entered a new chapter. Now based in Neuchâtel, the brand began designing and producing every watch component in Switzerland, from the movement to the case. Working closely with fine watchmaking manufactures across Neuchâtel and Jura, Deguiret set its foundations for true haute horlogerie, rooted in precision, independence, and tradition.

Our enamel tradition continues to grow. We now produce our own 24-carat gold wires and craft dials with ever finer precision. Each piece reflects our pursuit of excellence and our wish to preserve true craftsmanship while creating watches found nowhere else.

We know we are part of a long tradition. What we create today exists thanks to the masters who came before us. Their patience, their craft, and their spirit guide our hands.

At Deguiret, we hope to carry this legacy forward, to keep it alive and human. Though we come from different cultures, we share the same desire to honor these traditions in the present and to push their limits further.