Carrying the weight of a generational legacy can be a tough job for anyone; carrying a generational watchmaking legacy is even more difficult, especially if it is being transferred to a woman in a predominantly masculine industry.
These women, however, are proving that it doesn’t take a man to do the job right. Dare we say they are even doing better? Get to know the young women who are already making waves and keeping the dream that they inherited from their legendary fathers alive!
Venla Voutilainen
The daughter of renowned watchmaker Kari Voutilainen, Venla followed her father’s footsteps and walked passionately on the road of watchmaking. Her first piece was, naturally, a collaboration with her father: a beautiful pocket watch for Onlywatch in 2019, executed while she was going through her final exams in watchmaking school. Venla is young, passionate, and wants to carry her father’s legacy in watchmaking, and from what we are observing, she is well on her way!
Victoire Halter
Saying that Victoire comes from a rich watchmaking background would be an understatement. The daughter of the very famous watchmaker Vianney Halter, and the stepdaughter of Denis Flageollet (the blacksmithing and watchmaking mastermind behind De Bethune), Victoire is currently a jeweler and decorator for De Bethune, where she decorated the famous “DB28 Digitale”. With a legacy like that, no wonder that Victoire is a name to be reckoned with.
Danièla Dufour
At the tender age of 12, Danièla expressed her interest to go into watchmaking, but her father, no other than Philippe Dufour, tried to dissuade her. Thankfully for us watch lovers, she didn’t take no for an answer, and persisted to continue and finish her studies in watchmaking. By 2021, danièla completed the work on her first piece alongside her father: the 20th-anniversary edition of “Simplicity”. With the mounting pressures to carry the Dufour legacy, it was definitely not an easy ride, but Danièla is going in strong with her father’s blessings!
