Geneva, Switzerland
Antoine Preziuso
Partially verifiedIndependent Geneva watchmaker known for tourbillon wristwatches and meteorite dials
History
Antoine Preziuso, born in Geneva in 1957 and the son of a watchmaker, trained at the Geneva watchmaking school and graduated at the top of his class in 1978.
He then worked in Patek Philippe's complications workshop before setting up the first restoration workshop for the auction house Antiquorum in 1980. In 1981 he opened his own restoration workshop in Geneva, where museums, auction houses, dealers and collectors brought him watches for maintenance and repair. According to the Fondation Haute Horlogerie, he signed his first watch, the Sienna with a Carrara-marble dial, in 1986, and completed his first complication, a perpetual-calendar minute repeater with bezel winding, in 1991.
In the 1990s he also made complicated watches for other houses; the foundation names Breguet, Harry Winston and de Grisogono, and in 2002 he created the Opus 2 for Harry Winston. He joined the AHCI (Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants) in 1996, the year the Swiss Independent Watchmakers Pavilion gives for the creation of his brand. The AHCI describes him as the first watchmaker to use meteorite in his timepieces; in 2002 he presented six tourbillon watches at Baselworld, including the first use of meteorite fragments.
In 2015 his Tourbillon des Tourbillons, three tourbillons resonating on a rotating plate and developed with his son Florian over ten years, won in two categories at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève; in 2020 he received the Prix Gaïa in the craftsmanship-creation category.
The extended history summarises the open references listed under Sources; each statement was checked against the cited passage. Confirm key dates in period documents before relying on them.
Timeline
Antoine Preziuso's recorded dates, dated events from this profile and its sources, and dated pieces and sales from the object catalogue. Dates are as each record gives them.
1957 · Career
Antoine Preziuso, born in Geneva in 1957 and the son of a watchmaker, trained at the Geneva watchmaking school and graduated at the top of his class in 1978.
1980 · Career
He then worked in Patek Philippe's complications workshop before setting up the first restoration workshop for the auction house Antiquorum in 1980.
1981 · Career
In 1981 he opened his own restoration workshop in Geneva, where museums, auction houses, dealers and collectors brought him watches for maintenance and repair.
1986 · Career
According to the Fondation Haute Horlogerie, he signed his first watch, the Sienna with a Carrara-marble dial, in 1986, and completed his first complication, a perpetual-calendar minute repeater with bezel winding, in 1991.
1996 · Career
He joined the AHCI (Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants) in 1996, the year the Swiss Independent Watchmakers Pavilion gives for the creation of his brand.
2000 · Catalogued piece
2002 · Career
In the 1990s he also made complicated watches for other houses; the foundation names Breguet, Harry Winston and de Grisogono, and in 2002 he created the Opus 2 for Harry Winston.
2002 · Career
The AHCI describes him as the first watchmaker to use meteorite in his timepieces; in 2002 he presented six tourbillon watches at Baselworld, including the first use of meteorite fragments.
2005 · Career
3Volution triple tourbillon (2005), launched for the brand's 25th anniversary; the Swiss Independent Watchmakers Pavilion lists this three-cage tourbillon movement among his patents.
2011 · Career
In 2011 the workshop moved from Plan-les-Ouates to a manor in the Geneva countryside.
2015 · Career
In 2015 his Tourbillon des Tourbillons, three tourbillons resonating on a rotating plate and developed with his son Florian over ten years, won in two categories at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève; in 2020 he received the Prix Gaïa in the craftsmanship-creation category.
2015 · Career
Tourbillon des Tourbillons (2015): three tourbillons in resonance on a rotating plate, which required a central planetary triple differential.
Current watchmaking & later fate
- The firm remains a family business: his wife May manages it, his daughter Laura makes mechanical jewellery, and his son Florian heads a production unit in the canton of Geneva making 60 to 80 Antoine Preziuso watches a year.
- In 2011 the workshop moved from Plan-les-Ouates to a manor in the Geneva countryside.
As stated in the references listed under Sources, retrieved 2026-11-04. Ownership and collections change; check the maker's own announcements for the latest position.
Key models
- Tourbillon Meteor Gibeon
- Tourbillon with a Gibeon meteorite dial, dated 2003 by the Fondation Haute Horlogerie.
- T21
- Tourbillon model the Fondation Haute Horlogerie dates to 2004.
- B-Side Tourbillon
- Reversible tourbillon wristwatch of 2007.
Major innovations
- 3Volution triple tourbillon (2005), launched for the brand's 25th anniversary; the Swiss Independent Watchmakers Pavilion lists this three-cage tourbillon movement among his patents.
- Tourbillon des Tourbillons (2015): three tourbillons in resonance on a rotating plate, which required a central planetary triple differential.
Serial numbers
No serial-number system for this maker is recorded in the cited references.
Collecting significance
The catalogued pieces listed on this page show the kinds of objects auction houses, dealers and museums attribute to this maker; each attribution is the source's own.
Where sources differ
- Watchmaking school: the Fondation Haute Horlogerie says he enrolled in 1974, Segnatempo gives 1973 to 1978; both give 1978 for his graduation.
- Patek Philippe: the Fondation Haute Horlogerie gives 1978–1979, while Segnatempo gives 1978 to 1980.
- T21 date: the Fondation Haute Horlogerie lists the T21 in 2004; the 'Calibre T21 – Gibeon Meteorite – Tourbillon No.1' catalogued on this site is described by its auction source as made in 2005.
In the object catalogue
3 catalogued objects are recorded under Antoine Preziuso. Attributions are as given by each source and are not independent authentication.
- Antoine Preziuso Calibre T21 Gibeon Meteorite Tourbillon No. 1Tourbillon watch · 2005
- Antoine Preziuso Fire Fly WristwatchAutomatic wristwatch · circa 2004
- Antoine Preziuso Regulateur Tourbillon Millennium No. 001Tourbillon watch · 2000
Provenance
Where the 3 catalogued pieces by Antoine Preziuso were recorded, with the collectors, owners and sales their records name.
Provenance map
Each piece is linked to the museum, auction house or dealer whose record it comes from, and to any other house or collection its own provenance names. Select a name to see its pieces.
Auction houses · 3 pieces
Antiquorum
Auction house · 3 pieces · Directory entry
Antoine Preziuso Calibre T21 Gibeon Meteorite Tourbillon No. 1Tourbillon watch · 2005 · Record source
Antiquorum: lot 82
Antoine Preziuso Fire Fly WristwatchAutomatic wristwatch · circa 2004 · Record source
Antiquorum: lot 163
Antoine Preziuso Regulateur Tourbillon Millennium No. 001Tourbillon watch · 2000 · Record source
Antiquorum: lot 73
Auction history
| House | Sale & lot | Object |
|---|---|---|
| Antiquorum | lot 82 | Antoine Preziuso Calibre T21 Gibeon Meteorite Tourbillon No. 1 |
| Antiquorum | lot 163 | Antoine Preziuso Fire Fly Wristwatch |
| Antiquorum | lot 73 | Antoine Preziuso Regulateur Tourbillon Millennium No. 001 |
Each line is copied from the object's source record and is not independently verified. Holders are as recorded when the piece was catalogued: museum objects may not be on display, and sold lots have since changed hands.
Sources & references
- Antoine Preziuso | Watchmaking encyclopedia, Fondation Haute Horlogerie, retrieved 2026-11-04 (paraphrased; text © the publisher)
- Antoine Preziuso – AHCI, AHCI, retrieved 2026-11-04 (paraphrased; text © the publisher)
- Antoine Preziuso – history of watchmakers, Segnatempo, retrieved 2026-11-04 (paraphrased; text © the publisher)
- Antoine Preziuso – Swiss Independent Watchmakers Pavilion, Swiss Independent Watchmakers Pavilion, retrieved 2026-11-04 (paraphrased; text © the publisher)
Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.