Since 1887
AURUM & NOIR was founded in the winter of 1887 by master watchmaker Henri Delacroix, in the remote village of Le Sentier, deep within the Vallée de Joux.
Henri believed that true beauty emerges not from light, but from shadow — that the finest watchmaking happens in darkness, where every detail must be felt rather than merely seen. This philosophy became the soul of the house.
For over a century, AURUM & NOIR has remained fiercely independent, producing fewer than 200 timepieces annually. Each watch passes through the hands of a single master watchmaker — from assembly to final regulation. A tradition that has never been broken.
"A watch should not announce itself. It should reveal itself — slowly, deliberately, to those who know where to look."
— Henri Delacroix, 1892Milestones
Henri Delacroix establishes AURUM & NOIR in Le Sentier, Vallée de Joux.
The Calibre AN-1 wins the Geneva Observatory prize for chronometric precision.
Proprietary "Noir" dial treatment — a multi-layer galvanic process absorbing 99.6% of visible light.
First Swiss maker to produce a fully titanium tourbillon case.
Launch of the Eclipse Tourbillon Chronograph — 139 years of shadow-craft. Edition of 88.
Our Philosophy
Every surface finished to absorb and redirect light. Beauty emerges from darkness, not despite it.
One master watchmaker assembles each timepiece start to finish. No assembly lines. No compromise.
Fewer than 200 watches annually. Exclusivity is not a strategy — it is the natural constraint of uncompromising craft.
Lifetime service guarantee. We will restore, maintain, and preserve any watch we have ever made. Forever.