In the 2022 list drawn up by the newspaper Le Temps, the “Forum des 100” included Xavier Dietlin among the 100 people who have helped promote Western Switzerland around the world over the past twelve months.

Xavier Dietlin

His name is well known within the exclusive world of watchmaking. And yet, Xavier Dietlin is by no means a watchmaker, despite his taste for quality and attractive objects. While the family business, la Ferronnerie d’art Dietlin, was founded in 1854 in Porrentruy (JU), this native of Lausanne has made a name for himself in the watchmaking industry over the past twenty years. How? By reinventing showcases for watches. It was this former elite footballer who developed the “Raptor”, the concept of a showcase without glass in which watches worth (several) thousands of francs disappear as soon as a visitor’s hand gets just a little too close.

Initially designed for Hublot, this idea has been reproduced for numerous brands, even outside the watchmaking industry. Mercedes Benz, Huawei, Philip Morris and the MoMA in New York also use it.

Humble, smiling and approachable, Xavier Dietlin has always succeeded in retaining an optimistic, carefree nature, despite occasional setbacks.