News 
On the slopes of the Vaud Jura, Hugo Rittener has developed a rare approach to art mechanics. Self-taught in his artistic endeavours, he has created a personal universe inspired by kinetic sculpture and historical clockmaking.
Born in 1995 in La Praz, a small village nestled on the slopes of the Vaud Jura, Hugo Rittener grew up surrounded by forests, silence and open views of the Alps and Mont Blanc. From an early age, this peaceful yet demanding environment shaped his relationship with materials, time and his passion for creativity.
As a teenager, Hugo set up his first workshop in the family garage, where he learned to make, experiment and imagine without being subjected to any limitations. Mechanics became his playground and motion a source of emotions. After completing his schooling, he trained as a polymechanic and began his professional career in the worlds of metallurgy and watchmaking.
His journey then took him to the birthplace of mechanical automata: Sainte-Croix (VD). Since 2022, he has been working alongside world-renowned automaton maker François Junod, where he specialises in more complex mechanisms.
Whenever he can, he designs, produces, assembles and finalises one-of-a-kind models in his private workshop. After “Autoportrait” and “Van Gogh”, he has now created a new piece called “Le Majordome”.
In recent years, Hugo Rittener has devoted his free time to developing and crafting this more personal artwork, designed to evoke a sense of poetry and surprise. Conceived as a reception automaton, this fascinating object combines motion, presence and purpose. The “butler” automaton is discreet, revealing itself only when called upon, before vanishing again into silence.
Composed of 1,054 elements handmade by the craftsman, the intricate mechanism is deliberately visible. The lines are clean and the curves light, enabling the complexity of the movement to be expressed without decorative overload. The walnut and ash marquetry interacts with the solid gilded bronze of the sculpture, while the wood visually softens the mechanics, recalling the tangible link between the artisan and the forest environment in which he grew up.
Limited series
This automaton heralds a series announced as deliberately rare and each new creation will be unique in terms of both its details and its interpretation. “In a world of fragmented production, ‘Le Majordome’ enables me to reclaim an almost extinct approach, with a work created by a single hand, from first sketch to last screw”, says Hugo Rittener. “Le Majordome” is on display at the Hôtel des Horlogers in Le Brassus from March to November 2026.
March 12, 2026