Company · 7 min read
From Watchmaking to Windows: The Eric Joray Story
In 1992, a watchmaking engineer named Eric Joray invented the minimalist window. Three decades later, his philosophy still guides every component Vitrocsa produces.
The invention
In 1992, Eric Joray — a watchmaking engineer by training — set out to solve a problem that had frustrated architects for decades: the window frame. Frames interrupted views, broke sightlines, and imposed structure where architects wanted transparency. Joray's solution was radical: make the frame disappear.
The result was the Vitrocsa Sliding system, the original minimalist window. Its ultra-slim profile reduced the connecting profile between two sliding panels to just 22 mm, creating an almost invisible frame that maximised the glass surface and architectural clarity.
The watchmaking philosophy
Joray brought to window engineering the exacting standards of Swiss watchmaking. Every component is produced in-house at Vitrocsa's facility in Yverdon-les-Bains, machined to tolerances measured in hundredths of a millimetre. The company uses more than one thousand exclusive components in its hidden elements, uprights, and closure mechanisms — all produced the same way as high-end mechanical watch parts.
Each part is perfect, ideal for its role, allowing the number of system components to be reduced to a minimum. This is the principle that has guided Vitrocsa for over thirty years.
A global reputation
The famous Genevan architect Andrea Bassi was the first to install a Vitrocsa system in a villa. That project provided the impetus, and the rest was word-of-mouth. Seduced by the flawlessness and versatility of the products, world-renowned architects lined up to work with Vitrocsa.
The resulting collaborations produced works of breathtaking beauty — from the boxes at the Municipal Stadium of Braga to the top floor of the Maison Dior in Seoul, the premium villas of the Shebara Resort in the Red Sea, and homes designed by Lenny Kravitz and Michael Bay in California.
The legacy
Today, Vitrocsa exports its systems to more than 60 countries across five continents, holds 26 international patents, and remains best-in-class around the world. The company has grown into a multinational, but retains — in Joray's words — the attitude of a small firm of craftsmen.
Let people do their thing. Develop a passion for the product, a sense of collaboration and complete confidence.
That philosophy, passed from founder to team to partners, is why Vitrocsa remains the benchmark for minimalist glazing — and why no one has surpassed it.
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