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Patrimony Contemporaine from Vacheron Constantin © Vacheron Constantin
The Calibre 2450 beats with 28.800 vibrations per hour © Vacheron Constantin
A movement with the quality-mark Le Poinçon de Genève © Vacheron Constantin

Where does this leave the craftsman?

This "re-industrialisation" has been key to the recent development of high-end watches, and therefore of Swiss watchmaking as a whole. This process has gone hand-in-hand with some serious upgrading of the production tool. One can safely say that mechanical watches have never been as precise or as reliable as they are today, further enhanced by unique complications and rare embellishments. Granted, the theory behind modern watchmaking has changed little since the days of Huygens and Breguet. But the fact remains that watches have reached an unprecedented degree of mechanical perfection. Such an achievement would have been unthinkable prior to digital technologies, from multi-function CNC machine tools that machine parts to within one micron, to a complete computer-aided manufacturing process.

Since it first appeared in the 1980s, often decisive advances in the very conception of modern watches, and now in the use of new materials, have been made possible by this equipment. Without CNC tools, the watches we see in store windows today simply wouldn’t exist. The presence of digital technology right from the design stage has raised the bar in terms of the complexity of the parts to be machined, levels of tolerance, and the speed with which these operations must be performed. In a world where watches are made like cars, one can imagine how important the production tool is. A single statistic says it all: in 1970, the sector produced around 850 watches per year and per person employed; today this figure has risen to more than 3,000.

The attention to detail in the finishing

While industrial tools have become a necessary aspect of watchmaking today, there is still room for the craftsman’s hand. Hand-finished exteriors and movements remain an essential criteria of the Haute Horlogerie watch. Indeed, some of the twelve requirements imposed by the Poinçon de Genève, the profession’s highest standard, concern finishing. Article 1, for example, stipulates that steel components must have polished edges, drawn flanks, smoothed visible surfaces and that screw heads must be polished or circular-grained with a chamfered circumference and slot. Article 6 specifies that the gear-train must be chamfered top and bottom, and counter-sinks must be polished. Not to mention the many decorative effects, such as guillochage, stippling and enamelling. Prestigious timepieces stand out for the attention to detail in the finishing of each one, something which even state-of-the-art digital technology combined with the latest CNC machines is very often unable to achieve. The continued role of the craftsman in the making of a Haute Horlogerie watch is part of the philosophy that destines these watches for the prestige segment. (C.R.)■

See also:
HH Culture > Encyclopaedia > Métiers d’art

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