Manufacture
MTF poses a thought-provoking question about the ideal state of a watch factory, contrasting pristine clean rooms with active, 'messy' workshops. His post delves into the authenticity of manufacturing, questioning factories that appear too sterile or rely on external parts. The author shares his observations from Chopard and LUC Manufactures, emphasizing signs of genuine in-house production.
Do you prefer your watch factory to be clean or dirty?
Over years of visiting watch factories and so-called Manufactures, we have seen all sorts of workshop conditions. There have been clean rooms that you could eat off the floor; and staffed with personnel wrapped in clean suits, face masks and surgical caps. There have also been messy workshops where food could be lost on the floor and you would not know because of the mess everywhere.
I've also been to the 'atelier' of an AHCI member in Geneva with fancy CNC machines in the basement; all shiny and new but nothing was switched on! Remarkably, if you need to replace the gears and wheels of one of their "manufactured" movements, you could use stock parts from ETA that would fit and work perfectly.......hmmm?
I am pleased to report that the Chopard and LUC Manufactures are very messy indeed!
At Chopard, they even smelt their own gold alloys.
More importantly, I always check out waste-bins for metal swarf that proves it is a working factory.
Of course, some metal swarf is more valuable than others 
Chopard is a little obsessive about precision and quality control.....
Can they really do it?
Amongst the shiny computerised milling wizardry, it is always comforting to see hand-made tools that people really use, which are cobbled together from wood and metal.
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The Chopard bracelet links may be made by machine but they are polished and assembled by hand.
As both a watchmaker and jeweller, Chopard also handcraft shiny beautiful things.
I ask again: Do you prefer your watch factory to be clean or dirty?
Regards,
MTF
But I don't want to see dirt in some departments! ;) Dirt is a part of the concept of the Manufacture! When you start to produce a large part of components, you can't avoid it... but dirt has to stay in its right place! Because I can't imagine watches assembly process in a dirty place! Thanks Melvin for the pics and comments, we clearly understand why Chopard is one of the top manufactures. Fx
... very tidy and clean workshop seems comfortable and easy to work, but on the other hand, someone has to do the dirty work in the process of making parts and I am not against the dirty factory. But dirty parts and clean parts must be strictly segregated to make beautiful watches - is my conclusion.... :-) Thanks for the photos of Chopard factory. Very interesting! Ken
With all cylinders running. Hmm, a factory that's too clean without enough activity going on and with parts that can be bought from ETA... something seems fishy there.
Dirty for the manufacturing side, and clean for the assembly side. The best of both worlds! Cheers, Anthony
but even their "dirty room" is quite clean (see below) >>>> Dirty Room? Milling and Engineering but look how clean the floors are still.....they sweep a lot! :-) Clean Room: We had to don gowns and over-shoe covers. They had sticky door mats as we entered the positive air pressure controlled assembly rooms so all the dirt was stuck to the mats as we entered. Regards, MTF
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