Home
Articles About Us For Investors Donate Become a Member Login

Manufacturing Visits

#bvlgari #serpenti #octo @bvlgariofficial Bvlgari is significantly strengthening its integrated manufacturing strategy. The Saignelégier Manufacture, an essential pillar of Bvlgari’s watchmaking division, has undergone a significant renovation and expansion. Nestled in the Jura Mountains, it is home to the production of dials and cases. On November 14, 2024, Bvlgari inaugurated the redesigned and enlarged Saignelégier facility, which now brings watch case and dial production together under one roof – a unique setup in the industry. With the addition of a new floor, the site has grown from 3,400 to 4,400 square meters. Its scale, along with the diversity of crafts it accommodates, enables Bvlgari to fully leverage the synergies offered by vertical integration. Driven by global enthusiasm for the brand, Bvlgari is expanding its capacity for high-end case manufacturing by investing in cutting-edge industrial equipment, thus keeping pace with evolving market requirements. The upgrades focus on modernizing production methods, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and enhancing versatility and multi-skilled training. They also include optimized safety measures, improved work well-being for employees, and targeted measures to reduce the environmental impact of production. Notably, a new space dedicated to “Artmanship” – the fusion of Art and Craftsmanship – has been established at the heart of the manufacture. The success of Bvlgari’s iconic collections – Serpenti, Octo Finissimo, Bvlgari Bvlgari, and its high jewellery watches – is driving a marked increase in demand for its dials crafted with traditional métiers d’art (artistic crafts and techniques). These dials, born from a convergence of rare expertise and artistic techniques, will now be crafted in a dedicated workshop for hardstone marquetry, peacock feather marquetry, gem-setting, and micro-painting. This new space is characterised by its dynamic rhythm, responsiveness, and creativity. Even more so than in the rest of the building, where significant efforts have been made to improve the work environment, the new Métiers d’Art workshop ensures an atmosphere of silence and calm, required for artisanal crafts. The Saignelégier Manufacture is equipped with a range of large-scale production machines, organized into workshops capable that can handle both small and medium production runs, coupled with high-end artisanal applications. This setup necessitated a redesign of the existing spaces to improve the flow of people and processes, the exchange of ideas, and ultimately, the level of production excellence. This combination of industrial and artisanal processes is being taken to the next level in Saignelégier, where, for example, lacquered dials that won’t tolerate the slightest presence of dust coexist with intricate hardstone mosaics. Furthermore, the Manufacture now also features an additional floor with a staff restaurant and an outdoor terrace, along with a new wellness and recreation area. Indeed, the redesigned Saignelégier facility places the well-being of its 130 employees at the heart of its design. The roof, façade, and parking areas have been redesigned to accommodate solar power generation. These solar panels supply 25% of the building’s energy needs. Coupled with redesigned workflows that reduce electricity consumption, this underscores the commitment to sustainability at Bvlgari sites in alignment with requirements throughout the LVMH group. EMPLOYEES: 130 SURFACE AREA: 4,400 sqm (after renovation) 3,400 sqm (before renovation) SOLAR ARRAY: 816 panels, with an aggregate capacity of 360 kWp MILESTONES: 2009: Site acquired by BVLGARI 2019: Establishment of the “Habillage” (watch exterior components) hub with the merging of case and dial production 2024: Establishment of “Métiers d’Art” workshop, small series unit, and staff areas MANUFACTURING WORKSHOP: Programming, 5-axis combined milling 3-axis milling Applique production Diamond polishing Turning Soldering Cutting Deburring Washing FINISHING WORKSHOP: Manual polishing Automated polishing Satin finishing Buffing Grinding Sandblasting Laser engraving Laser decoration SURFACE TREATMENT WORKSHOP: Electroplating (silver plating, gold plating, nickel plating, etc.) Varnishing Lacquering ASSEMBLY WORKSHOP: Assembly (bonding, screwing, pressing) Water resistance testing Pad printing (decal application) Applique fitting MECHANICAL WORKSHOP: CNC milling 3D printing MÉTIERS D’ART (ARTISTIC CRAFTS), ORGANIZED BY: Gem-setting Jewellery making Micro-painting Marquetry (hardstone, feather, etc.) MATERIALS USED FOR COMPONENT PRODUCTION: Steel Aluminium Titanium Gold Platinum Bronze Ceramic Carbon Hardstone(s) #wherethewatchesarethestars
YouTube Video 0CSgjKZDpqY

BVLGARI Fusing Art and Industry. The new Manufacture 2.0 in Saignelégier, Jura.

January 17, 2025 8:11 am

#ferdinandberthoud #chopard #watchesandwonders2024 @FerdinandberthoudCh Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud. The date was Tuesday, September 22, 2015; the place, Paris. At the Yacht Club de France, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele officially unveiled Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud, the fruit of many years’ exploration of the works of MasterWatchmaker Ferdinand Berthoud. At a time when standardization, generic movements, and ever-shorter times to market had become the norm, the manufacture chose to go against the flow by offering the fruit of patient creation: an entire universe, commensurate with the stature of the man who inspired it: Ferdinand Berthoud (1727-1807). Ferdinand Berthoud, Watchmaker-Mechanic by appointment to the French King and Navy from the time of Louis XV through until the Empire, was one of the greatest figures in watchmaking. He wrote a large number of treatises and is considered to be the father of timekeeping for the French Navy. He was also responsible for some of the most significant advances in the determination of longitude, the key to supremacy on the high seas in the eighteenth century. Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud set out to live up to this legacy. The goal has remained unchanged: namely, the quest for precision. Implementation was preceded by a long period of meticulous historical research. A large number of timepieces made by the master were acquired, together with first editions of his watchmaking treatises. Each acquisition was carefully analyzed, documented, and restored. The collection is now housed in a dedicated private museum at the manufacture in Fleurier, Val-de-Travers – the district in which Ferdinand Berthoud himself was born in 1727. Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud's approach is based on two pillars: honoring the master's legacy, and pursuing his quest for precision. The innovation that defined Berthoud's watchmaking genius has been transposed to the twenty-first century. The movement has been designed, produced, and fully hand-decorated using traditional tools, then assembled and adjusted in the manufacture, before being officially certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC ... Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres). The Chronométrie workshop is located in a delightfully wooded area facing the “Chapeau de Napoléon”, a hill perched above the village of Fleurier and nicknamed after its evocative shape reminiscent of the Emperor’s two-cornered hat. Its privileged location in this tranquil setting instils a sense of peace and serenity provides a perfect working environment for the watchmakers in the exercise of their craft. Ferdinand Berthoud timepieces require ancestral know-how combined with cutting-edge technology, two qualities fully mastered by company's engineers and craftsmen. Machines have no place within Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud. Entirely hand-decorated using traditional tools identical to those used by Ferdinand Berthoud, each component, even if invisible, contributes to the beauty of the movement. Performing the numerous and complex operations of traditional decoration therefore requires years of learning, considerable mastery and a great deal of patience. Chamfer is a perfect example: the hand of the craftsman forming the bevel to be polished must be safe, delicate and meticulous so that the edges of the pieces shine with incomparable brilliance. Specular (also known as black or mirror) polishing is another illustration, involving polishing the surfaces in such a way as to ensure that light is reflected in one direction only. At each stage in the manufacture of these components, the finishes are checked under a 6.7x loupe. The Geneva Hallmark (Poinçon de Genève) is "only" checked under a 2,5x loupe!!! Since no imperfection is tolerated, this higher than usual degree of magnification ensures that no detail, however small, goes unnoticed. Such is the vision of watchmaking excellence cultivated by Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud. #wherethewatchesarethestars
YouTube Video GCXYCILDQXM

CHRONOMÉTRIE FERDINAND BERTHOUD. The FINEST WATCHMAKING we have seen so far. A MUST see!

June 21, 2024 3:24 pm

#panerai #manufacture #tour @PaneraiOfficial This is Episode 3 of WatchAdvisor's look behind the scenes at the Panerai HQ in Neuchâtel. In a series of three 4K-videos we show you how a Panerai watch is manufactured. To ensure the highest level of quality, in early 2014 Panerai opened its new Manufacture in Neuchâtel, a significantly larger building with greater resources than the previous Manufacture opened in 2002. A completely new structure, in both form and substance, featuring more than 10,000 square metres of space where about 250 people carry out their specialist work. This new setting brings together all the main operations and technical skills needed to create a Panerai and it is the place where the technical and innovative spirit of the brand is best expressed, nurtured by the centuries-old Swiss tradition in the field. At the Panerai HQ in Neuchâtel we had the opportunity to look behind the scenes: case making, movement fabrication, case + movement assembly, testing and quality control, plus research & development... Episode 3 - the one you are watching - will show you how Panerai movements are tested for accuracy, how a Panerai watch is assembled, again tested for accuracy and water tightness, and how the strap is mounted. You will discover the Panerai department of "Haute Horologerie" and how Carbotech cases are manufactured.
YouTube Video -apom2mSlZc

PANERAI Manufacture Tour in Neuchâtel. EPISODE 3: Assembly, Carbotech, Haute Horlogerie...

October 15, 2022 10:48 am

#panerai #manufacture #tour @PaneraiOfficial This is Episode 2 of WatchAdvisor's look behind the scenes at the Panerai HQ in Neuchâtel. In a series of several 4K-videos we will show you how a Panerai watch is manufactured. To ensure the highest level of quality, in early 2014 Panerai opened its new Manufacture in Neuchâtel, a significantly larger building with greater resources than the previous Manufacture opened in 2002. A completely new structure, in both form and substance, featuring more than 10,000 square metres of space where about 250 people carry out their specialist work. This new setting brings together all the main operations and technical skills needed to create a Panerai and it is the place where the technical and innovative spirit of the brand is best expressed, nurtured by the centuries-old Swiss tradition in the field. At the Panerai HQ in Neuchâtel we had the opportunity to look behind the scenes: case making, movement fabrication, case + movement assembly, testing and quality control, plus research & development... Episode 2 - the one you are actually watch - will show you what Panerai does in its Laboratory and Crash Test Center
YouTube Video r4f9vr6VWv8

PANERAI Manufacture Tour in Neuchâtel. EPISODE 2: Laboratory + Crash Test Center

October 7, 2022 10:25 pm

#panerai #manufacture #tour @PaneraiOfficial This is Episode 1 of WatchAdvisor's look behind the scenes at the Panerai HQ in Neuchâtel. In a series of several 4K-videos we will show you how a Panerai watch is manufactured. To ensure the highest level of quality, in early 2014 Panerai opened its new Manufacture in Neuchâtel, a significantly larger building with greater resources than the previous Manufacture opened in 2002. A completely new structure, in both form and substance, featuring more than 10,000 square metres of space where about 250 people carry out their specialist work. This new setting brings together all the main operations and technical skills needed to create a Panerai and it is the place where the technical and innovative spirit of the brand is best expressed, nurtured by the centuries-old Swiss tradition in the field. At the Panerai HQ in Neuchâtel we had the opportunity to look behind the scenes: case making, movement fabrication, case + movement assembly, testing and quality control, plus research & development... Episode 1- the one you are actually watch - will show you the production of cases and movements...
YouTube Video IXva0CmGOoU

PANERAI Manufacture Tour in Neuchâtel. EPISODE 1: Production of cases and movements.

September 30, 2022 7:11 pm