SAVOIR FAIRE TAG Heuer Watchlover’s 'University’: An Entertaining Encyclopedia of Watchspeak

Following the Parts I and II of our “Watchspeak Encyclopedia” that describe everything you need to know about the anatomy of a watch and the different movements that power it, it is now time to learn about the different steps, skills and knowledge required to produce a finished watch, from conceptualisation to final assembly and testing of the movement and case.  

Designer, Artisan, Producer, Assembler: from the most traditional crafting to the mastery of the latest high technology, expertise is required at every level to ensure the lasting quality and comfort of your watch that will not only serve you with its functions but will also bring you a lifetime of satisfaction every time you look at it to read the time.

So, without further ado, put on your lab coat and hairnet (yes hairnet, not even the tiniest particle of dust is allowed inside your case!), grab your screwdriver, finger cots, tweezers and loupe, and let’s do this! And please remember, most watchmakers agree that no matter how good you are, or will be, watchmaking school teaches about 60% of the basics to get you started, 35% more is learned after 5 to 10 years on the job, and the remaining 5% remains a mystery to most.

The list below is presented in the order in which a watch is imagined and completed, based upon a high-end Swiss watch.

• The Designer: The dilemma of the chicken or the egg, which comes first: the visualisation of a finished case or the sketches?  While they know what kind of watch they want to 

make: sporty, dressy, or classic, watchmakers often explain that their visualisation of a new case appears as a lightning flash, and it is only while sketching lines, curves and angles that the final forms and proportions of the desired case finally emerge.  Once satisfied with the result, the design is handed over to Technical Designers and Engineers to produce CAD (Computer-Assisted Design) drawings of the case and its parts in 3 dimensions.  These are used to produce a prototype. Lugs, crown, bezel, hands, numerals, indexes and strap clasp are also designed/selected at this stage, although many changes may be made after these initial choices. 

• The Engineers: Based upon the final drawings, Micro-mechanics Engineers make the case components using techniques that can include hand-machining in resin or wax or 3D printing, before moving on to a CNC-machined case including lugs, crown and bezel, these latter three for comparative purposes before launching real production. A QC (Quality Control) Engineer ensures the perfect reproduction of all the parts.
• Assembler: The skills of The Case Assembler determine the perfect interlocking of the case architecture and structure, its resistance and its capability to embody and protect the movement, thus enabling the pursuit of real case production in a chosen metal or composite material.

Sapphire glass is rarely produced in-house, rather is acquired in the necessary size from specialists in Switzerland and other countries.

• The Movement Designer:  Movements can be produced either entirely in-house with total freedom of design for the movement and consequent display of its functions on the dial, or can be adapted from existing movements with in-house modifications and modules to suit the functions of the new watch, with fewer design options on the dial.
  Either way, the process is similar to that of the case, with sketches and a CAD Office to produce engineering drawings before moving on to a prototype, followed by QC testing of components for tolerance so that assembly can be made.
• The Movement Assembler: This process is very complicated, assembling the many components, sometimes barely visible to the naked eye, that power the watch, including the gear train, the mainspring, the escapement and balance wheel, interspersed with jewel bearings – synthetic sapphires and rubies that reduce friction from the moving components. A standard mechanical watch movement has 130 components; some movements with multiple complications have thousands of them. Once assembled, Tests for Timing Accuracy (timekeeping) are performed before launching final production. A fine example of performance is The TAG Heuer Mikrograph — a mechanical chronograph with two movements that measures 100th of a second!
• Testing: Many TAG Heuer automatic movements obtain the Official Swiss Chronometer Control (C.O.S.C.) certificate, awarded by a Team of Experienced Watchmakers and Technicians for accuracy and precision (consistent rates). To determine this, the movement is tested over a period of 15 days, in 5 different positions: dial up/down, crown up/down/left/right at 3 temperatures.  Adjustments are made to the movement when the average daily rate exceeds -4/+6 seconds. Another testing procedure in Besançon, France awards Le Poinçon Vipère to encased movements.

The dial is often referred to as the face of the watch, and for good reason – it is often the dial that first attracts us, or not. Watch dials can be made from many materials, but the majority are some form of metal, and typically copper or brass.  Once the correct size and shape are produced, Specialised Technicians oversee galvanisation to prevent rusting, and apply chemical treatments to transform the colour and/or created a sunray or brushed effect. Artisans can complete the dial with lacquer, guilloché, engraving and/or enamelling.  The Dial Component Maker produces the hands, numeral, indexes, and date and other windows.  Once examined, these elements are forwarded to the final Dial Maker who meticulously transfers and / or applies numerals and indexes, logos and watch names, and the hands. One tiny mistake and the dial will be destroyed.

Decoration of the dial, the case, and the movement is a determining factor in the quality and often price, of a watch.  Among the Highly Skilled Craftspeople who intervene at various stages in the watchmaking process are The Polisher who can chamfer angles and create a black mirror effect on some of the movement components and bridges, in addition to providing a final finish to cases. Guilloché Operators create marvellous textured patterns on the dial, Engravers decorate the case, crown and movement, adding texts to the case back,  Miniature Painters and Enamellers beautify the dial, with enamel applied in four to five layers, each heated at 800 to 1200 degrees centigrade, and Jewellers/Stone-Setters apply precious stones to the bezel and crown.  These “Métiers d’Art” are supported by brands who wish to perpetuate traditional watchmaking.  

More Testing is made once the watch is completely assembled for Airtightness and Water Resistance.

Other skilled workers that are not part of the watch production but equally important are: 

The watch repairers who must know how to disassemble and reassemble the movement, test and repair stress, accuracy, and endurance, clean the movement, case, and dial, change the battery of a quartz watch and the straps in the absence of an Interchangeable Strap System.

And finally, we must not forget the sales team who must know everything to correctly advise the customer to install confidence, and without whom brands would not have the necessary funding to research and create new watches.