Research & Development
The very first step in the creation of a reliable, high performance, exclusive and original watch lies in Research and Development. This sector focuses on two areas, the movement and the exterior parts, which consist of the watch case and the bracelet:
- A team of qualified engineers, technicians, and draftsmen in the movement R&D department, create new caliber, new functionalities, enhance movement reliability, perfect manufacturing technologies for movement components, and determine the manufacturing tolerances that must be respected;
- A team of qualified engineers, technicians, and draftsmen, in the watch exterior R&D department create new watch cases, bracelets, clasps based on the design sketches, and develop prototypes, methods and processes for production.
At all steps, the tasks of finishing and assembling as well as the quality requirements of the Geneva Seal are taken into consideration.
It takes 3 to 5 years of research to develop a new model depending of the complications and could even require up to 9 years for exceptional pieces like the Caliber 89, Patek Philippe’s most complicated portable timepiece.