How are Luxury watches Made? Videos and Behind-the-Scenes

How are Luxury watches Made? Videos and Insights

How are Luxury watches Made? When it comes to luxury watches, it’s no secret that much of the appeal and attraction comes from the craftsmanship and attention to detail that goes into making them. And whilst we get to appreciate and see the final result by admiring the intricate details, the beautiful decorations, and the complexity of a watch movement (assuming it has a case back), it doesn’t give the whole story of the immense work that has gone into making it.

It is when you truly understand all the hard work that has gone into making something that you can truly appreciate it for what it is. And even though the final result gives a taste of that, it certainly doesn’t tell the full story.

So in this article, we thought we would highlight the behind-the-scenes of how luxury watches are made and what goes into making these highly complex pieces of craftsmanship.

The difference between watches and luxury watches is the work that goes into them

There are some people who say that luxury watches are a waste of money and others who are just curious about whether or not luxury watches are ”worth it”.

The answer to that of course goes further than the craftsmanship that goes into them. It has more to do with whether or you find them worth it personally. And if you don’t, and would much rather spend your money on something else, that is completely fine.

But we would oppose ourselves against the statement that luxury watches are not worth it. The reason for this is that whether or not something is ”worth it” comes down to whether or not you can see the value of the item in question. Sure, you may not think that it is worth spending that much money. But that is not the same as saying that the item is not worth its price.

And this brings us to the purpose of this article.

It’s not like luxury watches that cost, for example, 10.000 USD are just any watch with a brand name stamped on it. Sure, it’s still a watch, but it is about how something is done that is the difference. The devil is in the details. And the details certainly affect the end result.

In order to see the true value of a luxury watch, we need to understand what goes into making them.

Just comparing a 10-dollar Casio watch with a 10.000-dollar Vacheron Constantin and saying that ”they both tell the time” is missing the point. Sure, if you’re buying a watch for the sole purpose of telling the time, then yes, luxury watches are a waste of money. But the reasons people buy luxury watches go so farther beyond just telling the time. There are many more benefits to buying a luxury watch that make them popular, which we have discussed in this article.

As mentioned, the devil is in the detail when it comes to luxury watches. And if you put cheap watches side-by-side with luxury watches, there’s a world of difference. How they are manufactured, the materials they use, the time it takes to make them, the research and development, and the level of watchmaking expertise that is required to make them.

How are luxury watches made?

There isn’t a short answer to this question. The only short answer to this question would be ”a lot different from cheap watches”.

Naturally, each brand does things differently so it’s impossible to say a fixed process that applies to each and every single watch brand. Moreover, the level of exclusivity and luxuriousness of a given watch brand also affects its manufacturing process. For example, the most exclusive and rare watchmakers may only produce a few hundred or thousand timepieces per year. They may devote themselves to true handmade craftsmanship in each and every single step of the process, meaning that virtually everything is done by hand.

In other words, two production processes for two luxury brands can look completely different.

A brand like Rolex may have automated parts of their production process whereas a smaller-scale luxury brand may do virtually everything by hand with a process that requires hundreds of man-hours.

But what all luxury watch brands have in common in regard to their production process are:

Great emphasis on high-quality materials
Many parts of the production process are done by hand by skilled watchmakers
Great attention to finishing, decoration, and details
Strict quality controls in regard to finish, details, and performance

Making a luxury watch means manufacturing using methods and processes that cost more and are more time-consuming than the mass production of cheap and affordable watches. But according to luxury brands, manufacturing watches this way is not just a way of doing it, it is the right way to do it.

Where are luxury watches made?

This is often a key difference between luxury watches and cheap, affordable watches in regards to where they are manufactured, but also how they are manufactured.

The main purpose of manufacturers of cheap luxury watch brands is to make their watches as cheap as possible. As such, this means compromising on things that drive up production costs. In practice, this translate to wages, production facilities, workers’ skills, materials, and much more.

The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of luxury watches are produced in Switzerland. The reason why luxury watches have come to predominantly be produced in Switzerland is a topic for a completely different article. But today, Switzerland is considered the capital of watchmaking that houses a long list of luxury watch brands – including the top luxury watch brands in the world.

Switzerland has long been the home of watchmaking and it is there that much of the watchmaking heritage, history, and most importantly expertise can be found. Therefore, it is only natural that new companies looking to establish themselves as serious and professional luxury watchmakers establish themselves in Switzerland.

And producing watches in a developed country like Switzerland comes at a price. Workers in Switzerland work under high working standards and have some of the highest wages in the world. They work in fair working environments and are paid fairly for the expertise and knowledge that they possess. This of course leads to higher production costs. Unlike cheap watches, luxury watch brands focus on quality rather than affordability. These brands do not only need workers. They need highly skilled workers that can craft their watches to perfection.

Cheap watches are almost always mass-produced in countries with low wages and poor working conditions. Employees are hired based on numbers and not necessarily based on skill. Some workers are even exploited.

How are luxury watches made?

Whilst many luxury watch brands are very secretive when it comes to their production processes, some brands have produced behind-the-scenes videos and insights into parts of their production processes and how their watches are made. Below, we have compiled a list of interesting behind-the-scenes videos of how luxury watches are made. As mentioned, it is only by understanding how luxury watches are produced that you can truly appreciate what the watches are about, and see their true value.