How are Rolex Watches Made?
Rolex is one of the most well-known watch companies in the world, renowned for its quality of production and design. In this article, we are going to share how these stunning watches are made.
Materials
904L stainless steel – Rolex is committed to beauty, functionality, and durability in equal measure, and that’s why they use 904L stainless steel; it’s highly corrosive resistant and has a great sheen when it’s polished.
Platinum – platinum is a rare, precious material and visually striking. It’s been hailed as a prestigious metal that can display precious stones in a way no other metal can. Rolex uses 950 platinum, and when combined with ruthenium this produces a robust material with great shine.
Gold – Rolex is well versed in working with gold, in fact, they create their own in-house as a quality assurance measure. Rolex only uses 18ct gold, and when it’s mixed with elements like silver and copper, it produces different types of gold like yellow, white and its unique Everose Gold.
Design and manufacture
The design, manufacture, and testing for Rolex take place inSwitzerlandacross four different locations:
Bienne
TheBiennesite has more than 2,000 people who work on the movements of Rolex watches. This level of manpower is needed because hundreds of tiny components and complex geometry is used in the design of a Rolex watch. Skilled operators and watchmakers perform testing by hand, which means from the beginning, the production of Rolex watches is immaculate. Their intense focus on production means each watch meets the high standards of the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute.
Geneva: Chêne-bourg
At Chêne-bourg, the dials are designed and the gemological department set the precious stones into each watch by hand. Rolex upholds a great quality standard which is why when they source materials such as diamonds from suppliers, the gemology department checks the incoming stones thoroughly to make sure they are all genuine, through processes like x-raying.
Geneva: The Plan-les-Ouates
The Plan-les-Ouates location is where the production and development activities take place for watch cases and bracelets. This includes casting the gold and polishing the finished components. This is actually the largest of their sites, divided into six wings. It’s also the place where Rolex’s signature Everose Gold was developed.
Geneva: Acacias
At Geneva Acacias, Rolex performs quality control checks to the final watches. This is just one of the many quality control stages Rolex undergoes throughout the watch-making process. In one of their labs, watches are put under a stress test where the movements, bracelets and case experience simulated wear by robots and machines. This ensures the Rolex watch is capable of lifelong endurance. This is also the Rolex World Headquarters where management, research, development, design and sales service takes place.
The Rolex brand is coveted for good reason; the workmanship and artistry that goes into their work is impressive. We greatly admire Rolex, which is why we always carry a range of their timepieces in our current stock. You can take a further look online, or visit our Ramsgate branch to see them and chat to our Rolex experts!