BREITLING - Opens Doors to New Manufacturing Facility

Breitling opens the doors to its new La Chaux-de-Fonds manufacturing facility to journalists for the first time. Worldtempus gives you a premier look.

WORLDTEMPUS - 29 March 2010

Elizabeth Doerr


Breitling presented its solution to the ETA ébauche crunch by introducing its own new chronograph movement in 2009: Caliber B01. “We wanted to be in the pilot’s seat,” explains vice-president of Breitling Jean-Paul Girardin.

Breitling vice president Jean-Paul Girardin explains the philosophy behind Caliber B01 © Elizabeth Doerr/Worldtempus

Last week, for the first time, Girardin opened the doors to this state-of-the-art facility manufacturing the movement to journalists. At this time, Girardin explained that Breitling was one of the few brands able to retain its entire workforce during the economic crisis of 2009. Though the brand did not hire any new employees during these months, it also did not let any go. And this was in great part thanks to the advent of Caliber B01, Breitling’s new in-house automatic chronograph movement.

The production of the movement, as well as the assembly of the ETA 2892 and 7750 calibers still utilized in familiar models, take place in a purpose-built facility christened Breitling Chronométrie. The brand expects to make 50,000 pieces of Caliber B01 this year—which should come as no surprise when you’ve heard that the new movement was the brand’s immediate bestseller upon introduction last year.

Automated assembly of Caliber B01: the winding system is added. © Breitling

Caliber B01 was designed in the space of five years by a five-man-strong team in Geneva making up Breitling Technology; at the same time Breitling set up its Chronométrie in La Chaux-de-Fonds to handle manufacturing and assembly. A number of Caliber B01’s 346 components are supplied—like the reliable Nivarox escapement that keeps its time. But a number are also manufactured right on-premises by state-of-the art machinery that is to a great degree automated. The efficient assembly process is more automated than one generally sees in mechanical watches, right down to the oiling procedure and the laser attachment of the balance spring to its collet. A well thought-out laboratory tests not only the assembled movements, but also analyzes potential assembly or C.O.S.C. problems in advance and even performs research into use of new materials and lubrication. A separate room contains its own five-axis CNC machinery, automatic lathes, and wire spark erosion machine for quick prototyping. And true to its flight path, Breitling even employs eleven people alone for quality control—testing every batch of every component.

Breitling Chronométrie: a state-of-the-art factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds. © Breitling