Lesson 07 · 8 min read
Making a watch is a sequence of 8 broad stages. Mass-market quartz watches collapse most of them into automated lines and ship in days. A grand complication can spend years at a single stage.
The 8 stages — tap to inspect
Concept sketches, calibre engineering, CAD modelling. A new in-house movement averages 3–7 years before first prototype.
How long, end to end?
01
A Casio F-91W is fully automated — 100,000+ units per day from injection-moulded resin and pre-assembled quartz modules. A Patek Philippe Grande Complication 6300 takes ~100,000 hours (over 11 years) per piece because every part is hand-made, hand-finished, and tested individually.
02
Before any metal is cut, R&D for a new in-house calibre averages 3–7 years. Tooling and prototyping add another 1–2. Even 'simple' steps like aging a dial lacquer or sourcing rare meteorite can add months. Bottlenecks are usually finishing, not assembly.
03
Anglage (the polished 45° bevel on bridge edges) is done by hand with rotating wooden pegs and diamond paste. A single bridge can take 8 hours. Multiply by 30 bridges in a high complication and you've spent a month on edges alone.
04
A skilled watchmaker assembles a standard movement in 4–8 hours. Regulation (tuning the balance wheel in 5 positions) takes another 2–4 hours. Complications add days. The final timing test (COSC: 15 days in 5 positions and 3 temperatures) is non-negotiable for chronometers.
Key facts