{"id":274,"date":"2023-02-16T10:06:41","date_gmt":"2023-02-16T09:06:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uhrinstinkt.com\/magazine\/?p=274"},"modified":"2023-08-21T15:41:14","modified_gmt":"2023-08-21T13:41:14","slug":"watch-caliber-make-or-buy-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uhrinstinkt.com\/magazine\/watch-caliber-make-or-buy-decision\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch caliber make-or-buy decision"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00ab Own production or external use in the watch industry \u00bb<\/h2>\n

Make it yourself or have it made? Almost every technical discussion on the subject of mechanical watches ends in a discussion about manufacture calibers and bought-in movements. But what factors influence the make-or-buy decision of manufacturers? Is in-house manufacture superior in every case? We contrast the merits of both alternatives and explain which manufacture and standard movements are the most influential models in the industry.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What does the make-or-buy decision say?<\/h2>\n

The movement is literally at the heart of every mechanical timepiece and poses a key question for its brand: should the drive be developed and produced in-house in painstaking work (“make”) or bought in from a specialized movement manufacturer like ETA (“buy”)? What is primarily an emotional question for the enthusiast is of enormous economic significance for watch manufacturers and by no means a binary decision. Rarely is a complete purchase or a one hundred percent caliber production “in-house” given; rather, sub-processes such as the finishing or the assembly of the movement are taken over in-house. The point at which a caliber may bear the coveted name “manufacture movement” is not defined by law and is thus left to the individual ideas of each watch brand.<\/p>\n

\"Watch
By Jpr, CC BY-SA 3.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=11709124<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Prestige at a high price: Manufacture status is coveted<\/h2>\n

The general opinion is that genuine manufacture movements should originate from independent development and pass through the majority of their value chain in the house of the respective manufacturer. Contrary to the meaning of the word, manual labor need not be a given, as numerous mass-produced manufacture movements from the Breitling B01 to the Heuer 02 prove.<\/p>\n

\"Breitling<\/a> \"Tag<\/a><\/p>\n

But even without manual intervention, in-house production involves enormous costs: If a watch brand designs a new movement, hundreds of components have to be developed over months to years, machine manufacturing processes have to be adapted, and tests have to be run until it is ready for series production. The process consumes millions, involves financial risks and requires strategic foresight. It would be cheaper, faster and safer to reach for the tried and tested shelves of raw material producers. But the enormous prestige of a “manufactory,” as manufacturers with self-developed movements are reverently dubbed in the trade, is reason enough for the rocky road to one’s own caliber.<\/p>\n

\"YouTube\"

Mit dem Laden des Videos akzeptieren Sie die Datenschutzerkl\u00e4rung von YouTube.
Mehr erfahren<\/a><\/p>

Video laden<\/a><\/p>