Where is cartier watches made

What, they wonder, is going on? To that end, Cartier has quietly spent a fortune over the past six years developing in-house the mechanical watch know-how it needed. Cartier decided to start making its own mechanical movements a year or so after Fornas became CEO in Cartier then, as now, produced several hundred thousand watches annually the firm does not disclose the exact number. It was already vertically integrated for its quartz-watch production, a legacy of the s and s when Cartier was a quartz-watch powerhouse.

It produced almost all 90 percent of its quartz movements in-house and manufactured a significant percentage of its cases and bracelets. For its mechanical watches, however, like many Swiss watch firms, it was an assembler, relying on a network of outside suppliers for its mechanical movements. The factory had access to mechanical movements from suppliers within the Richemont Group like Jaeger-LeCoultre and Piaget as well as a number of prominent outside suppliers like Girard-Perregaux.

There were other issues, too, like delays in getting deliveries of movements and concerns about securing spare parts from movement suppliers for future watch repairs. Fornas approved the project in It took three years to complete. One example: Cartier produced watch bracelets in 12 different sites in the region. When it was finished in June , Cartier had created one of the largest fully integrated watch production facilities in Switzerland. Within the building, expanded to 40, square meters, employees from 37 countries work in every area of watchmaking, from research and development to after-sales service.

The manufacture is organized in zones that bring together all the skills required to produce a particular watch or movement so as to facilitate communication between departments. It makes quartz movements, mechanical movements, movement components plates, bridges, etc. As part of the reorganization, Cartier hired from outside and developed inside the talent it needed to make mechanical watches for its Fine Watchmaking collection.

She now oversees 20 people. The Santos Skeleton differs from other skeleton watches in that Forestier-Kasapi designed the movement to display the time.

Caliber MC is square-shaped to fit the palladium Santos case. You see the Cartier difference — the emphasis on the fine design that is a hallmark of the maison — more dramatically in the Rotonde de Cartier Central Chronograph, where Cartier invented its own way to display the elapsed time by making the chronograph front and center. The watch has a two-tiered dial. On the bottom tier are the hour and minute hands, which circle beneath the chronograph display on the top tier.

But we still have a state-of-the art chrono under the display. This reduces the energy consumption of the chronograph function, Cartier says, and maintains exceptional precision. Our goal is not to be the most complex or have the most complicated watches in the world. The main thing is that the creativity is a tool to be technical. Its striking feature is a tourbillon that doubles as a seconds indicator, circling the dial once every minute.

The hand-wound Caliber MC, another percent in-house manufacture movement, has several unique features, according to Cartier. First, the tourbillon carriage is positioned at the center of the movement and has a special rotational axis. The traditional approach to production, where each area of expertise is separated and isolated from the others, has been abandoned in favour of the methods used in other industrial sectors.

The Manufacture is therefore organised into zones that bring together all of the skills required to produce a particular watch or movement. This teamwork fosters a commitment to share expertise and craftsmanship and helps to constantly improve the quality of Cartier creations.

It is a breeding ground of skills that makes it one of the very few Manufactures capable of producing almost all of the components required by a watch or movement: cases, bracelets, straps, hands, crystals, plates, bridges, etc. Once manufactured, the components are then passed through an air lock into the Watchmaking Area, where the movements, watch heads, and bracelets or straps are assembled.

The air is constantly filtered and recycled in this area to prevent the slightest trace of dust from contaminating any of the tiny parts that make up a movement or watch.

The master watchmakers of the Manufacture assemble several hundred parts one by one, like the conductors of a miniaturised orchestra. First by hand, then using very precise tools, they painstakingly regulate the mechanical movements to ensure perfect timekeeping. Throughout the development phase, Cartier watches are subjected to rigorous testing in a Laboratory that is dedicated entirely to quality control.

Master watchmakers verify the reliability of each new model using a protocol of almost tests applied to the movement, the components, and finally the assembled watch. Supported by sophisticated technology designed to ensure a constant level of excellence in the quality of Cartier watches and movements, this process enables the master watchmakers to submit the timepieces to traditional water-resistance and shock-resistance tests and to expose the watches to extreme climatic conditions and strong magnetic fields.

The running of the movement is tested using a high-speed camera 33, images per second that can detect the slightest irregularity. Preserving artisanal expertise to meet the challenges of tomorrow Watchmaking is a delicate art: creating highly sensitive mechanisms calls for unique expertise combined with specialist manual skills.

The Cartier Manufacture is thus strongly committed to preserving the essence of this ancient savoir-faire from day to day, through activities that promote the transmission and teaching of these arts. For this reason, Cartier has set up a watchmaking school, l'Institut Horlogerie Cartier, to provide training in new skills that will ensure the future of Swiss watchmaking expertise.

Similarly, the integration of artistic crafts within the Manufacture itself, such as enamelling and gem-setting, also demonstrates Cartier's determination to preserve these rare and thus vulnerable skills. Much more than a watch…a heritage. Cartier timepieces are made to last forever and can be repaired at any time, as is demonstrated by the earliest Cartier creations, which are already over a century old. Anticipating the challenges of tomorrow, ensuring the durability of its watches, and perpetuating its expertise: these are the avowed objectives of the Cartier Manufacture.

To support this utmost commitment, the Tradition Workshop calls on time-honoured watchmaking skills and tools to guarantee the repair of any Cartier timepiece, whatever its age or condition. A daily commitment Cartier Watchmaking is determined to contribute to the protection of the environment by applying Cartier's Corporate Responsibility policy. Jaeger agreed to be the exclusive supplier of movements for Cartier watches. By this time, the brand was gaining momentum and widespread popularity.

As their global presence grew, they started emerging as one of the most successful watch companies in the world. The early s also mark a time when Cartier introduced several models that have since become icons for the brand. In , the brand launched the first Baignoire and Tortue models. Then, in , Cartier debuted the original Tank. In response, Cartier began adding reference numbers to their watches. In the latter half of the twentieth century, Cartier faced major changes.

By , a group of investors led by Joseph Kanoui had bought the company. In the years following the acquisition, Cartier remained a leader in the watchmaking industry. During the s, Cartier worked to expand its collections and stay one-step ahead of the competition. In , they introduced the first Pasha , and in , they debuted the Cartier Tank Francaise. Cartier has continued to grow into the 21 st century. The brand launched the Roadster in They also released the Santos in as part of the celebration of the th anniversary of the model.