Located just outside La Chaux-de-Fonds, this production unit specialising in the development and manufacture of mechanical movements radiates a tireless quest for performance and precision. All the movements that emerge from this avant-garde facility are destined to earn COSC certification. And in reference to the title of this column, the very atmosphere of the place is rigorously controlled: the air is renewed every 10 minutes; the temperature and humidity level in each area are automatically regulated; the rooms where components are unpacked are kept in a state of underpressure to avoid dust escaping when a door if opened; while the watchmaking workshops are maintained at superpressure to keep the air perfectly pure! So even if the dreaded “enemies” of dust and damp do indeed succeed in entering this area, despite the airlock type double entrance through which all visitors must come, they are thus instantly destroyed.

A focus on eye, hand and machinery
In parallel, entry controls are also rigorously applied to all components intended for the movement and the watch exterior. As factory manager Yann Yerli explains with legitimate pride, Breitling is the only brand in the world to perform automated testing of all barrel springs in order to ensure optimal energy distribution throughout the duration of the power-reserve. Moreover, Breitling deliberately highlights the role of its high-tech machines and strives to increase automation of the circulation of watch movements from one workstation to another along the production line. It expresses this approach in a manner that is fairly unusual among the major watch brands: “the less one handles the movements, the less risk there is of damaging them”. Naturally, the brand also emphasises the irreplaceable knowhow of the Jura-based watchmakers. Eye, hand and machine thus complement each other ideally within such an atmosphere.

This philosophy is doubtless also confirmed by the Breitling pilots who take off regularly from the nearby Eplatures aerodrome. Their aeronautical exploits are depicted on entire walls thanks to large-size visuals by the famous aviation photographer Tokunaga, whose work has been enthusiastically admired by balloonist Bertrand Piccard. This functional and aesthetically pleasing wood, aluminium and glass building is of course intended to reflect the brand itself - a brand that is enjoying favourable development, as illustrated by the collection showcased in the first-floor conference room. Breitling has achieved a successful demonstration of efficiency and performance by applying dedicated hightech measures to watch production.

Rather than an Aladdin's cave, the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre resembles several types of entity: a research laboratory in a state of perpetual effervescence; a community of distinct professions that are united in the quest for horological improvements; and a labyrinth of workshops on several levels and in several interconnected buildings, swarming with men and women passionately dedicated to their functions and to the brand for which they work in perfect osmosis.

A constant flow of innovations
Eight years of research have reached their culmination in a “simple movement”, as marketing director Stéphane Belmont calls the new Autotractor calibre. Nonetheless, this simple movement looks set to revolutionise the self-winding or automatic movement, since it is more sturdier, more reliable, more precise... and less expensive to repair. And to convince us of this, he and his communication team flung wide open the doors of the Manufacture for a full two days of visits and in-depth explanations by specialists. Development director Jean-Claude Meylan began by revealing the secrets of this invention: the unidirectional or one-way winding system turns out to be faster and more efficient; the ceramic ballbearing mechanism eliminates any need for greasing and makes the mechanism more reliable; while the new form of gear-train teeth reduces the loss of energy. More on these innovations in our “news” section...

The most surprising result of a process that cost several million Swiss francs is that it has given rise, not to a new launch in the upper price segment, but to an entry range product in the Master Control 1000 hours line. Moreover, all these innovations were achieved in cooperation with the regular Jaeger-LeCoultre suppliers and are thus now available to any competitors that may wish to take advantage of them. Even more absurdly (in terms of purely financial logic or competitive economics), the Manufacture even developed most of these concepts for its suppliers. As Stéphane Belmont comments, it is basically a question of maintaining independence and of mastering know-how on all levels in order to be able to innovate, to deal with company suppliers as equals, and to contribute to the advancement of mechanical “belle horlogerie”.

Passion, water and gas on all floors
After a delightful “mushroom fondue” evening on the snowy heights of the Vallée de Joux, in company with CEO Jérome Lambert, the visit continued the next day and provided even more surprises reflecting the true extent of the expertise of this genuine Manufacture. After the technical, prototype assembly or testing workshops, came those dedicated to making balance-springs, dials, hands... and even a gigantic electroplating workshop that is unique in Switzerland. Jaeger-LeCoultre is the only brand to have rhodium baths of this size, as well as its own water-treatment plant. Such impressive dimensions are linked to the requirements of the flourishing production of Atmos clocks!

The passion one can see in the eyes of the personnel and the enthusiastic way they describe their role bear eloquent testimony to the pride they feel in working here. Moreover, it is also amazing to see how many of them wear a Reverso or Master Control watch by Jaeger-LeCoultre on their wrist. Transparency is fully apparent on the walls of the premises, where control panels indicate monthly and cumulative productivity, stock levels and any measures that might need to be taken. The driving force behind the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre thus appears to be the quest for internal satisfaction, the final goal being that “everyday people” should be able to treat themselves to a beautiful mechanical watch and enjoy wearing it throughout their life.