The balance wheel is like the the beating heart of a watch. Sort of the fulcrum of the watch. Max says he's obsessed by balance wheels.>> I'm a basically a balance wheel fetishist. I love balance wheels. It's the heart and it's so beautiful, but it's inside the movement and at the back and you don't see it. So the idea was why don't we showcase this beautiful piece and make it gigantic.So this is legacy machine number one. 2011 we launched the very first in the series of what we call the flying balance whee ...

So this house was created in 1907. It's actually a house where people lived. So we're going into the workshops now.>> This is the workshop. >> I told you there's a >> likably eccentric Swiss engineer who makes crazy watches you won't find anywhere else. Where does he work.The Madhouse is exactly what you're picturing. One thing that struck me at the mad house was the the combination of these centuries old techniques and some of these tools that were around in in the 16 and 1700s, but also there was this hig ...

Before we left the workshop, the De'ource insisted on showing us this party trick. A halfozen of his pocket watches set to chime in synchronicity meant to echo the sounds of the valley when the farmer's going up on the mountain, you know, with a big bell. >> All these years and it still brings you pleasure and a smile.>> Yeah. Moment was marvelous. >> Yeah, >> it brought us a smile, too.But then again, we're suckers for the evocative sound of a classic mechanical time piece. ...

People & Collaboration - Phipe Defor, a master watchmaker, has a new apprentice, Daniela, who is also his 24-year-old daughter [1] - Daniela expresses a deep relationship with her father and curiosity about his work [1] Watchmaking Process & Emotion - The process involves working on something very small, requiring a loop for visibility [1] - The watchmaker experiences a "sigh of relief" upon completion [2] - Seeing the watch's heart beating for the first time evokes a feeling of creating life [2]

Industry Perspective on Mechanical Watches - The mechanical watch industry acknowledges the inherent "pointlessness" of mechanical watches in the modern era, particularly since the advent of quartz technology [1] - The industry emphasizes that the value of mechanical watches lies in emotional art and artisanship, rather than functional timekeeping [1] Company Operations and Ownership - One company's watch movement contains 364 components, and the case contains 92 components [2] - Buser's company sold a 25% share to Chanel, indicating growth and external investment [2] Sales and Customer Perception - The company interviews clients before selling watches, which can cost $250,000, suggesting a focus on exclusivity and customer relationships [2] - The company expresses annoyance at customers viewing watches primarily as investments, rather than appreciating them as art [2][3] - The company acknowledges that customers making money reselling watches is a "beautiful gift," but it should not be the primary motivation for purchase [3]

We had hundreds, thousands of people contacting us saying, "How can I get one of your watches? >> Could you accommodate this demand?" >> No, because we don't want to grow. >> That's right. Buser has no interest in ramping up from his current output of roughly 400 watches a year.>> See the level of wow >> detailing. You're looking as if you're looking at a little city. >> And of course, all of this is not only beautiful, it has to function.The loop lays bare just how painstaking this work can be. I mean, thi ...

Of course, it's a small cohort that can afford this kind of status symbol. The equivalent of a Ferrari for the wrist. And it's go to walk into a shop and just buy a watch. It's a process.>> A dance in gloves. At PC Philippe, we were shown a new model with a split second chronograph. >> Let me put it on your wrist.This is going to be nice. >> List price north of $300,000. >> If somebody said, "I love this watch. I saw this in your window." Can they walk in off the street and say, "Please, please take my cred ...

Industry Transformation & Strategy - Swiss watchmaking faced a crisis due to the rise of cheaper, more accurate quartz watches from Japan [1] - The Swiss watch industry responded by launching Swatch and focusing on the high-end mechanical watch market [1] - The industry adopted high pricing and limited supply as a business model [1] Market Share & Value - Swiss watches account for less than 2% of global units sold [2] - Swiss watches represent more than 50% of the market's overall value [2] Pricing & Value - A Richard Mille mechanical watch was priced at $2 million [2] - The watch is 1.75% mm thick [2]

In Switzerland, we like to do things well. >> We hear about that famous Swiss precision. >> It's all about very minute details.>> This is not a product that degrades over time. >> Not really. A watch movement is something that is absolutely incredible if you think about it.It runs 24hour a day. Okay. And some people are saying like minus plus or five seconds per per day.Oh, that's that's a big thing. But if you think about it in the day, I mean, you have 86,400 seconds. Okay.So if it you have a little bit d ...

Company Overview - Ja Lutra was founded in 1833 when Antoine Lutra turned his family barn into a watchmaking studio [1] - The company's watchmaking process is segmented, with each employee specializing in one of 180 crafts [1] Product & Craftsmanship - The company is known for the Reverso model, originally designed for polo players [2] - The Reverso watch features a flip face to protect it during competition [2] - The company employs artisans who reproduce masterpiece paintings on the back of watches [2] - The company pioneers complications in watchmaking, such as the minute repeater and perpetual calendar [3] - The perpetual calendar complication accounts for leap years and is precise until the year 2000 [3] - The company's timepieces are entirely mechanical, with no electronic components [4] - Some timepieces can be worth 1500000 dollars and take over a year to assemble [4]