Swiss watch development in Geneva, from drawing to after-sales
CLD Design SA, a watch subcontractor in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva, runs watch development for brands from start to finish: case design and engineering, prototypes, industrialisation, machining, finishing, assembly, final inspection and after-sales service. Machining is carried out by our partner workshops in Plan-les-Ouates; the other steps are carried out in our own offices and workshop. You sign one contract, with us, and we are answerable for all of it.
A brand launching a model comes to us with an idea, a sketch, a finished design or technical drawings, and the project starts wherever it stands. We take it through to delivery of the production batches, then handle its after-sales service. For a single assembly or inspection operation, our page on watch subcontracting in Geneva gives the details.
Who does what, and where
The table follows a project in order and shows who carries out each stage.
| Stage | Deliverable | Carried out by |
|---|---|---|
| Case design | Sketches and 3D renderings of the case, with its shapes and finishes. | CLD offices, Plan-les-Ouates |
| CAD engineering | Dimensioned drawings and 3D files of the case, bezel, caseback and crown, ready for machining. | CLD offices, Plan-les-Ouates |
| Prototypes and fine-tuning | First parts assembled; water resistance, tolerances, bonding and fits settled before production. | CLD workshop |
| Materials and suppliers | Steels, titanium, gold, sapphire and treatments chosen; movement, dial and hand suppliers found. | CLD workshop |
| Industrialisation | Pre-series, manufacturing routings, inspection plans, move to series production. | CLD workshop |
| Machining | Machined parts made to our drawings, checked on arrival in our workshop. | Partner workshops, Plan-les-Ouates |
| Jewellery work and polishing | Laser, soldering and fitting; mirror polishing, satin-finishing, sandblasting; ultrasonic cleaning. | CLD workshop |
| Case assembly, bonding, movement assembly, casing | Case assembled, crystal bonded, movement assembled and then cased; casing ends with a water-resistance test. | CLD workshop |
| Final inspection | Visual inspection, functional test of the movement, instrumented water-resistance test; one file per batch. | CLD workshop |
| After-sales service | Written diagnosis, work only once you approve it, service report returned with the watch. | CLD workshop |
Each stage can also be ordered on its own.
The phases of a project and their deliverables
A full project goes through the phases below, in this order.
- Brief and specificationYou present the project at whatever stage it has reached. We draw up the case specification with you, then the quotation, which sets the scope, the quantities, the indicative lead time and the phase-by-phase schedule.
- Case designSketches, then 3D renderings: the shapes and finishes of the case. The design the brand chooses moves on to engineering. The details are on the watch case design and engineering page.
- EngineeringDimensioned drawings and 3D files of the case, bezel, caseback and crown, produced in our offices in Plan-les-Ouates. They set the dimensions, the tolerances and the water resistance, and they are used for machining. If you come with your own design, this is the stage where we take it over and make it manufacturable.
- Prototypes and fine-tuningThe first parts are assembled and fine-tuned in our workshop: assembly and finishing trials, water resistance, tolerances, bonding, fits between components. Whatever the trials reveal is corrected before production. See watch prototyping and industrialisation.
- Industrialisation and pre-seriesWe draw up the manufacturing routings and the inspection plans. The pre-series, made under production conditions, puts them to the test before series production begins.
- Production: machining, finishing, assembly, inspectionMachined parts are checked on arrival in our workshop, before finishing. They then go through jewellery work and polishing, ultrasonic cleaning, case assembly, crystal bonding and casing, which ends with a water-resistance test. Final inspection covers a visual inspection of the case, a functional test of the movement and an instrumented water-resistance test. Each batch has its own file, and the routings are improved from one batch to the next.
- DeliveryAny non-conformity is isolated and recorded, and no part leaves the workshop without being approved. The batch is delivered to you, with its inspection report if you ask for it.
- After-sales serviceOn arrival: a photographic inventory and a written diagnosis under the stereo microscope. Nothing is started until you approve the diagnosis, and the service report goes back with the watch. You keep the commercial relationship and the warranty; we appear neither on the documents given to the end customer nor in any exchange with them. See watch after-sales service.
What the brand decides, what we carry out
The watch carries the brand’s name, so the decisions that shape the product are the brand’s to make. We carry out the work.
| Subject | The brand decides | We carry out |
|---|---|---|
| Design | The shapes and finishes chosen. | Sketches, 3D renderings, then CAD engineering and dimensioned drawings. |
| Materials and components | The choice of material, movement, dial and hands. | Sourcing materials, treatments and suppliers. |
| Performance | The water-resistance level and the rate tolerance. | Fine-tuning, then inspection of every batch against the inspection plan. |
| Quantities | The quantities ordered. | The schedule set in the quotation, then production of the batches. |
| Customers and warranty | The relationship with its customers, and the warranty. | After-sales service, without appearing to the end customer. |
Movement, dial, hands, crystal: the bought-in components
We do not design movements. The movement, dial, hands and crystal are bought-in components: we find their suppliers, as we do for the case materials (steels, titanium, gold) and their treatments.
During assembly, every component is checked before it is fitted. If you already have suppliers, you deliver your components to us, and we assemble and case them in our workshop.
One contract, machining included
You sign with CLD Design SA and with nobody else. Our partner machining workshops work to our order, and we answer to you for the parts they deliver as for the rest of the project.
The company and its workshop are presented on the About CLD Design SA page.
What our work covers for Swiss made
For a mechanical watch, the Ordinance on the Use of 'Switzerland' or 'Swiss' for Watches (SR 232.119, art. 1a) requires at least the mechanical construction and prototyping of the whole to be done in Switzerland; the case engineering and the prototypes we produce are done in Plan-les-Ouates, and the other conditions are explained on our Swiss made, Geneva provenance and Geneva Seal (Poinçon de Genève) page.
Confidentiality and project file
We sign a non-disclosure agreement on request before any technical discussion. No client brand is named, on this site or in our business dealings.
The project file holds what each phase produces: dimensioned drawings, 3D files, manufacturing routings and inspection plans. In production, each batch has its own file, opened on receipt; the inspection report is available on request.
When a watch we developed comes back for after-sales service, its drawings are already with us. If a component has to be replaced, it is machined from those drawings.
Frequently asked questions
Who machines the components?
Machining is carried out by our partner workshops in Plan-les-Ouates. We order it and we are answerable for it; parts are checked on arrival in our workshop, before finishing.
Can I bring my own design or drawings?
Yes. We take over a brand’s design and make it manufacturable: dimensions, tolerances, water resistance. The project then starts at the engineering or prototype stage, depending on how far your drawings go.
Can I hand over only part of the project?
Yes. Each stage can also be ordered on its own: design and engineering, prototypes, finishing, assembly and final inspection, or after-sales service. For a single assembly or inspection operation, our page on watch subcontracting in Geneva gives the details.
What is the minimum order quantity?
There is no minimum batch for operations carried out in our workshop. For a project that includes machining, the quantity is set in the quotation.
How long does it take, from drawing to first batch?
The schedule is set in the quotation, phase by phase. It depends on your starting point (an idea, a design or technical drawings) and on the quantities.
Who supplies the movement?
A movement supplier that we find for you: sourcing movement, dial and hand suppliers is part of our work. If you already have your movement, you deliver it to us and we case it.
Will the watch qualify as Swiss made?
We cannot promise that: the conditions also cover matters outside our control, such as the origin of the movement, and we issue no certification. Our Swiss made page explains the conditions and what our work covers.
Who is answerable for a defect?
We are answerable to you, whichever stage is involved, machining included. With your customers, the commercial relationship and the warranty remain yours.
Let's discuss
your project.
Tell us about your project: an idea, a sketch, drawings or parts to finish. We sign a non-disclosure agreement on request before any technical discussion.
Chemin du Pré-Fleuri 15
1228 Plan-les-Ouates
Switzerland