There are four Rolex factories where rationality, efficiency, practicality and ergonomics meet.
An Oyster case - one of the symbols of Rolexconceived in 1926 - has between 10 and 20 components, and requires between 150 and 300 operations to be manufactured. A Rolex bracelet, on the other hand, requires up to 190 components and a process with hundreds of different operations. Complex operations, both of which the company founded by Hans Wilsdorf (1881-1960) carries out at a dedicated production site in Plan-les-Ouates, a Swiss commune in the Canton of Geneva with just over 10,000 inhabitants.
Then there is the Acacias plant in Geneva, brand's world headquarters, where timepieces are designed and assembledand that of Bielfor the production of movements. And that of Chêne-Bourg, also in Canton Geneva, where gemology and gem-setting activities are carried out and dials, Cerachrom bezels and ceramic Cerachrom bezel discs take shape.
The Rolex production plant in Plan-les-Ouates
At the Plan-les-Ouates site, all case and bracelet development and production activities are concentrated. From the casting of the gold alloys to the moulding and processing of the raw materials and the manual finishing of the finished components.
Inaugurated in 2005, the building consists of six wings - 65 metres long, 30 metres wide and the same number of metres high - connected by a central corridor. It is a structure with a modern character and clean lines, which is also notable for its large dimensions and anthracite grey glass façades, characteristic of the brand's production buildings.
It also houses various workshops and offices. From the foundry in which the three gold alloys Rolex uses for its watches are made - yellow gold, white gold and Everose, the pink gold alloy developed by the brand and patented - to the specialised production unit for exclusive RLX titanium, used for machining and finishing carrure and bracelets. Up to the central laboratorywhich checks the quality of materials and also specialises in chemistry and tribology, the science that studies friction, wear and lubrication.
In addition, like the other Rolex sites, the Plan-les-Ouates site is equipped with an automated, fully computerised storage system. It is designed to ensure the safe and efficient management of the storage and flow of raw materials, components and products between different laboratories.
