On 5 and 6 November 2014, in Le Locle, eight members of L'Orologio Club had the opportunity to visit the Zenith manufacture, witnessing the different stages of the production process of a timepiece, from start to finish. The tour began in the research and development department, where designers and manufacturers work on the computer to create a movement from scratch or, alternatively, to add a complication to an existing movement. The next step takes place in the prototyping department where bridges and plates are made from square brass plates on which CNC milling machines work. From the production of the components to assembly, we go through various stages that include decoration operations, checking the movements and the quality of their finishing, pre-assembly of movement sub-parts, up to the actual assembly whereby the complete gauges take shape. Finally, the movements are adjusted by means of appropriate electronic equipment following the criteria imposed by the COSC, the dial and hands are manually assembled, the movements are cased and the movement is checked. The last operation: the assembly of the bracelets or straps, supervised by a supervisor who gives approval for the parts produced. The visit to the manufacture ended with a presentation of the new Zenith products, divided among the company's catalogue collections: Academy, El Primero, Pilot, Captain, Star. A moment always much appreciated by the members of L'Orologio Club, who thus had the opportunity to wear their favourite pieces and, together, to compare the evolutions of the different watch lines and the characteristics that distinguish them. But above all, the opportunity to admire the finished product live, previously 'narrated' step by step by those who live the world of watchmaking with passion and absolute dedication.
