HOW MANUFACTURE OUR AUTOMATIC WRIST WATCHES
WHAT DO WE DO
Everything starts with an exacting conceptualisation process and by defining the valuable architecture of our automatic wrist watches. This is one of the most delicate and difficult phases to see through, as these ideas and concepts will eventually come together to give shape to a specific design; to a unique watch. Excellent communication and knowledge of the brand and its values are essential when giving our designers and engineers a clear brief;
to design an original, exclusive product for the brand, with a design feature common to all models and that applies UNITY’s 1of1 concept in every way possible. Based on initial shapes and sketches, the chosen designs are polished and fine-tuned to produce the first renders or 3D images of our watches strong and soft.
Work on the engineering of the watch takes place at the same time. The interior geometry of the case and component assembly are defined, water tightness requirements are established and the final dimensions and tolerances of all these parts are determined. This process ends with the modelling of the watch at a 1:1 scale in SLS using the Rapid Prototyping technique, which is used to validate the watch’s aesthetic and proportions.
Then the second prototype phase begins, employing the same materials and technical resources as when the watch goes into production. The first prototype and assembly is made in aluminium and finished with AISI 316L for water tightness, final assembly and surface finish tests.
This phase requires the manufacture of at least one aluminium prototype and three stainless steel versions.
Finally, validated the prototypes of steel, the final production begins. This means using the most advanced technology available; five-axis machining centres sculpt the pieces from a solid block of the chosen material:
aluminium, AISI 316L stainless steel, titanium, bronze marine are materials we use to manufacture our automatic wrist watches. Machining the parts of just one watch (bezel, case, case-back and staples) takes approximately two hours and the production of these pieces is done entirely in Barcelona.
The “staples” are extremely complex to make given the time involved and the number of operations necessary to fully finish them. A very well studied and planned machining strategy is required so that the final pieces exactly match the design in question and have a uniform surface finish.
Finally, the pieces are sent to Switzerland for surface finishing, whether shiny and polished, frosted, DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) black or with a satin finish for titanium.
Once they arrive back in Barcelona, the pieces of our automatic wrist watches are ready for final assembly. Care is taken with every last detail to guarantee good watchmaking practices.
Then all we need is for you to tell us how you would like yours to be.
