ASSEMBLY & QUALITY CONTROL

Assembly is the process that allows us to go from a set of parts in kit form to a watch as such. We start here with machined and decorated parts that are assembled to form the watch. The assembly is done in several parts, we must assemble the movement first, then the dials, hands and the case. It is also necessary to control the quality before, during and after the assembly to ensure the smooth running of the process.

ENTRY CONTROL

To ensure that the incoming parts are in good condition, it is necessary to control the batches of parts. A control can be made on the totality of the parts or a sampling can be enough according to the method of manufacture of the batch. This control is important to avoid any mishap at the following stages.

MOVEMENT ASSEMBLY

Once the parts have been machined, decorated and checked, it is common to find them in “kits” which will then be assembled in movements.

LUBRICATION OF THE MOVEMENT

Lubrication of the movement and in particular of this part of the adjustment is very important. We will not apply the same lubrication to the pallets of the anchor as to the axis of the balance wheel. Some points will also be voluntarily not lubricated.

Visit

INSTALLATION OF THE DIAL

Once the movement is assembled, the watch face must be placed and the height of the barrel wheel adjusted. In the high end of the market, we adjust this play without flashing also called friction spring.

INSTALLATION OF THE HANDS

Once the dial has been placed and the sets perfectly adjusted, we will place the hands. We start with the hands closest to the dial and finish with the ones farthest from the dial. If there is a small second it will be the first one followed by the hour and minute hands. There are some rare exceptions where the minute hand will come before the hour hand.

CASING

Casing is the final phase of the assembly of the watch head. Here we install the movement having already received dial and hands in its case, we remove the last dust if there is any, and we close the case.

.

CONTROL DURING THE ASSEMBLY PROCESS

Quality control during the assembly process ensures the quality of the assembly of the parts. And especially to avoid unnecessary work on parts that could be defective. These controls can be done by sampling.

CONTROLS RELATED TO THE ADJUSTMENT

Controls related to the precision of the watch’s operation are carried out throughout the manufacturing process. They are also carried out at different levels of barrel arming. They allow to control the isochronism of the watch.

GOODNESS AUDITS

Quality control is done according to the standard with a magnifying glass and when an imperfection is spotted it is checked again with the naked eye and at 30 centimeters and if it is still visible the imperfection must be corrected.

WATERPROOF CONTROLS

Tightness is mainly tested by machines working with air pressure and vacuum measuring the deformation of the box. These tests have the advantage of being non-destructive in case of failure. Condensation can also be controlled.

FINAL CONTROL

Final control is the one that takes place at the end of the production line. It allows to be sure of the quality of the finished product before its departure.

BECOME A CONTENT CONTRIBUTOR

HOROPEDIA is a participative knowledge platform and we invite all those who wish to contribute to this adventure of sharing watchmaking knowledge to join us.

It can be additional explanations, images or other illustrations or terms not yet identified that deserve to be.

CONTACT