Wikipedia: In business, «Gemba» refers to the place where value is created
Here: A visit to a «real» watch manufacture (in the true sense off the word)
{more pictures (about 30) than text (reading time: approx. 6 minutes); alternatively/in addition (only in German, though) you can watch the YouTube video here (Zeitwinkel starting at 01:09:30) or listen to the Podcast (in English) here}

In April 2023, several fortunate circumstances came together to allow us to celebrate a European Fifth Wrist get-together in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
We used this opportunity to send a delegation to visit Formex and one of the most extraordinary independent watch making companies in Switzerland, Zeitwinkel.  

Why do I call them extraordinary?
Well …

1: Unlike most brands, Zeitwinkel has not a history of hundreds of years – not even a fake or «bought» one. Rather, Zeitwinkel was only founded in 2006 in Switzerland by a couple of 

2: German enthusiasts who 

3: still own and run the company.

4: And they started with developing a movement from scratch.

We found Zeitwinkel in St. Imier, just a stone’s throw from LCdF. While St. Imier may not be the first thing that comes to your mind when it comes to watchmaking centers, I would like to remind you, that companies like Breitling and Heuer were established here as well as Longines, which still has it’s headquarter and factory in this small town (just over 5.000 inh.) at the foot of the «Mont Soleil».   

Albert, one of the founders, welcomed us in the workshop of Zeitwinkel, which is located in a typical old watchmaking building (it used to be a dial factory before).

Inside, the premises essentially consist of three large rooms:
a functional showroom with a kitchenette, one room for the rather coarse, metal-cutting work and the main workshop. 

While Zeitwinkel develops and builds the whole watch itself (with the help of parts manufacturers as usual), the individual parts are manufactured by specialized partners. However, there is still a need for (old fashioned and modern) hardcore machinery. 

Not only to make prototypes or so, also sometimes even the best suppliers do not match the high standards Zeitwinkel sets and need to be reworked.
And as you may see, they have all the possibilities.

But now let’s go to the workshop, the room where the magic happens (we will return to the show room with a few watch pics later).

You can see, all four sides – and the center – of the room are used to set up workbenches for a wide variety of tasks.
(As a side note, you also see, that all the windows are fitted with blinds   … these days electronic workplace lighting is so much better than in the past … and more consistent and reliable.)

As mentioned before, parts are manufactured externally and finished and assembled in the workshop.
While this seems to be the case with many watch brands, it is something completely different here.
Because «parts» does not mean »movements« it means, well, parts only.
For example this kind of wheel, which drives the date, is fitted by hand with the 30 (the gap is intentionally) small pins!

When we arrived at a Friday afternoon we had the opportunity to watch two of the watchmakers at work.
Here you can see the placement of these tiny pins with a small special tool. Can you spot them on this white container next to the movement (in the left part of the picture)?  

The second watchmaker was working on another small part, polishing it using a kind of wooden stylus. The green underlay you see here is in actual fact a very fine sandpaper!
The finished part is then stored on this wooden block and later finds its way into the movement as an vital part.

As indicated earlier, this report is more about pictures than text. So I’ll leave you for a few minutes with a couple of impressions from the workshop. 

The following pictures try to give an impression of the dimensions of the parts processed and finished here.

  

 

Even though the case and the dials and hands etc. are of exceptional quality, the star of the show at Zeitwinkel is the movement.
We have asked Albert why the use untreated german silver for their movements, and the spontaneous answer was „because we can!“.
German silver is not only a comparatively hard and corrosion resistant material, it also – hence the name – is just damn good-looking!
Also as Albert pointed out, it is unforgiving. You just are forced to do it right. This is maybe the reason why not many brands dare to use this material.
And as you will have recognized, at Zeitwinkel this is paired with exceptional finishing and attention to detail.
I mean, just have a look (and these are by no means professional, “advertising“ pictures): 

You can probably tell, we were excited about the place, the people and the process.
Not to mention the watches …

My personal favorite is the as warm as exceptional terracotta dial, whose working title as was «cow snout».

Thanks, Albert, thanks Zeitwinkel!😀

 

PS:
You know, you’re in the Swiss Confederation when even the handle of the toilet flush is «Made in Switzerland» …

PPS:
picture credit for various of the above photographs: @the349designer, @fry_257 and @myhorologicaljourney