Lensman Production Update

I recall not long ago Horage was producing the most inexpensive tourbillion made in Switzerland at $10,000.00. I opted to go Chinese and bought a tourbillion for $750.00 which is still working brilliantly.

The Lensman 1 is $9700.00 which I feel is out of line. I think the Swiss need a trip to China to learn how to build a tourbillion more efficiently.

Having a hard time taking this seriously. You are saying we are out of line offering one of the most accessibly priced Swiss Made tourbillons? Switzerland is the epicentre of performance watchmaking, there simply is no better place on earth to be making movements than here. The access to the best minds, suppliers and watchmakers puts Switzerland at the top when it comes to watchmaking.

Cheap and Switzerland are akin to oil and water. Switzerland is a very expensive country to operate in. Take a holiday here and see just how much a visit to the local pizzeria sets you back. Salaries alone in Switzerland take the top spot globally and this means that operational and purchasing costs for a company are incredibly high. Add in things pertaining to employee health and safety as well as stringent environmental measures and your cost of production compared with most other countries is astronomical. Top talent in watchmaking comes at a cost. If you try to pay less than the average, you get below-average output, and product and soon nobody will want to work for you.

We have visited China extensively and have staff from Asia including one of our founders. Our understanding of cost in the watch industry is very high as previously our founder helped Swiss brands source cases and dials from Asia. There are many good things to be found in Asia and most Swiss brands today continue to source various parts from Asia because Asian companies have really excelled in some areas. The bigger Swiss brands have offices in Asia for managing these parts.

Our motto is to work with the best regardless of where they are in the world. When it comes to movement development and manufacturing there is no better place than Switzerland. Our focus is on building high-performing movements and we see that where we are today is the only place on earth to make this a possibility. Our 200-plus partners are located within a 45-kilometre radius of our facility a very strategic standpoint required to fine-tune tolerances and build high-performance movements.

A recommendation is for you and anyone who is into watches to travel to Switzerland to meet with brands, and watchmakers and just experience the country. Then of course physically visit Asia and do the same thing. You might garner a greater appreciation for the challenges and competition smaller brands like us are up against.

Rather than pick on us for trying to shrink our costs and bring more value to watch enthusiasts maybe ask the big guys why they are selling tourbillons in the hundreds of thousands. As well try to do a fair comparison on material, type of movement and accuracy before trolling those that truly are trying their best to offer more.

Let's face reality. No one needs a watch since we all carry a smart phone. No one needs a Swiss watch since there are companies all over the world making watches. No one needs a tourbillion since they don't do shit to make you watch more accurate. We buy them because we enjoy them. When I was a kid I wore some no name brand dive watch to death. When I was older I became an estate jeweler and developed an appreciation for luxury watches but owned and wore a Rolex OP every day just to try to look successful. Since then I bought a Timex Ironman for fitness and a Tissot PR50 was used for everything else. I always loved watches but didn't start collecting them until I realized that I could own a Sugess Tourbillion for $750.00. 1/15th of the price of an inexpensive Swiss tourbillion.

I could not afford the least expensive Swiss tourbillion, the Horage at the time and to this date I still have not spent over $8K on a single watch.  Most of the watch enthusiasts who participate on WatchCrunch have never spent big money on a watch.  High Horology Swiss watches are priced above the grasp of those who would like to own them. 

If you truly did visit the watch manufacturers in China and still sell your watches at the same high price, then your visit was a waste except for some authentic Chinese food.  Are you producing as many parts on CNC mills as the Chinese?  Are you tumbling your parts in abrasive media to reduce hand deburring? Are you machine beveling? Have you taught cheap laborers to perform hand polishing in order to free up watchmakers for more critical tasks like fitting and assembly? 

You can keep making excuses why Swiss watches have to be so expensive and I will just sit here and wait for the Chinese to develop a production minute repeater so I can own another advanced complication that the Swiss can’t build for a reasonable price.

Watches make for a great hobby. As you said nobody needs a watch and therefore it's more about the mechanical fascination of these timepieces rather than the need for telling the time.

There are enthusiasts here in WatchCrunch and the world over that have an interest in watches of varying finish, precision, complication and of course price points. If price is the driving factor for someone then there are absolutely exciting watches that can be snapped up at various price points. There is however a bottom line of where pricing falls concerning material quality, finish, accuracy and how watches are manufactured regardless of where the company resides. Despite our best efforts cost is a real thing and we simply cannot provide the same quality, finish, accuracy, etc. for less.

We do CNC as well as mechanically deburr and make our own turning parts and we share these processes transparently with watch enthusiasts through posts like the one you are commenting on.

There are economic facts that need to be considered when making watches in Switzerland. We want to provide high quality and accuracy and Switzerland provides that. Of course, we could move somewhere else and try to make things for less, but there would be compromises. If you are happy with your watches as well as the values of the brand and people behind the company then by all means stick with them, nobody is forcing your hand.

Whether one understands it or not there are differences in how one tourbillon is manufactured than another. We have our community, our values and our approach to watchmaking and if someone resonates with us they are welcome to enjoy the journey with us.