Production of Chanel

All starts from a buckle:

In 1987, Chanel decided to develop production of watches and began actively to look for masters who make cases. And in La Chaux-de-Fonds from 1947 the brothers George and Frances Chatelain founded their own factory for the production of watch cases and bracelets with a simple name G&F Chatelain. A little later, bracelets have become the main specialization of Chatelain, and pretty soon the workshop turned into the great factory, and almost all well-known brands order their parts for watches from Chatelain. The company had the capacity for the production of cases for Chanel. Their first joint watch was Premiere in the case with 8 edges and with diamonds incrustation.

Together, the companies have come up with a unique triple butterfly clasp on the elastic springs, making it very comfortable to be closed. This patented by Chanel exclusive clasp has become no guarantee of acceptance Chanel as fashion house, which produces watch collections by license, but as a serious watch manufacturer.

This kind of bracelet has no any other manufacturer, and similar structures, which can be found in Richard Mille and Blancpain, aslo produces the factory G & F Chatelain.

Chanel manufactory:

In 1993, Chanel decided to buy a factory Chatelain, placed on the 8,000 square meters with the most advanced equipment, allowing create the watch cases of any shape and of any material.

From that moment the development of a new technology of creating cases and bracelets for watches of high-strength ceramics had began, which ended seven years later, by the release of the first watch J12 in 2000. Since then the ceramic workshop has become one of the most important in the factory. Production director of the factory Chanel G&F Chateiain Philippe Marty is proud of the fact that his company independently produces real Swiss cases that today is not such a common fact, such as the Swiss calibers. Some famous Swiss brands under seven veils of secrecy order cases for their watches here.

The process of case creating: Only 200 people work on huge area, including designers, engravers and jewelers, as well as management staff. All of the rest space is occupied by machines, run by computers. G & F Chatelain begins from a piece of material: small bars of steel, aluminum, gold or ceramic powder. Accordingly, for work with each material there is a separate department.

Machines and machining centers not just drill holes and machined parts, and simultaneously in three dimensions, but also polish the details, connected among themselves links of bracelets. The only operation that takes place in the "steel" workshop by the person without SNC and without a computer - this is a manual survey of every detail before send the case to the assembly. Of course, in the production process the machines’ operation is controlled by the interactive video cameras that transmit all settings on the computer. But still - the best tool for the final control than a real person, is not yet invented. Besides, it is an original feature of factory Chanel.

Chanel ceramics:

Of course, watch in the ceramic case was not new to the watch industry. But Chanel was the first who applied an exclusive technology in work with this material to produce ceramic parts of any complexity. The raw material for the production of ceramic parts Chanel is used ceramic powder, which consists is in a secret.

When, in the early 90's a creative director of Chanel Jacques Helleu thought that the brand should have its own unique proprietary material, and naturally he took into account two main colors of the fashion home - black and white, which should have perfectly clean and depth tone. The best decision in this case was ceramics. It can be painted in any color on the stage of production. It is not as reflective as metal and therefore does not distort colors. Into the ceramic of Chanel adds a special plastic to get the company’s colors.

The powder is poured into special molds, in them is also put special plastic inserts, and in a special machine powder turns into a monolithic piece. But this detail is not suitable for becoming a watch: it is incredibly fragile and it can be broken by the touch of a finger. To give it unparalleled hardness, the detail is carefully placed in a furnace, where after firing it turns into a super-strong and resistant to scratches ceramics. In the process of burning plastic insert corny melts and turns into the watch case of desired configuration. Then it is polished and sent to the assembly department. The main advantage of ceramic watches – after many years they look like in day of purchase.