Mechanical watches. Made by hand in Sainte-Croix.
One watchmaker. One bench. Eleven watches a year.
Every Orvell watch is drawn, cut, finished and assembled at a single bench in Sainte-Croix. The movement you just took apart is the one inside the watch.
Visits are by appointment. Most clients come twice: once to choose, and once to collect.
About 450 hours at the bench, per watch
How a watch is made, in six drawings.
Sheet 1 of 6
About 120 hours
Drawing
Every part is drawn to the hundredth of a millimetre before any metal is cut. The drawings become the plan for the whole watch.
Sheet 2 of 6
About 90 hours
Cutting
Plates and bridges are cut from German silver, wheels from brass and pinions from hardened steel. Teeth are cut one wheel at a time.
Sheet 3 of 6
About 160 hours
Finishing
Geneva stripes, perlage, bevelled and polished edges, blued screws. None of it is needed to keep time. All of it is done by hand.
Sheet 4 of 6
About 40 hours
Assembly
Around 130 parts go together under a loupe. Each jewel is pressed in and each screw is tightened to its own setting.
Sheet 5 of 6
About three weeks
Regulation
The watch runs on a timing machine in five positions and at three temperatures until it holds its rate within a few seconds a day.
Sheet 6 of 6
About one week
Casing and delivery
The movement is cased, the case is sealed and pressure-tested, and you collect the watch from the atelier or we bring it to you.
“I asked how long it would take. He showed me the drawings first.”
Hélène Marchetti, collector, Geneva. OV-1 No. 04
We also service and restore.
Our own watches, and independent and older pieces from other makers. Every service ends with a rate test in five positions.
Full service
6 to 8 weeks
The movement is taken apart, cleaned, re-oiled, reassembled and regulated. Worn parts are replaced with new ones we make ourselves.
Restoration
3 to 9 months
For older and independent watches. Missing parts are drawn and made by hand to match the originals, and every step is photographed for you.
Regulation
1 to 2 weeks
If your watch is gaining or losing time, we adjust the balance and check its rate in five positions.
Come and see the bench
Tuesday to Friday, by appointment. Bring a watch you would like us to look at.