1/5 The production sites
Rolex world headquarters, located in the Acacias district of Geneva, brings together the Executive Board as well as all administrative, commercial, communications, sponsorship and philanthropic activities, along with exports and worldwide after-sales service. Extended in 2022, the Acacias site also houses the design, research and development activities that are crucial to the genesis of new Rolex watches.
Further, the site has two imposing production units, where the final assembly of the watch components made at other sites is carried out. Finished watches also undergo a series of tests at this site before receiving the Superlative Chronometer certification, which guarantees unparalleled performance in terms of precision, power reserve, waterproofness and self-winding.
The cycle that brings the watch to life begins in Acacias.
Thanks to the degree of integration and industrial independence it has acquired, Rolex can form highly autonomous, multidisciplinary teams and provide them with optimal working conditions to design every facet of a wristwatch from the very start of a project.
This structure brings together everyone involved in the design and development phase in one location while integrating all of the industrialization aspects and taking into account feedback from after-sales service.
In the initial phase of a project, Rolex deploys extensive human and technical resources to ensure the reliability of the chosen technical solutions. This crucial phase includes many stages of numerical modelling and prototyping along with rigorous testing. During the development of its new products, the company uses exclusive technology for accelerated ageing of the components.
In addition to the design and prototyping phases, Acacias also accommodates final assembly and Superlative Control testing operations.
The final assembly brings together the various components of the watch that are manufactured on the three other Rolex sites: fitting the dial and the hands on the movement, casing up the movement, and fitting the bracelet. These operations are performed by hand.
This step includes a large number of aesthetic and conformity control measures. It also involves the registration of the serial number of the movement, the case and the dial in a centralized database, a measure essential for the traceability of the product worldwide.
After assembly, the Superlative Chronometer certification, exclusive to Rolex, comprises checks to guarantee the key areas of performance that may be disrupted during the course of the manufacturing process – precision, power reserve, waterproofness and self-winding.
All tests are conducted after the movement has been cased, to be as faithful as possible to the conditions under which the watch will be worn by its owner. These Superlative Control tests are carried out according to exclusive methodologies that make use of entirely automated high-technology equipment developed by Rolex.
The tolerance criteria are much stricter than for the official certification with regard to the average rate deviation, the daily precision as perceived by the wearer. The deviation for a Rolex Superlative Chronometer must not exceed −2/+2 seconds per day, after casing, versus −4/+6 seconds per day required by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) for the movement alone.
The waterproofness of each watch is tested in a hyperbaric tank. Watches guaranteed waterproof to a depth of 100 metres (330 feet) are tested at a water pressure equivalent to their rated depth plus 10 per cent, while divers’ watches – waterproof to 300, 1,220, 3,900 and 11,000 metres (1,000, 4,000, 12,800 and 36,090 feet) – are tested with an additional safety margin of 25 per cent, as required by the standards for these watches. The water tests are performed according to an exclusive methodology developed by Rolex to obtain extremely precise and reliable results.
After successfully undergoing Superlative Control testing, each watch receives the green seal and the international five-year guarantee that always accompanies it.
The Rolex Training Centre is dedicated to talent and employee development, facilitating the exchange of know-how between generations. Located in Geneva near Rolex world headquarters, it provides courses for employees and company managers as well as training for apprentices, with the goal of perpetuating Rolex’s singular know-how. The company aims to pass on to younger generations its pride in its skills and mastery of its knowledge.
Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex, wanted to ensure both the commercial success of the brand and the well-being of its employees. The Training Centre perpetuates this philosophy by passing on the company’s heritage through the training and development of each individual. It therefore affirms the brand’s position as a role model and source of inspiration for the present generation and those to come.