Manufacture is a term in the watch industry that you've probably heard of at least once.
You may have heard it before, but do you know what it means?
This time, we will explain the manufacture and introduce some luxury watches recommended by Commit Ginza.
Popular watches sell out quickly. Be sure to sign up for LINE@ so you can get the information before someone else does!
What is a Manufacture?
A watchmaker that produces all of its own watches , including the movement and case design, is called a manufacture.
Manufacture is also sometimes referred to as in-house movement .
A movement is a part inside a watch that moves the hands and date.
It corresponds to the engine part of a car.
A manufacture is a watch that is entirely produced in-house.
An official manufacture is a watch manufacturer that creates and assembles all of its components, from the movement to the case and screws, in-house.
However, even if a prestigious Swiss watch manufacturer designs and manufactures its own movements, they may still produce watches that use Japanese parts for the cases and screws, and are still considered a manufacture.
Furthermore, the production of the hairspring, which is extremely important in mechanical watches, requires extremely high levels of skill.
Even the world's three largest watch manufacturers, which are all manufactures, import hairsprings from outside for their production.
Therefore, there is no clear definition of a manufacture.
Why Manufacture Watches Are Expensive
If we use an already completed movement from another company, we can keep costs down because we only need to design the exterior to match it, but this is not the case when it comes to making a precision movement in-house.
In the case of a manufacture, everything from exterior design to movement production is done in-house, which means a lot of time and labor costs are incurred from testing to sales, resulting in higher prices.
However, by manufacturing all of our watches in-house, we can place the crown in the opposite position or create unusual designs.
The only fully-fledged manufacturer is Japan's proud SEIKO.
World-famous watch makers such as Rolex and Hublot are also manufactures that produce their own movements, but because there are no clear standards, they source smaller parts from elsewhere.
In this regard, SEIKO , a brand that Japan is proud of around the world, can be said to be a complete manufacture , as it handles everything from development to manufacturing in-house , including not only the movements but also the bands and tiny screws.
Etablisseur is cheap because it uses movements from other companies.
An etablisseur is a watch in which the movement and parts are supplied by specialized manufacturers, and the exterior is designed and assembled in-house.
It is sometimes called a general-purpose movement .
By entrusting the development and production of movements to specialized manufacturers, they are able to cut costs associated with development and testing, enabling them to sell their products at lower prices.
Also, if something does break down, repairs can be made cheaply because parts are readily available.
Famous movement manufacturers are ETA and Sellita.
Just because we use movements from other companies does not mean that the functionality or accuracy is inferior to that of manufactures.
They specialize in the development and manufacturing of movements, and many Swiss watch manufacturers such as TAG Heuer and Omega use Etablisseur, so you can wear their watches with confidence.
Famous luxury watch makers that use etablisseurs
Many Swiss watch manufacturers use etablisseurs, so Commit Ginza also carries them.
Among them, we will introduce Omega Tag Heuer, which is one of the most frequently traded brands.
omega
Omega is a luxury watch manufacturer famous for producing pocket watches in 1848.
It was first adopted as the official wristwatch by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) because of its high functionality.
It has also been used in many other venues, including the Olympics and F1 races, so its technical capabilities are guaranteed.
Even new watches are priced at around 400,000 to 600,000 yen, making them affordable even among luxury watches, so popular models tend to sell out quickly when they arrive.
Tag Heuer
TAG Heuer is famous for being worn by tennis player Kei Nishikori and Hollywood star Brad Pitt.
This is a long-established luxury watch manufacturer founded in 1860, and since its inception, its models equipped with chronographs and stopwatches have been popular.
The average price of a new one is 300,000 to 400,000 yen, with cheaper models selling for around 100,000 yen, making it a popular first luxury watch purchase.
Representative watch makers of the Manufacture
We would like to introduce you to some luxury manufacture watches recommended by Commit Ginza.
We hope this will be helpful for those who are interested in the manufacture or are having trouble looking for a watch.
Patek Philippe
Patek Philippe, one of the world's three major watch brands, was founded more than half a century before the famous Rolex, and its high technical skills and status are well-known.
The price is by far the highest among luxury watches, but it will become even more expensive as the consumption tax will be raised to 10% from October 1, 2019.
At Commit Ginza, we offer our products at prices that are easy for everyone to afford, so if you have any concerns, please feel free to contact us before the tax increase.
Rolex
The world-renowned Rolex was founded in 1905 and initially sourced its movements from the watch manufacturing company Egler rather than from a manufacture.
The development of the revolutionary self-winding mechanism, the Perpetual, in 1931 led to the creation of a variety of in-house movement models.
In 2000, the company became a manufacture brand, producing all of its models in-house, including chronograph movements that had previously been sourced from other companies.
Because it is a globally recognized brand, prices do not depreciate easily, and depending on the model, it can be sold for more than the purchase price, so popular models sell out quickly.
Jaeger-LeCoultre
Jaeger-LeCoultre is a long-established luxury watch manufacturer founded in 1833.
The company already had such high level of technology that for around 30 years from 1902, it collaborated with Patek Philippe, one of the world's three greatest watchmakers, to manufacture movements.
Designed and developed by Patek Philippe, manufactured by Jaeger-LeCoultre.
Thanks to its high level of technical expertise, Jaeger-LeCoultre also supplied movements manufactured by Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, and others.
The brand has many models that suit Japanese people with thin arms, and is popular at Commit Ginza.
Panerai
Panerai was the one that started the boom in large, thick watches, but when it was first founded, it sourced movements from ETA and manufactured its watches using them.
Since successfully developing its own in-house movement in 2005, the company has sold a variety of watches, including models with a power reserve that can run for up to eight days continuously.
Models that previously used movements from other companies are now being replaced with in-house movements, so the day is likely not far off when all models sold by Panerai will be manufacture movements.
summary
What do you think of our introduction to the manufacture?
A manufacture is a watch that is made entirely in-house . Although the price is high, by making the watches all in-house, the brand is able to design freely and the watches are packed with the brand's passion.
Etablisseurs manufacture their watches using parts sourced from other companies, which allows them to keep development costs down and sell them at low prices. Although the watches have plenty of functionality and history, they have to make the watches to fit the movements they source from other companies.
The manufactures recommended by Commit Ginza introduced this time are:
- Patek Philippe
- Rolex
- Jaeger-LeCoultre
- Panerai
is.
When choosing a luxury watch from now on, why not consider whether it is a manufacture watch?
Popular watches sell out quickly. You can get the information before someone else does, so be sure to sign up for LINE@ !
If you want to sell your luxury watch for a high price in Tokyo, be sure to come to Commit Ginza!
- "I want to sell my unused watch for as much as possible."
- "I want a thorough assessment."
- "I want to buy from a store with a good track record."
- "I want to buy luxury watches at low prices."
If you have these requirements, Commit Ginza is perfect for you !
Commit Ginza is a watch store that operates on the concept of "buy high, sell low" in the used watch market, where prices are said to be difficult to understand.
Our experienced watch appraisers assess the watches to determine the market value and set the appropriate price. We also strive to maximize the profit margins of our stores and improve customer satisfaction.
As a result, the commission rate for deposit sales is only 3% (industry average is 10%).