KIH
[Purist]
12054
Day 2 - Fleurier Factory
From Geneva, it takes about one and a half to two hours by car, going up and down the mountain. It was summer, so it's okay, but in winter, I wouldn't want to drive.... But Mr. Scheufele as well as Mr. LaForge who have been accompanying me for two days, DO travel at least twice a month. As for Mr. Scheufele, he drives his own Porsche 911 and stays a night or two every time. Surely he loves car and driving them!
The story behind this factory is as following:
- First leased just one floor of the building in 1994, as a new L.U.C specialized atelier/ workshop.
- In 96, the first movement was delivered - the legendary 1.96 - and Chopard decided to acquire all the building and renovated.
- Now this is Chopard-only building and makes mainly L.U.C movement parts and some assembly, testing, and decoration.
So, here we go!
Beautiful building under the morning sun.
Signage of Chopard AND Ferdinand Berthoud.
In the lobby were several of catalogs.
Today's base for me was a conference room on the top floor (sorry!) and the desk has Chopard decoration
)
I assume this to show what the town Fleurier was like long time ago.
Such a wonderful antique piece in the conference room....
Yes, everything is "Chopard"....
Out of the window, there is "Fleurier Ebauche" factory, which used to be Chopard's competitor in movement making, but later Chopard acquired it and now it is a part of Chopard and makes/ assembles movements for Mille Miglia, Superfast, and so on.
This was the only room I was not "openly" allowed to enter. Design Room. Peeked a bit, but couldn't see anything important
)
Joking aside, this room was the first part of the building Chopard leased back in 94, so this is the buzzer to let them know of the visit. Now it is not used, but still here.
Next to that important room was a big picture of caliber 1.96 - of course. I want this one for my room, too.....
Now the next visit was to the "Micro Mechanic" room.
Such a small parts....
This lady is taking the edges off from the micro parts which was taken from the thin plate (remember the plastic models...).
Now the watchmaker KIH is trying.... Whatever the result was, it was a fun experience - since the once-friendly xxx academy....
Looks like a skilled worker, eh?
Before and after the decoration.
Micro parts finishing.
Zoomed-in.
Of course, with microscopic machine....
They even make here the parts for the Ferdinand Berthoud FB1 Chain Fusee.
And this is really a great moment - Mr. LaForge broke the news to Nathalie, who made this super engraving to this "L.U.C XP Esprit de Fleurier Peony", which takes 6 weeks, that her creation had been pre-selected as the finalist to GPHG 2017. Wonderful creation. The announcement was to be on September 1, but today was August 29. She fell into tears. Congratulations!
www.gphg.org
This lady puts small ruby into the movement..... Very small.
The work may look like "flow work", just like on the belt conveyor. Good for efficiency. But sometimes it makes the workers specialized in ONLY ONE task. But here at Chopard, everyone can do other people's task in cases like someone takes vacation, or call in sick, etc. So, these people are all very highly skilled workers who have been working for Chopard for a very long time.
Ah, this is the caliber for L.U.C 8HF. The case back is closed so I couldn't see the whole structure of the movement.
This is actually being tested now.
The brother of black ceramic/ titanium 8HF - Platinum version without power reserve meter.
This is the gentleman who tests all the L.U.C movements here. And tested mine, too.
His record shows that mine left this building on Feb. 8, 2015 and the result of the test shows that it is still well within the COSC parameter, after two and a half years. In fact, the numbers have not changed much from the numbers he has on the record. Wonderful!!
This lady puts small ruby into the movement..... Very small.
The work may look like "flow work", just like on the belt conveyor. Good for efficiency. But sometimes it makes the workers specialized in ONLY ONE task. But here at Chopard, everyone can do other people's task in cases like someone takes vacation, or call in sick, etc. So, these people are all very highly skilled workers who have been working for Chopard for a very long time.
Ah, this is the caliber for L.U.C 8HF. The case back is closed so I couldn't see the whole structure of the movement.
This is actually being tested now.
The brother of black ceramic/ titanium 8HF - Platinum version without power reserve meter.
This is the gentleman who tests all the L.U.C movements here. And tested mine, too.
His record shows that mine left this building on Feb. 8, 2015 and the result of the test shows that it is still well within the COSC parameter, after two and a half years. In fact, the numbers have not changed much from the numbers he has on the record. Wonderful!!
Smile!
This is called "After Service" department. Polishing the case as after service?
"Kaizen", meaning "improvement". I love this!
And this is galvanizing/ plating room.
This gentleman was inspecting the plated parts alone when we visited....
Lastly, but not the least, L.U.CEUM, of course made to sound like "museum". This is the Fleurier version of Chopard Museum.
From the very old time-measuring machine....
.. to artistic works....
..to watches made by still well-known watchmakers. Made by Favre, as in Favre-Leuba? Also "Pellaton" sounds like something....
...to the ones made by Louis Ulysse Chopard....
... to modern arts (similar one, made by the same artist) was in the room I interviewed Mr. Scheufele....
... to the ones made by the Berthouds....
This is called "After Service" department. Polishing the case as after service?
"Kaizen", meaning "improvement". I love this!
And this is galvanizing/ plating room.
This gentleman was inspecting the plated parts alone when we visited....
Lastly, but not the least, L.U.CEUM, of course made to sound like "museum". This is the Fleurier version of Chopard Museum.
From the very old time-measuring machine....
.. to artistic works....
..to watches made by still well-known watchmakers. Made by Favre, as in Favre-Leuba? Also "Pellaton" sounds like something....
...to the ones made by Louis Ulysse Chopard....
... to modern arts (similar one, made by the same artist) was in the room I interviewed Mr. Scheufele....
... to the ones made by the Berthouds....
Will come back here to visit the Ferdinand Berthoud workshop, but Fleurier factory visit is over.
Next - lunch at Chopard Forum, Qualite Fleurier, and Ferdinand Berthoud workshop.
One more to go. Please bear with me!
Ken
Chopard: Factories Visit - to those who think they are watch lovers, Chopard is NOT a lady's accessory brand! (video interview included)
Gentlemen, and ladies. This is my report of my visit to Chopard's both factories (and some). What I again realized was that Chopard is NOT lady's accessory brand, but a serious watch brand. You gotta see to realize this - seeing how well the watches are m...
Day 1 - Geneve Factory
Since I entered into the world of watch as a hobby, Chopard has been my favorite, not because of its general brand image, but because of its superb movements/ calibers. Fortunately, I do not indulge myself into those so-called "top brands" shopping, I had...
Thank you, KIH.
Just his week I started seriously considering adding a LUC piece to my modest collection. Your excellent report just strengthened that decision Cheers
Day 2 - Fleurier Factory
From Geneva, it takes about one and a half to two hours by car, going up and down the mountain. It was summer, so it's okay, but in winter, I wouldn't want to drive.... But Mr. Scheufele as well as Mr. LaForge who have been accompanying me for two days, D...
Excellent report
Now this is what I call a comprehensive and detailed report. Excellent work Ken.
Day 2-01: Chopard Forum, Qualite Fleurier, and Ferdinand Berthoud workshop
This is the final chapter of my Chopard factories visit. So far so good. But Chopard still had a lot under its sleeve. Have you ever heard of "Chopard Forum" before? I had not. It is an old house Mr. Scheufele purchased and renovated personally, very clos...
brilliant, very thorough, very nicely illustrated, mesmerizing and great report from one of the best High End brands. Great job Ken.
I really like Chopard too not only because they are a manufacture but because their craftsmanship whether dials, movements, case and bezel equals Patek and because alongwith Patek , they still use the micro rotor. One of the few models of Chopard I like w...
Very nice report Ken, and what a great experience for you!
Very happy you got to go there. I have a connection at Chopard and hope to visit one day as well. I had not seen the platinum 8HF before. I thought the first model was titanium, maybe the one you saw is a proto or a new version? Did you happen to see my b...
Thanks. As far as I understand...
.. L.U.C 8HF was made for 2 models - Platinum without power reserve, and Titanium/Ceramic with power reserve version. So, they are both LE and the first 8HF L.U.C movement. As for your 8HF, sorry to hear that. I did not see the repair department, so I did...
Grade 5 Titanium, 100 pieces
Photo from Chopard catalog. Maybe you saw a full platinum that was a prototype? A bit of irony, I received an email from Chopard this morning. My watch is in transit back to the US and then will be forwarded to me. Close to the 3 month schedule that was e...
No worries. It sure seems worthy of the platinum case!
But more conceptual in titanium. I debated hard between the 2 models, both versions are very unique. The black fit me better, but I still love the original one.
Thanks for the Chopard tour
Ken, It's nice to return to the Chopard facilities virtually. The birthplaces of our favourite watches. All conceived in Fleurier but some grow up in Geneva. What watch did Mr KFS wear during your visit? That's not the weekend watch..... Regards, MTF
HeHeHe...I couldn't view the video in bed
Aso desu ne. As I was surfing the forums in bed, I could not watch the video. Or the current Mrs MTF would have been woken up.... Regards, MTF
Outstanding report...
...and the photos are very clear. Thanks for taking the time to research and post this. m
Superb visit to Chopard, Ken!
Many thanks for sharing you experience with us! You have brought back wonderful memories from a visit I made back in 2009. All the best, Alex