BNB Concept: The Secret Behind Complications

DonCorson · 2009-08-25T11:55:57Z

Uncover BNB Concept, the hidden force behind haute horlogerie. Explore their innovative workshops, controversial movements, and impact on independent watchmaking.

DonCorson

WPS member · Horological Meandering forum

46 replies16998 views0 photos

DonCorson's insightful exploration of BNB Concept sheds light on a pivotal, yet often uncredited, force in haute horlogerie. This article uncovers the innovative workshops behind some of the most talked-about complicated watches of the era, including the Concord C1 QuantumGravity and Romain Jerome Day&Night. Readers will discover how BNB Concept's unique development model and young, dynamic team have shaped the landscape of independent watchmaking.

BNB Concept - part 1 Development & Parts Making

Who has ever heard of them, BNB Concept? Even among those knowledgeable in the world of haute horlogerie, BNB what? And in spite of this BNB is the source of some of the most controversial and interesting horological developments in the last years.
- The talk of Baselworld 2009, the Concord C1 QuantumGravity.
- The "kinetic art, who needs it?" of 2008, the Romain Jerome Day&Night.
These pieces and much more has come from the fertile workshops of BNB Concept.

Founded in the spring of 2004 BNB was already delivering to its customers at the beginning of 2005 and has maintained this high development rate ever since. Integral to their success in development is the management concept to involve the production from the beginning of the product development. The core group for each new development consists of an engineer/mechanical designer and a watchmaker/prototyper. In this constellation ideas from the drawing board are tried out the very next day. The drawings are validated immediately in metal and the prototype grows simultaneously with the technical drawings.

I visited BNB's new factory in Duillier, about half way between Geneva and Lausanne close to customers and suppliers. The development, parts production and watchmaking for complicated pieces is found at this location. BNB has three other locations, in Crans-près-Céligny where part decoration, by hand, is done along with plating, in La Chaux-de-Fonds where watchmakers do the assembly of simpler calibres and in La Vallée de Joux in the village Le Pont..

For my visit I didn't pick one of the best days. It is in the midst of summer vacation time and for the rest of the very young employees (the average age of the approx. 180 employees at BNB is 27 years) most of them were spending long nights at the Paleo Festival in Nyon, Switzerlands largest music festival, which is only a few miles from the site of BNB's new factory in Duillier. That ment, of course, that their time at work was somewhat limited, a state of affaires that is enabled by the complete liberty of working hours that BNB employees enjoy, as long as monthly hours are done and the work gets finished on time.

Still I was welcomed by Paola Giovanettoni, responsible for press relations, and Mathias Buttet, CEO and the driving force behind BNB Concept and Confrérie Horlogère, for an interesting visit. I invite you now to come with me too see what I saw too.

We start out in the development offices and get a little glimpse of the "Clefs du Temps" development. This crazy watch lets one speed up or retard the passing of time by changing a switch. The hard "return to reality" is also assured.

Right next door is the office for case development.

After this quick look into development we dive right into parts manufacturing. Of course they have a complete park of CNC machines, lathes, mills and electro erosion.

The ubiquitous Aubert optical comparator.

In this room the machinists translate the production drawings into the command files needed to run their machines using advanced CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) and simulation tools.

The proof is in the measuring.

This 5 axis milling machine appears already to have left for vacation.

Milling a titanium case on a 5 axis milling machine.

This is the product as it leaves the milling machine.

Note how all the machines have evacuation systems so that the oil mist from the cooling oil does not cover the whole room. There is neither that familiar cutting oil smell of a machine shop nor the fine layer of oil on everything. The mist is sucked up in the ventilation system there the oil is recuperated and the machining heat recuperated by a heat exchanger to the buildings heating system.

Now to some pieces as they leave the machines.
Plate and bridges of the Clef du Temps.

A brass plate plated with black gold.

A movement plate in aluminium.

An aluminium-lithium bridge.

Gold case parts.

More movement bridges in different materials including carbon fiber.

A close-up of the Clef de Temps plate.

A dial assembly of the watch Tourbillon Arabesque created by Brigitte Carneiro. Brand Brigitte Carneiro by Confrérie Horlogère

The bridges of the same watch, machined in carbon fiber. We will see this movement completed further along.

We now move on the the minute repeater workshop.
Ranieri Illicher is the head of this shop and is also one of the Confréres Horlogère. He shows us his minute repeater for the Confrérie Horlogère on which he is now doing final decoration and assembly. I will talk more about the Confrèrie in the third part of this report.

Ranieri had just started doing a black polish on this steel hammer as we interrupt him for our visit.

In the next portion of this report we will visit some of the other watch workshops.

This message has been edited by DonCorson on 2009-08-25 12:22:52 This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2009-08-26 21:16:06 This message has been edited by MTF on 2009-08-29 08:09:38

Key Points from the Discussion

BNB Concept enables many brands to project a level of technical competence they don't possess in-house, creating an illusion for consumers who assume the brand manufactures its own complicated movements.
While BNB's creativity is a plus, their finishing is often described as industrial, lacking the charm and artisanal quality found in tourbillons produced by established high-end brands.
The use of CAD/CAM and outsourcing for parts production is a modern reality across the watch industry, even for high-end brands, and doesn't inherently devalue watchmaking, but transparency about movement sourcing is crucial.
The Confrérie Horlogère, an in-house brand formed by BNB Concept, allows young watchmakers to design their dream watches using BNB's advanced technologies, showcasing independent creativity.
The animosity towards CAD is misplaced; it's a vital tool for detailed design, used by everyone from independent watchmakers like Haldimann to large manufacturers like Rolex, and its use doesn't diminish the art of watchmaking.
The work of skilled watchmakers at companies like BNB Concept should be valued equally to those at established brands, as they drive innovation and allow for the implementation of creative ideas across the industry.

The Discussion

DonCorson

Aug 25, 2009

BNB Concept – part 2 The Watchmakers Workshops In this second part of my visit to BNB Concept we will take a look around the watchmakers shops in the atelier in Duillier. Here we enter the tourbillon workshop. You will recognise the C1 Tourbillon Gravity from Concord as a complete watch head and as a movement. Here is also a finished Romain Jerome T-Oxy III Tourbillon Extreme to be seen. Now we move on to the shop for complicated tourbillons. In the next couple of pictures we can see the work be

DonCorson

Aug 25, 2009

BNB Concept – part 3 The Confrérie Horlogère The Confrérie Horlogère (english: Brotherhood of Watchmakers) was formed in early 2008 of several horological craftsmen working at BNB Concept. These watchmakers and an engraver were given the liberty to design the watch they have dreamed of using all the technologies that are available to them through BNB. The Confrérie Horlogère is sort of like an in-house brand for BNB Concept. With the difference that young watchmakers are designing their own drea

Bruno.M1

Aug 25, 2009

still reading them (again )

DRMW

Aug 25, 2009

Don, Thanks for the outstanding report and pics! -MW

patrick_y

Aug 25, 2009

Those are some very impressive manufacturing techniques. Thanks Don for the photos, that was an eye opening experience.

cazalea

Aug 25, 2009

and they all look so young!

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