Horological Meandering

A pandorean box of creativity - a visit to the manufacture DeWitt

 

Dear All:

Switzerland is quite a fascinating biotope for all different ‘species’ of watch producers. The range covers small one-man operations to multinational companies, and the output comprises of pick-up-on-the-fly Swatches to bespoke unique pieces that change hands only against a sum equal to the annual turnover of a SME.

Sandwiched in between are small manufacturers. Again, this group is quite diverse in terms of portfolio, and offers everything from conventional to extravagant watches. What make this fragment of the trade so fascinating are two aspects: (i) they are often still owned by the founders or the founders’ families; and (ii) they are the motors of innovation. The important consequence of this is that the timepieces reflect the mindsets of their creators in a most uncompromised fashion, both because the owners are only responsible for themselves (in contrast to managers and executives that are judged by economic performance), and also because the companies actually have the capacities to transform those ideas into marvellous products.

One of those lesser-known watch companies, the Manufacture DeWitt in Genève’s Meyrin suburb. DeWitt is a company founded by Mr Jérôme de Witt. Mr de Witt is the great-grandson of King Leopold II of Belgium and a direct, fifth-generation descendant of the Emperor Napoleon's brother, King Jérôme of Westphalia, a distinguished watch connoisseur.

The brand's first model, the Pressy Grande Complication, was launched in 2003. The collection then was named Iena:








The impressive beginnings of 2003: DeWitt Pressy Grande Complication

As of 2005, DeWitt watches share a remarkably consistent aesthetic identity thanks to the theme of imperial columns framing the case.



DeWitt Twenty-8-Eight Automatic




DeWitt Academia Seconde Retrograde Serenity




DeWitt Academia Perpetuel Sport


  DeWitt Academia Quantieme Perpetuel Nebula



DeWitt Twenty-8-Eight Tourbillon




DeWitt Academia Force Constant À Chaine




DeWitt Concept Watch N°1 WX-1




DeWitt Concept Watch N°2 Repetition Minutes Tourbillon GMT Antipode



DeWitt Golden Afternoon

The idea is derived from co-axial male/female gears. Mr de Witt has a reputation as a dedicated collector and restorer of thoroughbred vintage cars. With differential mechanisms there are concentric gears that consist of an outer female and an inner male part. The decisive benefit is that can the two parts can move relative to each other along their axis. DeWitt transformed this idea into watch cases. The design of the crowns is inspired by jet engine nozzles.









The name of the manufacture first gained recognition when a few truly outstanding and original creations were presented, such as the Academia Tourbillon Constant Force, the Tourbillon Differentiel or the ASW Regulator. On the technological side, DeWitt considers tradition as the essential foundation upon which creativity can prosper, not as a limiting boundary.

The first ateliers of DeWitt initially were located directly in Mr de Witt’s private house in Vandoeuvres, but then the company expanded so that a dedicated home was needed. Interimistically, in 2006, the company moved to a larger workshop in Vernier/Geneva (1.500 sqm) before buying, in 2007, the current building in Meyrin/Geneva, which is spacious enough to accommodate further expansion (5.000 sqm).

Currently, roughly 70 employees work with the manufacture, of which 2/3 are watchmakers and associated trades. The management of the company is shared between the founder himself (as owner and founder of the company, Mr de Witt is the President of the board of directors. He is active on the creative side and act as the main brand ambassador) and Ms Nathalie Veysset as CEO. All operations are in the hands of Ms Veysset. DeWitt basically is a family business.





I'll cover more on DeWitt's philosophy in the context of two interviews with Mr de Witt and Ms Veysset, which I'll post some time later!

As I mentioned above, the (intermediate) companies actually have the capacities to transform those ideas into marvellous products. Exactly, and DeWitt is a prime example of a clever approach chosen to achieve this.

The key fact is that the management had a keen eye on the growth potential of the company from the onset, and chose the middle ground between an enterprise that assembles outsourced parts and a fully-fledged 100% in-house manufacture. The ingenious aspect lies in the wise allocation of resources to ensure that creativity rules and is not hindered because financial means are locked in capital expenditures for production machinery.

Instead, DeWitt has the full equipment necessary to create and prototype mechanisms. The actual production of parts is subcontracted to specialists, who supply the kits. Finish and assembly again take place in house. In the long run, of course, full independence is planned. Furthermore, this is consistent with the inherited structure of the Swiss watch industry, which historically always relied on sourcing out of various tasks to the best suppliers. Vertical integration is a modern concept to a large extend encouraged by marketing decisions.

But this is not all! DeWitt also is in a unique position to create the dials themselves. From the personal collection of Mr de Witt, the company as access to historical 18th and 19th century rose engines to practice the art of guilloché engraving.

I hope these introductory words suffice to water your mouths. If so, please follow me on my tour through the DeWitt manufacture.

In separate, easily digestable follow-up post to this, I will present to you

1. Manufacture DeWitt
2. Construction and ‘Méchanique’ (=prototyping)
3. Dial making
4. Finishing and assemblage
5. Training and assessment of aspiring watchmakers ;-)

Cheers,
Magnus

This message has been edited by Magnus Bosse on 2011-05-26 09:07:28 This message has been edited by ED209 on 2011-06-01 11:30:57