Christophe Claret has never been the kind to refuse new challenges. In his chosen domain at the very peak of Haute Horlogerie, this highly demanding calling entails impressive implications. When it comes to setting into motion the average 450 parts of a Grand Complication movement and ensuring the smooth operation of an unprecedented mechanism, precision becomes a crucial issue.
To ensure such a superlative level of quality, Christophe Claret invests substantial yearly sums in the production facility, including designing proprietary machines under the name Christophe Claret Engineering. To list just one example, the Flashcut Laser machine developed in cooperation with a machine manufacturer features a basic technology source used in the aerospace and automotive industries. It serves to ensure cutting accuracy and speed (10 times faster than standard machinery) that is as yet unmatched in the production of this type of component.
But machines are nothing without the human factor. The field of Fine Watchmaking, perhaps more than any other, calls for extremely advanced skills and qualifications, many of them involving hand craftsmanship. Christophe Claret effectively masters the entire production chain, from the initial idea through to final adjustments.
New models begin to emerge in the R&D department. Movement design engineers, watch exterior design engineers, designers and computer graphics specialists give shape and colour to the exceptional complications conceived by Christophe Claret.
After this phase, the workshops take over. The hundreds of movement and exterior components are patiently crafted by top-rate artisans with the help of the latest technologies. CNC operators, automatic lathe setters, electroplatersand thermal treatment operators perform meticulously accurate gestures matching the highest standards of their profession.
Nonetheless, a substantial proportion of the work is done by hand. In-house specialists in chamfering, trimming, drawing-out with hand files and horological decoration draw upon their years of experience, while guilloché work, engraving and enamelling are entrusted to the finest artistic craftsmen in Switzerland.
Then comes the turn of the watchmakers in the Manoir du Soleil d'Or, who are responsible for single-handedly assembling their movement from A to Z, very much like an ultra-technical three-dimensional puzzle.
All the finished models are meticulously controlled in the THF workshop (Test Homologation Fiabilité) workshop and then granted a production certificate. Particular attention is devoted to striking watches: in order to guarantee perfect crystal-clear tones, the quality of the gongs, the frequency and the duration of the notes as well as their intervals are all computer-tested. Each part is then approved by Christophe Claret himself, who checks the functions, but above all the acoustic quality. He and his team, who are constantly on the look-out for fresh challenges, thereby constantly push the borders of technical feasibility in creating innovative new movements.
