Revue FH - 18 October 2012
Centre stage: the glittering world of brands with their iconic models and glamorous ambassadors... Working behind the scenes are the watch industry's subcontractors, a fabric of small and medium-sized enterprises numbered in their thousands, which from Geneva to Granges underpin the industrial wealth of the Jura region. Much as the leading brands, but in almost complete anonymity, they try their hardest every day to design, develop and manufacture components at the cutting edge of innovation.
One example is AJS Production, based in Porrentruy, which caused a sensation at the last EPHJ subcontractors' fair in Geneva by unveiling an incredibly innovative new component that no one had thought of until now: an additional universal bottom plate that adapts to all basic movements displaying hours, minutes and centre-seconds (such as the ETA 2824 and 2892 calibres, their Sellita clones, and the Soprod A10), making it possible to add multiple complications more or less anywhere on the dial.
As its name suggests, this plate takes the form of a very special 2 mm thick disc containing a star-shaped pattern of drilled holes aligned at 30° intervals. A slice of Emmental cheese if you like, albeit with the holes more evenly spaced. After close scrutiny of images of the plate, the concept becomes clear straight away: by displacing the plate by degrees, according for example to technical imperatives linked to the design of the movement or at the request of the designer, the mechanism allows thousands of different combinations.
«We provide the box of Lego and clients make whatever they want with it», sums up neatly Anthony Saunier, of AJS Production. André Saunier, his father, follows his lead with another image: «It works on the kit principle, rather like Dell with their computers. When you order it, it isn't yet manufactured. You first have to choose options. With us, it's the same. You have a number of different kits, assembled or unassembled. With this system, the time savings are enormous. Today when you order something out of the ordinary from a movement manufacturer, you have to wait two or three years. Here, it's a matter of weeks», he points out.
To date, ten or more brands have expressed interest in the universal plate from AJS Production, with or without the modules offered by the Jura factory (seconds regulator, minutes regulator, hours regulator, GMT 12 hours, GMT 24 hours, day and large date). Better still, as a result of feedback from clients, the plate has already evolved compared to the version presented in Geneva. In short, this new invention has straight away met with a favourable reception.
The signs therefore are that with its ingenious invention, the SME based in Porrentruy is headed for considerable industrial success. A promising future for which credit must go to the family triumvirate that has run it for several years, starting with André Saunier, a legendary figure in the watch industry, together with his wife Josette and their equally talented son Anthony. All three also work for the brand Louis Chevrolet, which is preparing to start its activities in a real sense in 2013. It is to be hoped that these extraordinary and warm-hearted entrepreneurs enjoy all the success they deserve.
