1/4 - The four sites
Rolex creates, manufactures, assembles and tests all its watches exclusively in Switzerland.
Rolex creates, manufactures, assembles and tests all its watches exclusively in Switzerland, thanks to the know-how and commitment of more than 9,000 employees at the brand’s four sites, all at the cutting edge of technological progress.
From Acacias, its world headquarters in Geneva, where the watches are developed and assembled, to Bienne, where the movements are manufactured; from Plan-les-Ouates where the watch cases and bracelets are produced, to Chêne-Bourg where the dials, Cerachrom bezels and Cerachrom bezel inserts in ceramic are crafted and where the brand’s gemmology and gem-setting expertise is located, sophisticated high-technology equipment is a reflection of Rolex’s distinction. A fifth site is under construction in Bulle in the canton of Fribourg.
By integrating the entirety of its production on four sites, Rolex has made a strategic, bold and visionary choice. It thus has an unparalleled production facility linking high value-added skills with state-of-the-art technologies. Rolex can, independently, express its creativity and innovative spirit according to its own standards of excellence. Each Rolex watch is created according to superlative production criteria. Each element is developed, produced and checked with continuous attention to even the smallest of details.
Rolex world headquarters, located in the Acacias district of Geneva, brings together the Executive Board as well as all administrative, commercial, communications, sponsorship and philanthropic activities, along with exports and worldwide after-sales service. Extended in 2022, the Acacias site also houses the design, research and development activities that are crucial to the genesis of new Rolex watches.
Further, the site has two imposing production units, where the final assembly of the watch components made at other sites is carried out. Finished watches also undergo a series of tests at this site before receiving the Superlative Chronometer certification, which guarantees unparalleled performance in terms of precision, power reserve, waterproofness and self-winding.
The cycle that brings the watch to life begins in Acacias.
Thanks to the degree of integration and industrial independence it has acquired, Rolex can form highly autonomous, multidisciplinary teams and provide them with optimal working conditions to design every facet of a wristwatch from the very start of a project.
This structure brings together everyone involved in the design and development phase in one location while integrating all of the industrialization aspects and taking into account feedback from after-sales service.
2/4 - The four sites
Plan-les-Ouates
The Plan-les-Ouates Rolex site, located in the canton of Geneva and inaugurated in 2005, brings together all the development and production activities for watch cases and bracelets, from casting gold alloys, to forming and machining raw materials and manually finishing completed parts.
It is composed of six wings, 65 metres long, 30 metres wide and 30 metres high, linked by a central circulation corridor. Through its activities and the considerable resources deployed there, the Plan-les-Ouates site is emblematic of the brand’s commitment to master in-house the quality and production processes for the essential components of its watches.
In Plan-les-Ouates, raw material is transformed into the physical exterior of the future watch.
3/4 - THE FOUR SITES
Chêne-Bourg
The Chêne-Bourg site, in the vicinity of Geneva, brings together all the activities linked to the development and production of the dial as well as those related to gemmology and gem-setting. This site is also where Cerachrom bezels and Cerachrom bezel inserts in high-tech ceramic are produced.
The face of the watch takes shape in Chêne-Bourg.
4/4 - THE FOUR SITES
Bienne
The Bienne site, at the foot of the Jura mountains in the Swiss canton of Berne, is entirely dedicated to developing and manufacturing Rolex movements. Here, the components of the movement – from 200 to nearly 400 for the most complex calibres – are meticulously manufactured, then assembled by hand and rigorously checked. A new extension to the production buildings was opened in 2022.
The heart of the watch starts beating in Bienne.
Rolex Watchmaking Know-how