Watches made in France: what a manufacture actually does

B.R.M Chronographes watches are designed, machined, skeletonised, assembled and inspected in Magny-en-Vexin (95420), by Bernard Richards Manufacture, founded in 1986. The cases are machined from solid on site. The movements are Swiss Made calibres (ETA, Valjoux) or movements manufactured in-house; those that are skeletonised are done by hand, in the workshop.

One manufacture, two dates

Bernard Richards established the manufacture in 1986. It initially produced clocks and watches, but also pens and lighters for luxury houses. In 2003, he designed the first B.R.M Chronographes watch, the GP-44, machined on the maison's first numerically controlled lathe. 1986 is therefore the date of the manufacture, 2003 that of the marque.

What is done at Magny-en-Vexin

The design, machining, skeletonising, assembly and quality control are all carried out under the same roof, just a few metres from one another. A part machined next to the workbench can be adjusted, modified or remade without waiting for a supplier.

• Machining. Fourteen CNC machines, capable of machining up to eleven axes, cut the parts from solid to within a hundredth of a millimetre.
• Construction with separate elements. Each element is machined separately, which makes it possible to combine different materials on a single watch: carbon, titanium, Makrolon®, PVD-treated stainless steel, ceramic. The lugs are machined separately and then screwed to the case.
• Skeletonisation. Each skeletonised movement is conceived and skeletonised by hand by the atelier teams, whether it is a Swiss Made calibre or an in-house movement.
• Dials and lacquers. The dials in the Art Car collection are created and printed in-house on UV printing machines; the lacquers on the case, springs and crown are applied by hand.
• Assembly. Each watch is assembled piece by piece at the bench, inspected, then numbered.

And the movement?

This is the question one must ask of any brand claiming to be "made in France". At B.R.M, the answer is stated on each specification sheet: calibre ETA 2824-2, ETA 2671 or Valjoux 7753 depending on the model, with the mention "skeletonised by BRM" when the atelier has openworked it. The manufacture also produces its own movements.

The calibre is never screwed directly to the middle case: the movement ring rests on shock absorbers, at least three on the case back on all the house's watches. This is the Shock Absorbers system, introduced in 2014.

A State label

The manufacture is distinguished as an Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant by the Institut National des Métiers d'Art and the Ministry of the Economy and Finance. This label recognises excellence in French artisanal expertise.

Made to order

The watches are made to order: allow 6 to 8 weeks, regardless of the model. The online configurator allows you to compose a watch element by element, with the price displayed at each choice. Each watch is guaranteed for 3 years, in addition to the statutory guarantee of conformity.

Pour voir ce que produit l'atelier : all our watches, the manufacture, the configurator.

Frequently asked questions