2011 was an excellent year for etA, both in terms of results and volume. swatch Group invested heavily in production methods, involving staff recruitment, implementation of infrastructure and industrialization processes as well as logistic and management sys- tems that will enable an increase in the capacity available to the brands for the next few years. In the area of mechanical products, activity linked to new developments once more increased, as demonstrated by the pro- duction of the A07.l31 movement, a retro longines moonphase; the A05.h31 movement, a personalized chronograph for hamilton; and the omega A14, A16 and A22 automatic calibers. omega’s exclusive A22 chronograph necessitated the creation of a new ultramodern line in Grenchen, ensuring the mastery and reliability of the assembly process. Quartz products have also been a big success, especially those resulting from the e49 development program launched to integrate new technologies intended for the tissot touch compass with the e49.301 movement, and the certina Ds Multi-8 with the e49.351 analog-digital movement. the e22.303 analog-digital caliber with pilot function for omega, the G15.561, retro perpetual calendar for tissot, and finally, the e20.373, analog-digital for hamilton, all attracted considerable attention when they appeared on the market. swatch’s products built on their success, most notably, with the swatch touch launched in summer 2011, the new Gent and colour codes models, and with the Irony line with a stainless steel case. In order to attain the high production speeds required for the completely swiss Made steel cases, modern, highly automated machines were installed in Grenchen. these new technologies are intended for case machining and polishing operations and will soon be running at full capacity.
Swatch watch Group aSSEMbly In 2011, the activities of swatch Group Assembly focused on increasing the capacity available to the brands and the develop- ment of new lines and flexible production cells, as well as on the company’s expansion. the introduction of this additional capacity and these new processes has made it possible to enhance flexibility and greatly increase production. swatch Group Assembly is on the point of finalizing the extension of its surface area, in order to continue offering its clients new services and an ever greater assembly capacity. the extra floor space will enable the company to offer the brands additional services in terms of component storage and logistics. A continuous education division was also created, providing addi- tional options. the list of actions undertaken by the company in 2011 also includes the integration of bracelet fitting into the production cells. thanks to these transformations, swatch Group Assembly has become the biggest finisher in switzerland in the mid-range product segment. With these various activities impacting the working environment and the assembly process and tools, as well as the human resource measures taken, swatch Group Assembly has managed to achieve
drESS your body (dyb) Responsible for developing jewelry and artistic crafts within swatch Group, Dress your Body (DyB) continued to integrate its activities and hired several specialized employees in 2011. consisting of jewelers, polishers and lost wax casting specialists, DyB’s jewelry and high jewelry department pursued its design, development and production activities for its jewelry lines and jew- elry watches. the company worked extensively for Breguet on pieces called Rose de la Reine, petite Rose and lune, as well as the petite Fleur watch that will be part of the crazy Flower collec- tion. Following a recent development focusing on mechanical activities, operations involving the high jewelry decoration of watch cases were reinforced and implemented with the new petite Fleur line. the machining and gem-setting department’s production increased considerably during 2011. this increase in volume concerned all areas of competency for DyB’s production unit, in both traditional and mechanical gem-setting, from the manufacture of parts for high jewelry models and finished products to artistic crafts such as engraving, chasing and chamfering. In order to meet clients’ increasing requirements, new staff was recruited, and production was reorganized in order to improve efficiency. the parts manufac- turing unit, whose set-up began in 2010, has matured and it suc- cessfully met order demand while responding quickly to requests for new developments. As a center for the purchase of diamonds and gemstones for the entire swatch Group, DyB Gems makes the competencies of its gemology specialists available to the brands, both in terms of sourcing and cutting stones. the reporting year saw very strong growth in the sale of precious stones and through continuing demand for diamonds in watchmaking. DyB’s knowledge of the key players in the diamond market and the negotiations it conducted with them enabled the company to develop under the best possible conditions. Benefitting from synergies associated with complementary purchases made by the swatch Group brands, DyB Gems continued to guarantee its clients a supply with the best possible market conditions, significantly increasing its deliveries while continuing to maintain irreproachable quality standards.
drESS your body (dyb) Responsible for developing jewelry and artistic crafts within swatch Group, Dress your Body (DyB) continued to integrate its activities and hired several specialized employees in 2011. consisting of jewelers, polishers and lost wax casting specialists, DyB’s jewelry and high jewelry department pursued its design, development and production activities for its jewelry lines and jew- elry watches. the company worked extensively for Breguet on pieces called Rose de la Reine, petite Rose and lune, as well as the petite Fleur watch that will be part of the crazy Flower collec- tion. Following a recent development focusing on mechanical activities, operations involving the high jewelry decoration of watch cases were reinforced and implemented with the new petite Fleur line. the machining and gem-setting department’s production increased considerably during 2011. this increase in volume concerned all areas of competency for DyB’s production unit, in both traditional and mechanical gem-setting, from the manufacture of parts for high jewelry models and finished products to artistic crafts such as engraving, chasing and chamfering. In order to meet clients’ increasing requirements, new staff was recruited, and production was reorganized in order to improve efficiency. the parts manufac- turing unit, whose set-up began in 2010, has matured and it suc- cessfully met order demand while responding quickly to requests for new developments. As a center for the purchase of diamonds and gemstones for the entire swatch Group, DyB Gems makes the competencies of its gemology specialists available to the brands, both in terms of sourcing and cutting stones. the reporting year saw very strong growth in the sale of precious stones and through continuing demand for diamonds in watchmaking. DyB’s knowledge of the key players in the diamond market and the negotiations it conducted with them enabled the company to develop under the best possible conditions. Benefitting from synergies associated with complementary purchases made by the swatch Group brands, DyB Gems continued to guarantee its clients a supply with the best possible market conditions, significantly increasing its deliveries while continuing to maintain irreproachable quality standards.
ManufacturE ruEdin 2011 proved to be a pivotal year for Manufacture Ruedin which was able to respond to its clients’ exacting needs in terms of both quan- tity and quality, while engaging in an important phase of the mod- ernization and rejuvenation of its production facility. In terms of human resources, these activities led the company to consolidate its skill base, although the workforce actually grew considerably. Manufacture Ruedin rose to all the challenges confronting it, responding to strong demand from swatch Group brands and achieving double-digit growth for 2011. product development in collaboration with the brands also represented an essential activity for the company, which specializes in watch cases that combine metal with hard materials – ceramics, hard metals and sapphire crystal. Key clients were successfully partnered in the creation of new products, such as the seamaster planet ocean and the seamaster 300 m for omega. Where Rado was concerned, emphasis was placed on the development of the Rado D-star and Rado centrix lines. the focus was on the 29-millimeter models in the la Grande classique de longines collection in both stainless steel and diamond-set stainless steel versions. the Manufacture from Bassecourt (ju) intends to continue its investments in the renewal and improvement of its machinery, in order to ensure continuous improvement of its competitiveness and product quality. the company also needs to be able to rely on qualified staff to continue offering ever more comprehensive service to its customer brands.
SwiSS timinG www.swisstiming.com For Swiss timing, 2011 was filled with events and innovations underscoring its mission to: – serve Swatch Group’s brands; – guarantee excellent state-of-the-art service, performed with competence and reliability; – act as a driving force for innovation in the measurement of time and the management, presentation and distribution of results. 2011 started with two multisport games. In January, the 7th Asian Winter Games in Almaty and Astana (Kazakhstan) brought together 1500 athletes from 45 nations. In February, athletes from 57 nations competed in eleven disciplines at the 25th university Winter Games in erzurum (turkey). From June onwards, Swiss timing technicians were in london to participate in test events for the 2012 london olympic Games for omega. In July, they participated on behalf of tissot at eurobasket in poland. Afterwards, Swiss timing officiated at the 26th university Summer Games in Shenzhen (China), and they finished the year at the World Mind Games with Rado, in peking (China) in December. Significant multi-year contracts were re-signed in 2011 including, among others, longines’ agreement with the International Ski Federation for downhill skiing, and tissot’s with the International Cycling union. three distinct products earned mention in the area of timekeeping innovation: – the new arrival gate for swimming in open water used for the first time during the FInA world championships in Shanghai (China); – the e-gun – a completely electronic starting pistol designed to replace the old cartridge-type pistols, and already in use in speed skating and athletics; – A GpS localization system, initially developed with virtual 2D images, evolved to 3D images, making it possible to see the positions of yachts in real time. there is no doubt that Swiss timing is prepared to meet the challenge of the coming olympic year.
oScilloquartz www.oscilloquartz.com ElEctronic SyStEmS 4 Specializing in time-frequency, oscilloquartz supplies fixed and mobile telecommunication operators in over a hundred countries with network synchronization systems and provides time- frequency oscillators based on GnSS systems (GpS GlonASS, soon to be GAlIleo) to base stations. Additionally, oscilloquartz manufactures clocks based on caesium, the new generation euDICS (european Digital Caesium Source), used as frequency and time references for metrology and localization applications. Despite a reduction in turnover during the first nine months of the year due to the economic climate and the strength of the Swiss franc, oscilloquartz maintained its operating results thanks to con- tinued improvements in its operational efficiencies. Meeting the drop in international industrial activity and increased competition from American manufacturers head on, oscilloquartz continued its geographical and technical expansion, thus strengthening its posi- tion. Following the opening of new sales channels, the leader in time-frequency and network synchronization has enjoyed major successes in India, the united States and Central America – compensating for stagnation in certain traditional markets. Wireless activities are focusing on the lte (long term evolution) infrastructure which requires microsecond synchronization, notably to support MBMS (Multimedia Broadcast and Multicast Services) protocol used by mobile television. the MBSFn function (Multi- media Broadcast Single Frequency network) is based on a network synchronized with the base station (enBS), providing an opportu- nity for oscilloquartz, which is equipped with high-performance oscillator technology and compensatory technologies for the effects of thermal resistance and aging. Based on holdover mode, these products ensure the maintenance of external frequency or the timing modules using GnSS or ptp (precision time protocol) signals. the main issue with the different applications – fixed or mobile net- works, radiocommunication, metrology and time and frequency distribution – is the stability of the source of frequency to ensure enough capacity to maintain clock performance over several days. 2011 saw the birth of the first clocks with micro-machined caesium vapor cells based on Cpt (Coherent population trapping) techno- logy which, associated with micro-assembly technologies (MeMS), achieve the objective of ensuring the stability of an atomic watch the size of a quartz oscillator, thereby confirming great perspectives ahead.