patrick_y[PuristSPro Moderator]
28515
I agree. Costs shouldn't be a factor, considering less expensive brands like Rolex and Omega do find a way.
Apr 10, 2024,08:41 AM
The problem, which I didn't make very clear, in my article (for keeping it short, otherwise, it quickly gets very long) is that these higher end watches often make a lot of watches in gold. And once you have a part made in gold, the costs go up significantly, as the micro adjustment system has to work somewhat similarly in the gold construction as it does in the steel construction. So when a steel bracelet has production costs that double for the micro adjustment system, the brand starts getting very worried about gold bracelets, as the application to the gold bracelet may require a redesign. And thus R&D costs go up, and per-unit costs go up as well. So for Longines and Formex, making it mainly in steel, it's just a one time R&D, but if the brand also made gold watches, it'd be significantly more for the R&D. Also, creating prototypes in gold costs a lot more than in steel. We can't assume that the gold watch would use the exact same system - it may need to be reworked.
Also, when a brand is budgeting 100-200 Swiss Francs for their production cost of a GOLD ardillon pin buckle. It's hard for a brand to justify producing a STEEL buckle with fine adjustment for the similar amount or in some cases, much more than a simple gold buckle. In other words, a brand cannot tolerate a simple gold buckle costing less than a more complex steel buckle. Since the brand can't get the return on a steel buckle. And furthermore, politically, if they did it for the steel watches, they'd have to offer it in the gold watches too - gold watch customers don't want to feel they're getting left out.
On the Rolex bracelets and Omega bracelets I've encountered more recently, I don't even need a paperclip. The latest system like GLIDELOCK on Rolex (Omega has a similar one) just requires two hands to manipulate the bracelet to expand or contract.