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Experience is key. It allows you to avoid mistakes and gives you amazing stories to tell. We all need experience and that is why Tourbillon Watch was created. We were able to meet men and woman and to share with you our adventures.
Today, let’s go to Biel. It’s in this city of Berne’s canton that we will live our next adventure.
There, we were welcomed by Raphael Granito, CEO of Formex, whose podcast is right here (only in French).
C'est baigné dans l'univers automobile et de la moto qu'est né Formex à la fin des années 90 début 2000. Mais c'est en 2016 que Raphaël Granito reprend la marque et décide de réveiller cette belle endormie. Dans ce podcast, vous y découvrirez la marque ainsi que Raphaël. De son parcours d'entrepreneur à ses futurs challenges, il vous livre son histoire.
He opened his brand to us and for a day, we have documented our visit which allowed us to film and publish two videos. One of them will allow you to understand the brand, while the other one will make you discover on of their savoir-faire.
Today, we get back to that second video.
Being called by its name with a hand on the shoulder and a complicit look, that’s what we were impressed of. Raphael knows each and one of his employees and he knew how to create a special bond with all of them. An interdependence exists.
Doors open and close, along with the oscillating noise of the machines, giving us a glimpse of files and boxes of components moving from one department to another. Illuminated by the light of their workbench, some have their nose fixed on what’s in their hands, absorbed by the material they manipulate and transform. Each move has been done a million times, even a billion times.
They are men and women with great experience, which is put in good use in the product you wear on your wrist. When we wear a Formex, it’s faces and savoir-faire that we see.
At the end of the corridor, behind the left door, are the polishers. They either make the piece smooth, matt or shinny.
One of them, with his fingers full of polishing paste and in front of our eyes full of stars, stops and explains to us his task. He made us realize the multiple steps he has to perform for a simple buckle or a steel strap.
If theory has an important place, experience make him understand the material. With a simple touch, he knows exactly what and how to do to beautify the piece. This ability to understand the material was earned through his career thanks to his more than 20 years in the job. A single day with him can be worth a whole schooling. That’s what impressed us. For a moment, time seemed to be suspended, and if we hadn’t any schedule to keep, we might have stayed for hours.
To be a great polisher, one need to have:
Polishing is an important step in the creation process of a watch. When the pieces come out of the machines, they have traces. Burrs, roughness or welding residues are what polishing will remove. The savoir-faire has definitely an effect over the esthetic.
In addition to make the pieces cleaner, polishing has an important place in the creation of a beautiful piece. It’s an extra element for the designer. By playing with smooth, matt or glossy surfaces, the designer can capture and guide even better the eye.
Being in touch with his teams, Raphael cultivates mutual help. Everyone knows that they can give feedback. They can offer suggestion and improvements thanks to their desire to always do their best. And this has had a direct impact on Formex’s distribution strategy.
Indeed, by favoring direct sales, they have been able to reduce their margins so the end customer benefits from a product as complete as possible in its price range.
If you’re the owner of a Formex, look at it, admire the polishings and let yourself be carried away and lulled by the experience and know-how of these talented craftsmen.
