WATCHMAKING
Designed in Zurich and individually assembled and adjusted by hand in Haute-Sorne, in the Swiss Jura.
DESIGNED IN ZURICH
All Ollech & Wajs watches are designed at the headquarters of Ollech & Wajs Precision AG on Bergstrasse, in Zurich’s financial district – a few minutes from Stockerstrasse, where OW was founded in 1956. This 18-month-long journey follows the same rigorous process of iteration established by Joseph Ollech and Albert Wajs in the Vietnam era. It begins with an idea, which itself becomes the subject of brutal stress testing, usually involving more than 30 drawings and then dozens of detailed technical blueprints to ensure there is zero margin for error. Then, one after the other, eight prototypes undergo a series of tests to detect the slightest flaws in their casing; water-resistance up to 100 m, 400 m, 1,000 m and 1,200 m; and resistance to impact, scratches, disassembly and successive reassembly.
BUILT IN THE SWISS JURA
Each timepiece is individually assembled and adjusted in Haute-Sorne in the Swiss Jura, following the high standards of precision and quality that have made the region such an important location for Swiss watchmaking. The manufacturing process of your watch begins in the Swiss Jura and involves more than a dozen operations. The desired shapes are first cut and stamped, then carefully machined, and eventually given a brushed-satin finish. After a thorough inspection, the dial is fixed to the movement on the assembly bench. Installing the hands one by one requires the highest level of dexterity and concentration, as does each step in completing the encasing of the watch.
METICULOUSLY CRAFTED BY HAND
In keeping with the traditions of Ollech & Wajs, every watch is handcrafted in the same historic workshop that has served OW for over 60 years. Watches are inspected at regular stages of assembly by some of Switzerland’s most experienced technicians, to ensure that each watch is perfectly finished.
Finally, a rigorous, multistep quality control process is completed before each watch leaves our workshop. The precision and the regularity of each movement is tested in three to five positions – the standard among prestige watch brands. A passage through a specially pressurised environment allows its water resistance to be checked up to a depth of 3,280 ft (1000 m). Last of all, each watch receives a meticulous visual inspection to hunt out the slightest speck of dust. As an added assurance, your OW watch is guaranteed for three years against all manufacturing defects.
PREMIUM QUALITY MOVEMENTS
Ollech & Wajs have long been powered by independently tested movements from respected manufacturers Dùbois Depraz, Landeron, and Valjoux (references 72, 92, 7730, 7733, 7750, 7765). Like Albert Wajs 50 years ago, we have continued to work with the Ébauches SA factory and its ETA 2824/2 automatic movement, because of its indisputable reliability. Likewise, the Valjoux 7753 Chronograph was chosen to power the recently updated OW Navichron.
In late 2022, after a long and rigorous test period, began a new partnership with Swiss movement manufacturer Soprod. Located in the Swiss Jura, just a few minutes from OW’s historic workshop, Soprod have been developing and manufacturing quality mechanical movements since 1966.
In 2020 we embarked on period of close collaboration with Soprod to develop a bespoke version of the Newton P092, modified to OW’s own specifications and adjusted in five positions. We opted for a simple, brutalist finish, in accordance with OW’s rugged aesthetics. ‘OW Zurich 1956’ is engraved into the nickel-plated base, on which sits a co-designed, custom rotor in the shape of the OW marque.
The Soprod Newton P092 movement is independently tested for dependability and durability at the internationally renowned Laboratoire Dubois in Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. It undergoes several trials, including an accelerated ageing cycle to simulate the effects of a watch worn on the wrist. The procedure involves extreme temperature and humidity variations, and 20,000 indirect impact shocks of varying severity. Only movements that pass all the tests are awarded a Chronofiable®certification. The inimitable new movement will carry OW’s own ‘Precision’ rating, reserved for movements of only the highest quality. As the era of OW and ETA draws to a close, so begins the era of OW and Soprod – a new generation of movements made specifically for the challenges of the 21st cent
FINE MATERIALS, CAREFULLY SOURCED
In addition to the watch and its parts being Swiss made, we take great care when choosing our partners and subcontractors. They are selected for their technical excellence, without overlooking a key component: a true passion for watchmaking. These exacting standards extend to sourcing and selecting the finest materials for your watch’s accessories. Our popular RAF straps are made in a 19th-century factory in Wales, using material woven in Sherwood, UK. Our 100% natural leather and linen straps are handmade by one of italy's finest tanneries. Even the papers used in our packaging are carefully sourced from first -rate suppliers in both the UK and Turkey.
FURTHER READING
THE HISTORY OF OLLECH & WAJS
STORIES
