The acquisition of Accurist by Time Products in 2014 meant a lot of benefits for the brand and its retail partners. One of these key benefits is the access to Time Products’ peerless quality control standards and procedures.
Every watch undergoes rigorous testing and must pass several checking processes, including: drop/shock tests, tensile strength tests, pressure tests, appearance checks, strap twist tests, battery longevity checks, practicality tests, static load tests, and flexibility tests.
After every box that comes through the door is unpacked and every watch is checked thoroughly by hand for any cosmetic and timekeeping defects, a selection of the watches is then taken through for the next stage of quality control. The quality control team pick a maximum of 32 watches of each model from different trays and each watch is then subjected to at least 22 further checks to ensure that there is the pivotal element of randomness involved in the testing. In addition, a watch from each model is sent out to the Assay Office to comply with EU legislations.
This process will have already taken place when an original batch of ten technical samples of each model comes through from the suppliers and manufacturers. All Time Products’ suppliers have their own copy of ‘the bible’ of quality control which sets out in a huge amount of detail the standard that is expected and demanded. This standard is known as the Acceptable Quality Level (AQL). If any of the tests are failed or any of the standards not met, the watch will not cut the mustard.
Once the samples have been checked using the methods described above, one of the 10 technical samples will be kept back so that they have an example to check for against future deliveries. This ensures a model always looks the same regardless of the batch of manufacturing date.
All in all, it is clear that retailers are extremely happy to see a brand as commercially exciting as Accurist in the hands of a company like Time Products.
