Rolex rolex facilities 1
Rolex's global headquarters in Switzerland.

Rolex boosting production with three pop-up manufacturing facilities

Rolex has confirmed it is speeding up the expansion of its manufacturing capacity with three temporary facilities capable of boosting production by 2025.

Rolex is rapidly ramping up its manufacturing capacity by opening both temporary and permanent facilities in Switzerland.

The company revealed last year it is investing over $1 billion in a major new factory in Bulle, within the Swiss canton of Fribourg.

Olivier Curty, president of the state council for Friburg, described the Rolex plan as a “Project of a rare scale”. Adding: “This significant investment will create very many jobs. The project is on the right track and the Friborg authorities will do everything to ensure that it succeeds”.

That the new permanent facility, adding around 2,000 employees to the current Rolex headcount of 30,000, is expected to be completed and on stream by 2029, the watchmaker has confirmed.

However, with demand for Rolex watches at an unprecedented high, the watchmaker is adding manufacturing capacity even faster with three temporary facilities capable of adding capacity by 2025.

A report by Bloomberg‘s Andy Hoffman reveals that production will be increased gradually as the pop-up facilities, also in Friborg, come online and a workforce of up to 300 is recruited and trained.

It is not clear which watchmaking disciplines will be housed in each of the new plants.

Rolex has consistently maintained it will never compromise on the quality of its watchmaking as it works to increase capacity amid a global imbalance between supply and demand.

“Our current production cannot meet the existing demand in an exhaustive way, at least not without reducing the quality of our watches – something we refuse to do as the quality of our products must never be compromised,” a statement from Rolex in 2021 said.

In a response to questions from Bloomberg, Rolex last week said: “The new production site in Bulle, just like these three temporary installations, will allow Rolex to expand its
production capacity, support growth and meet ever-increasing demand.”

Construction of all four new temporary and permanent Rolex facilities will start later this year, Rolex confirmed.

Rolex’s existing facilities

Rolex currently has four major facilities in Switzerland: its administrative headquarters and assembly operation in Geneva; a factory in Plan-les-Ouates making watch cases and bracelets; Chêne-Bourg, which is responsible for dials, gem-setting, cerachrom bezels and bezel inserts; and Bienne is the beating heart of the operation to manufacture movements.

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7 Comments

  1. The Rolex board of directors may want to reconsider their expansion plans after serious and ever-emerging bank failures around the world. With massive financial losses and job cuts, will current demand be able to be maintained?

  2. Absolutely agree with you in part. The reason people want one is because they can’t buy one even if they have the cash. As soon as a nich trending brand expands and floods the market they kill the WANT. Levi’s 501 jean was hip until supermarkets started selling them as was Falmer jeans and Farah trousers. The same happend to Dr Martin boots and Ben Shirman shirts. It’s why Aston Martin are always in trouble. They all over produce the same can be seen happening with Morgan Cars 11year wait time on delivery in the past is now a few months at most. Scarcity of product drives demand regardless of cost just look at Ferrari Cars perfext marketing. I want one but even if I could afford one I can’t buy one except second hand. Porsche do a similar marketing strategy with there top end models you try buying a 911 GT3. Rolex will end up destroying the very reason everyone wants one IE lack of availability.

  3. What’s the point with authorised dealers stuffing their safes with sports models, trying to pretend there’s a shortage or preferred black book client wait list?
    The whole system of this company appears an utter joke?
    Why would they increase production? When the goings been so good for them after they’ve tourniquet demand?
    The days of them hiding behind charity status is over, their not a church.
    The watches aren’t that great either over engineered germanic engineering with no little class the best watch they every made was the 1655.

  4. It has not hit the fan yet and I believe we will see even tougher times 2nd half 2023 but watches have always performed very well through multiple recessions. Some may feel the increased supply will at the very least make it easier to purchase but they will be dissapointed. The watch market is predicted to grow from $42b in 2022 to $62b in 2030, that represents a 5% CAGR. If this holds true 2030 would have had a 50% growth. I doubt the 3 temporary facilties and eventually one permanent will be able to supply 50% more. Then there is the desire to meet demand, which Rolex are masters at that human behaviors. They will keep the name as desirable as it ever has been and over producing will never happen.

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