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.