Hermès is stepping up investment in its watchmaking capacity and capability with the expansion of its watch cases and dials facility in Le Noirmont, Switzerland.
When complete in 2028, it will occupy almost 120,000 square feet and employ around 100 new employees.
Watches generated sales worth €151 million in the first quarter of 2025, down 10% on the same period last year.
For the full 2024 financial year, watch sales contributed €577 million (CHF 540m) to Hermès group turnover of 15.2 billion.
To put that in context among rival Swiss watchmakers, it sits between the CHF 548 million of IWC and CHF 524 by Jaeger-LeCoultre; and comfortably exceeds CHF 495 million by Hublot (2024 estimated turnovers from Morgan Stanley and LuxConsult).
Once dismissed as just another fashion house with a side hustle in horology, Hermès has grown in both scale and sophistication.
Its case making operation was acquired with the purchase of Joseph Erard in 2013. This was followed in 2012 when La Chaux-de-Fonds dial maker Natéber joined the group.
The two disciplines were moved to Le Noirmont in 2017, to the facility that is now being dramatically upgraded.
Also inside the increasingly verticalized watchmaking operation at Hermès Horloger are leather strap production and case assembly in Brügg and the advanced movement manufacturing of Vaucher Manufacture in Fleurier.
All Hermès watches are sold exclusively through the fashion maison’s own global network of 300 boutiques in 45 countries where Hermès Arceau, H08 and Cut watch collections are sold alongside its iconic Berkin bags.
A new facility in Le Noirmont will be a considerable improvement on the current car park-chic architecture of its current facility.
Architect Atelier Pulver Architectes, which specializes in restorations and new builds that settle sympathetically into their landscapes, has been charged with designing a farm workshop-style building inspired by the aesthetics of equestrian arenas.
It will be kind to its environment, with solar panels and a rainwater recovery system on a green roof and landscaping of its surrounding gardens that work in harmony with the nature of the Swiss Jura.
“With the expansion of its expert site in Le Noirmont, the métier is shaping a future where creation and savoir faire converge sustainably, driving responsible growth in the region,” Hermès says.