CH/04 — Practice

Case Studies

Challenges, constraints, and routes studied for ambitious watch projects. Client identities are not disclosed; the technical work is what matters.

CS.01

Thin Automatic Case Architecture

Case 01 · Anonymised

Challenge: A brand wanted a thinner automatic sports case without losing proportion, water resistance, or movement reliability.
Constraints: Movement height, dial stack, hand clearance, crystal thickness, caseback structure, and tooling strategy.
Approach: Review the case architecture around movement-specific requirements instead of forcing one structure to serve every version.
Outcome: A clearer route for what could be shared, what needed to be separated, and what should be tested before tooling.

CS.02

Case 02 · Anonymised

Challenge: A transparent case gives a dramatic result, but the material leaves little room for force, stress, or structural shortcuts.
Constraints: Machining, polishing, assembly pressure, sealing, and pressure testing can each create failure points.
Approach: Review geometry, wall thickness, stress concentration, assembly method, and replacement risk before committing to the sample route.
Outcome: A more realistic development path that treats material risk as part of the project, not an afterthought.

CS.03

Case 03 · Anonymised

Challenge: Stone, meteorite, and other natural materials create visual character, but no two pieces behave exactly the same.
Constraints: Thickness, backing support, cutting direction, surface treatment, dial feet, adhesive method, and batch consistency.
Approach: Treat the dial as a structure, not just a decorative surface.
Outcome: A clearer production route with better understanding of variation, breakage risk, and assembly requirements.

CS.04

Case 04 · Anonymised

Challenge: A bracelet must look refined, wear comfortably, and survive repeated mechanical stress.
Constraints: Tolerance stack, link geometry, clasp structure, finishing sequence, assembly method, and long-term repairability.
Approach: Review the bracelet as a moving system rather than a collection of separate links.
Outcome: A stronger path toward a bracelet that can be made, assembled, finished, and serviced more consistently.