Official renderings of new billion-dollar Rolex factory expected to skyrocket production

Perhaps previously best known for the rare and desirable watched, Rolex is hoping to expand production with a new Rolex factory in Bulle, Switzerland, set to cost billions.

Official renderings have already been revealed, with The Crown announcing their expansion back in 2022.

And the images look almost as good as the brand’s iconic timepieces.

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Why is Rolex building a factory now?

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Its 2023 production amounted to 10.1 billion Swiss francs, roughly $11.5 billion, according to Bloomberg and  Morgan Stanley’s annual report.

Far further back in time, this classic watch was made and more recently rediscovered in the Mojave desert.

When will it start making watches?

Looking into the future, the factory is projected to get cogs turning in 2029.

The facility in Bulle, near Gruyère, Freiburg, has already received a building permit per the Feuille officielle du canton de Fribourg.

Rolex is one of the most integrated Swiss watch manufacturers – a company renowned for its luxury timepieces.

Its components are largely produced internally, with 9,000 of its 14,000 entire workforce located in Switzerland.

In fact, it’s headquartered with watches developed and put together in Acacias, Geneva.

Intricate movements are manufactured in Bienne, and cases and bracelets, dials, Cerachrom bezels, and Cerachrom bezel inserts are produced in Plan-les-Ouates.

Last but certainly not least, the brand’s gemmology and gem-setting take place in Chêne-Bourg.

The new location in Bulle will produce 20 percent of that work, employing 2,000 workers across its four production buildings connected by a central building.

This means the factory equates to 100,000 square meters.

With being kinder to the climate firmly in mind, Rolex is aiming to reduce its factory buildings’ energy consumption by 10 percent compared to a conventional building.

It hopes to attain the highest level of Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) certification – a first for a Swiss industrial building, per NZZ.

It will cost the luxury company upwards of one billion Swiss francs.

Rolex has built three temporary factories in Romont and Villaz-Saint-Pierre to amp up production before then.

A shift for the watch company specializing in rare timepieces, like one of the rarest Rolex watches in the world that sold for $3.5 million at auction

Each with 250 to 300 Rolex employees, it’s set to be a gradual shift to Bulle over six years.