Meet Our Watchmaking Artisans

Behind every Maison MONTIGNAC watch are attentive hands and careful eyes, those of the watchmaking artisans who work every day in our Besançon workshop. Without revealing identities, it is these often understated watchmaking trades that bring the watches to life before they reach the customer's wrist.

The assembly watchmaker, guardian of precision

At the heart of the workshop, the assembly watchmaker receives the sorted components and puts them together one by one to create the finished watch. It is a trade that demands constant concentration: every gesture, every screw, every component placed must follow a precise sequence, or risk compromising how the movement functions. The assembly watchmaker works on automatic movements as much as on quartz movements, with the same level of rigour regardless of the type of calibre. This trade is learned through repeated practice, often over several years, before one can assemble, unsupervised, watches destined for sale. It is this patiently acquired expertise that guarantees consistency from one watch to the next.

The regulator, between technique and patience

Once assembled, the movement must be precisely regulated to guarantee its accuracy day to day. This meticulous work falls to those known as regulators, responsible for checking and adjusting the movement's rate in different positions. This trade demands particular patience: adjustments are made in small increments, using highly precise measuring instruments, until a level of accuracy consistent with the house's standards is achieved. It is invisible work to the end customer, but decisive for the perceived quality of the watch once worn day to day.

The quality controller, the final eye before the case

Before a watch leaves the workshop, a quality controller checks the entire piece: water resistance, finishing, the running of the movement, the overall look of the case and strap. This final check acts as a filter: nothing leaves without approval. This trade is also what connects to the repair service, since the standards applied during quality control are the same ones used when a watch returns to the workshop years later. This continuity between manufacturing and after-sales service reflects the artisanal spirit that drives the house.

These artisans, each at their post, share the same standard: making sure every watch deserves the case that comes with every watch at the moment of delivery. It is thanks to their daily work that Maison MONTIGNAC can claim, without exaggeration, a manufacturing process conceived and assembled in France.