Technical office
Our technical office handles very specific requests from our customers. Our expertise and our software allow us to find a solution very quickly.
From the question asked to the component to be made.
Swiss MadeA report with every batchThree generations
Joseph Bonvallat SA · Porrentruy (JU) · since 1937
Since 1937, in Porrentruy, a watch component comes to us in its raw form and leaves finished: polished, decorated, engraved, gilded.
Watch component finishing. Technical office, machining, polishing, decoration, engraving and electroplating: the synergy of our departments lets us control every finishing step of a component in-house.
1937Watch finishing since
6Departments, one house
2'000m²m² of production space
20µMicrons of gold plating, cadmium-free
3Generations
From creation to the finished product
One component, six steps, one roof.
Every step is carried out in-house, from one department to the next, on Rue Achille-Merguin. A single contact follows the component from the first dimension to the final plating.
With every batchReportof dimensional inspection, and plating thickness measured by X-ray.
Machining | reworking
A fast-growing sector. Specialised in diamond cutting for decades, we produce high-quality surface finishes for final finishing, as well as mirror-polished surfaces.
Controlling the surface from the reworking stage allows short lead times and top-end quality.
Polishing | finishing
CNC grinding or lapping guarantees every dimension and complex shapes. We finish with hand polishing, for top-end quality.
Latest-generation machines, and a large capacity for hand polishing.
Decoration
Each watch brand has its own tradition of decorating a component. We decorate by hand to meet specific customer requests, and by CNC to handle large volumes.
Quality, lead times and cost guaranteed, from a single piece to a full batch.
Engraving
Engraving lets us control the entire finishing phase of a component in-house. Latest-generation equipment handles large volumes, on 3 and 5 axes.
From marking a few hundredths deep to deep engraving of more than 0.15 mm, without draft and without burrs.
Electroplating
Electrolysis gives every type of component a protective layer against oxidation and extra hardness. A field we have mastered for more than 80 years.
A thickness measurement report can accompany every batch.
Hand and machine
The machine guarantees the dimension. The hand signs the finish.
CNC handles large volumes while guaranteeing quality, lead times and cost. The hand answers each brand's specific requests and the demands of the top end.
Prepare by machine
CNC grinding and lapping guarantee dimensions and produce complex shapes.
Finish by hand
A large hand-polishing capacity, on brass, steel, titanium, gold, platinum and ceramic.
Decorate to the brand
Côtes de Genève, perlage, sunburst: each brand has its tradition, the workshop reproduces it.
We finish with a hand-polishing operation to meet top-end quality.Joseph Bonvallat SA, polishing
Quality
With every batch, the proof.
What is finished here is measured, and the measurement travels with the delivery.
Swiss Made
Every component we produce carries the Swiss Made label. All our operations are carried out in-house or with trusted partners in Switzerland.
Dimensional inspection
Our departments carry out every necessary measurement with dedicated instruments and supply an inspection report with every batch.
Plating thickness
Measured by X-ray. It ensures the component will resist oxidation and that its dimensions are not altered by the deposit.
Parts, materials, plating
For the high-end sector, from the case to the accessory.
Case middles, bezels, case backs, bracelets and clasps, as well as leather goods and luxury accessories.
Parts
Polishing of watch components and high-end articles.
Case middlesBezelsCase backsBraceletsClaspsLeather goodsAccessories
Materials
Ferrous and non-ferrous, from the most common to the most precious.
BrassStainless steelTitaniumGoldPlatinumCeramic
Plating
Precious and base metals, cadmium-free for gold plating.
SilverPalladiumRhodiumRutheniumChampagne gildingYellow gilding 0.5N to 5NRose gilding 4N, 5NYellow gold plating 3 to 20 µRose gold plating 3 and 5 µMatt, bright and black chromeCopperBronzeNickel
The company
A family business, since 1937.
Joseph Bonvallat starts out in 1937 by buying a plot with a farm and a chapel. With four workers, he begins polishing and chrome-plating watch cases.
The family home becomes a modern factory, then a whole building for electroplating and diamond cutting. Three generations on, the company keeps investing in its production equipment to meet ever shorter customer lead times.
1937
A farm, a chapel, four workers: polishing and chrome-plating watch cases.
1945
Jewellery and watch bracelets, with a gold-plating workshop known abroad.
1965
A building for electroplating and diamond cutting: 2,000 m² of production space.
1972
Joseph Bonvallat SA is incorporated as a limited company.
1985
Michel Bonvallat, the founder's youngest son, takes over the management.
1990
CNC technology enters production.
1998
A new electroplating line and automatic washing for polishing.
2012
Major investments modernise the machine park.
2018
The creation and design department, the technical office, becomes operational.
Today
The third generation has joined the company.
Rue Achille-Merguin 25, in Porrentruy. Six departments under one roof.
Tomorrow
Towards 90 years.
In 2027, the house founded by Joseph Bonvallat will be 90 years old. The third generation is at work.
Manufactures ask for ever shorter lead times, and the polish, decoration and gold applied here already serve luxury objects beyond the watch.
The question now opening is the place Porrentruy will hold in the chain: the workshop that finishes a component, or the one that answers for it from start to finish.
Contact
Rue Achille-Merguin 25, in Porrentruy.
For a question or further information, our team will answer you.
Joseph Bonvallat SA
AddressRue Achille-Merguin 25, CH-2900 Porrentruy
DepartmentsSix, in-house
Website languagesFrançais · Deutsch · English
About this page
A reading of your craft, set out on a page.
This page is a proposal made to Joseph Bonvallat SA from its public content. The three options, from the CHF 1'200.– package to the additional materials, are set out on a dedicated page.
See the termsThree packages, SEO and AEO included.
A component to finish?
Let us talk about your next batch.
If you have questions or would like further information, contact us.