65% of French people wear a watch every day and in recent years it has changed a lot. Between mechanical watches, smart watches, cheap watches and luxury watches, we help you see things a little more clearly. To do this, watch the interview with our founder Adrien on the France 5 show "La Quotidienne" on the theme "Quality watches at low prices, it's possible!". In this video, you will discover in complete transparency our model which allows us to offer you cheap but quality watches. You will also discover the origin of watch components, a subject often taboo for luxury watch brands.

Luxury watch and cheap watch, why such a difference?

Today, the watch is considered more like a piece of jewelry. Whether it is a luxury watch or a cheap watch, the watch is thus resistant to the portable. With the evolution of technology, smartwatches appear more and more. But once again, the watch is very different from the smartwatch. There are different types of watches and their price depends on several factors: the components, the manufacturing process, the brand, or even the evolution of the watch market. We will see in more detail, the manufacture of a luxury watch and a cheap watch.

Luxury watch, the manufacturing process

Switzerland has been the world center of watchmaking for over two centuries. In this interview, we discover one of the largest watch manufacturers in Geneva, and more precisely in Chaux-de-Fonds. Mechanical watches have been handcrafted there for over 225 years. The watches from this manufacturer do not have batteries, but it is thanks to the movements of the mechanical parts in relation to each other that the watches work. Within this manufacturer, the watches are sophisticated, and are truly considered jewels. The first price of a watch from this manufacturer is over 7,000 euros and can reach 1 million euros. But how can these prices and more broadly the price of a luxury watch be explained? The most luxurious watchmakers use high-quality materials, precise technique and unique know-how for their watches. The decoration of the parts and the finishing of the movement are quality criteria, particularly for luxury manufacturers. The presence of gold, platinum, mother-of-pearl or diamonds is common on luxury watches. During the reporting of this interview, we can see that high technique is required. Each watch is made by hand by watchmakers with advanced skills. For the manufacture of a watch, it passes through dozens of hands. The more meticulous and long the watchmaking work, the higher the price of the watch will be. Finally, the reputation of the brand and its history also influence the price.

Beyond luxury, there is the world of ultra-luxury. Here, only the elite of watchmakers work there. Each watch is designed by a single watchmaker. The level of quality and requirement is very high, which is why each watch is made by a single watchmaker so that he can appropriate it and assemble it according to his feelings. Making a watch of this type requires more than 100 trades and the development cycle of a watch movement is between 3.5 and even 7 years. It also takes several days, even several weeks to obtain exceptional watch parts. A watch with perfect aesthetics and extreme precision is the watchmaker's holy grail. For a watch to be considered very precise, it must not lose more than 4 seconds per day or gain more than 6. In any case, buying a beautiful watch is buying know-how. Today, the diversity of the watch market allows you to find different models of watches, more or less expensive.

Cheaper but quality watch, Adrien explains how our Charlie Paris watches are made

Adrien, one of the two founders of Charlie Paris, explains in this interview how our Charlie Paris watches are made. All of our mechanical and quartz watches , for men and women, are designed and assembled in France. However, the components come from abroad, namely: China, Japan, Switzerland and Italy. Even if there is real know-how in France, with in particular the best training, the watchmaking industry no longer really exists for the manufacture of components. In addition, there are many people working in watchmaking and living in France, however, many of them live near the Swiss border and travel every day. Thus, all French watch brands, luxury or not, including Charlie Paris, use components that come from abroad. And for some, they work with watchmaking workshops located in France for the assembly of watches which represents nearly 50% of the added value of the watch.

At Charlie Paris, we offer watches that reflect our image, with a brand universe and values ​​that speak to us such as freedom, proximity, sobriety, kindness and humility. It is important to us to act locally, which is why our watches are assembled by hand in France, near Besançon, by professional and experienced watchmakers. Regarding our watches, we create watch models with a sober design, both classic and contemporary, with an excellent quality-price ratio. By developing mainly directly, without intermediaries, we can offer you watches at a fair price, without overproduction with a balance between permanent collections and very limited editions. We are always investing more in the quality and durability of our products by maintaining accessible prices thanks to our distribution model without intermediaries. The price differences that exist between our watches depend on the quality of their components and movements. Our waterproof women's watch Aurore with quartz movement (195€) has a mineral glass and we use a very good quality 316L stainless steel. Our men's chronograph watch at 275€, uses a very resistant sapphire glass as well as a more complex quartz movement. The manufacture of our automatic Concordia diving watch uses very good quality materials, finishes and a Swiss movement which justify its higher price (795€).