65% of French people wear a watch every day and in recent years it has evolved significantly. Between mechanical watches, connected watches, inexpensive 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 inexpensive but quality watches. You will also discover the origin of watch components, an often taboo subject for luxury watch brands.

Luxury watch and inexpensive watch, why such a difference?

Today, the watch is considered more of a piece of jewelry. Whether it is a luxury watch or an inexpensive watch, the watch is wearable. With the evolution of technology, connected watches appear more and more. But once again, the watch is very different from the connected watch. 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 look in more detail at the manufacturing of a luxury watch and an inexpensive watch.

Luxury watch, the manufacturing process

Switzerland has been the world center of watchmaking for more than two centuries. In this interview, it is in Geneva and more precisely in Chaux-de-Fonds that we discover one of the largest watchmaking manufacturers. Mechanical watches have been handcrafted there for over 225 years. The watches from this manufacture 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 manufacture, the watches are sophisticated, and are truly considered jewelry. The first price of a watch from this manufacture amounts to more than 7,000 euros and can reach 1 million euros. But how can these prices and more generally 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 among luxury manufacturers. The presence of gold, platinum, mother-of-pearl or even diamonds is common on luxury watches. When reporting this interview, we can see that high technique is required. Each watch is made by hand by watchmakers with advanced skills. To make a watch, it passes through dozens of hands. The more meticulous and longer the watchmaking work, the higher the price of the watch will be. Finally, the notoriety of the brand and its history also influence the price.

Beyond luxury, there is the world of ultra-luxury. Only the elite of watchmakers work here. Each watch is designed by a single watchmaker. The level of quality and requirements is very high, which is why each watch is made by a unique watchmaker so that he can make it his own and assemble it according to his feelings. Creating a watch of this type requires more than 100 trades and the development cycle of a watch movement is between 3.5 or even 7 years. It also takes several days, even several weeks, to obtain exceptional watch pieces. A watch with perfect aesthetics and extreme precision is the watchmaker's death. 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.

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

Adrien, one of the two founders of Charlie Paris, explains to you 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, including the best training, the watchmaking industry no longer really exists for the manufacture of components. In addition, there are many people working in the watch industry 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 in part, 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 in our image, with a brand universe and values ​​that speak to us such as freedom, proximity, sobriety, kindness and even 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. Concerning our watches, we create watch models with a sober design, both classic and contemporary, with excellent value for money. 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 their movements. Our Aurore women's waterproof watch with quartz movement (€195) has a mineral glass and we use very good quality 316L stainless steel. Our men's chronograph watch at €275 uses a very resistant sapphire crystal as well as a more complex quartz movement. The manufacturing of our automatic Concordia diver's watch uses very good quality materials, finishes and a Swiss movement which justify its higher price (€795).