Private-Label Watchmaking:  Swiss Precision for Ambitious Brands

For decades, launching a watch brand meant owning — or leasing — expensive machinery, clean rooms and skilled labour.

Private-label manufacturing changes the equation: an external workshop handles the heavy engineering while you focus on design, branding and distribution.

This model exploded with micro-brands and fashion labels in the 2010s, yet quality varies widely.
Asian factories can supply volume, but entrepreneurs looking for long-term brand equity increasingly turn to Switzerland, where reputation, traceability and strict regulations underpin the Swiss Made label.
Operating from La Chaux-de-Fonds — a city home to legendary firms like Girard-Perregaux and Tissot — Bryek Horlogerie positions itself as the bridge between proper volume, traditional craftsmanship and modern entrepreneurship. 

What is a Private Label Watch?

 A private-label watch is produced by a third-party manufacturer but carries your logo and branding on the dial and caseback.

In practice:

  1. Your brand concept — style, target price, materials — drives the specification.

  2. The manufacturer sources or machines the movement, case, dial, hands and bracelet.

  3. Assembly, regulation and quality control are achieved under strict procedures by the manufacturer for your private label watch.

  4. Finished pieces are shipped to you, ready for e-commerce or retail.

Because the industrial risk sits with the workshop, founders can enter the market with far less capital than a vertically integrated manufacture.
Done right, the result is indistinguishable from watches born inside a legacy brand — especially when production occurs in Switzerland under the Swiss Made rules. This set of regulation require at least 60 % of the watch’s manufacturing cost to be generated in Switzerland. It generates trust for the consumer and ensure legitimacy on the retail market.

What is a Private Label Manufacturer?

A private-label manufacturer turns your design into reality—engineering the watch, sourcing parts, assembling and testing every unit—so you receive fully certified, ready-to-sell timepieces under your own brand.

Core responsibilities

Production stages at Bryek — the key points

  • Movement assembly (T1)

    • Calibres assembled in-house or by sister company Magstein Sàrl for mechanical movements.

  • Watch assembly & quality control (T2)

    • Case, dial and hands fitted in Bryek’s La Chaux-de-Fonds facility.

    • Water-resistance tests and 24-/48-hour rate checks performed on every piece.

  • Bracelet fitting (T3)

    • Straps/bracelets installed and final cosmetic inspection completed.

  • Logistics & service

    • Custom packaging, worldwide shipping and an after-sales repair desk handled by Bryek.

Why this matters for your brand

  • Small- and medium-batch flexibility – launch with a few hundred pieces, scale to low-thousands without switching supplier.

  • Transparent component sourcing – only vetted Swiss and international partners.

  • Documented inspections – simplifies customs clearance and reassures luxury buyers.

  • Human-scale partnership – direct dialogue with the Swiss watchmakers regulating your prototypes.

Choosing a manufacturer that fully complies with Swissness standards increases perceived value and opens doors to premium retailers — benefits explored later in this guide.

What are The Advantages of Working with a Swiss Private-Label Partner ?

In a market where large volumes can be sourced from China, Swiss manufacturers stand out by offering uncompromising quality, full Swiss Made compliance and global prestige—essential ingredients for lasting brand equity and premium pricing.

With the list below, we went through all of the advantages that comes with launching your private label watch brand with a Swiss partner :

1 — Reputation & Willingness-to-Pay

Consumer surveys in the latest Deloitte Swiss Watch Industry Study 2025 show that buyers still associate Switzerland with “precision engineering” and are willing to pay a premium for that provenance—even as smart-watch adoption rises. Grand View Research echoes the finding: Swiss origin lets brands “command premium prices” despite global competition.

2 — Legal Credibility (Swissness 2017)

Since 2017, a watch must generate ≥ 60 % of its manufacturing cost in Switzerland and be finally assembled there to bear the Swiss Made label . Producing with Bryek in La Chaux-de-Fonds secures full compliance and shields your brand from grey-area “Swiss-assembled, China-made” accusations common in low-cost supply chains.

3 — Process Transparency

Bryek opens its workshop doors — founders can audit each stage, from movement regulation to 24-hour rate checks. That level of traceability is nearly impossible when parts of the chain are scattered across multiple Chinese subcontractors, a gap highlighted by industry analysts comparing Shenzhen output with Swiss production standards.

4 — Flexible Batches, Faster Iteration

Unlike mass factories that demand 1 000 + units per SKU, Bryek routinely launches hundreds-piece pilot runs, ideal for brand and micro-brands testing the market. On-site prototyping labs cut iteration cycles, so you can refine the design in days — not the weeks it takes to ship samples back and forth to Asia.

5 — Integrated Movement Expertise

Thanks to its sister company Magstein Sàrl (2016), Bryek offers in-house assembly and adjustment of mechanical calibres — removing an extra subcontractor and keeping IP safer under one Swiss roof.

Our Key takeaway ?

Swiss manufacturing isn’t just a badge — it’s an ROI driver that lifts perceived value, simplifies customs paperwork and reduces warranty risks. Bryek converts these advantages into tangible conversion levers for your brand.

Are Private-Label Watches Profitable?

Yes. With modest tooling costs and a high perceived value, gross margins can exceed 50 %, turning a few hundred units into a cash-positive launch.

Margin Structure in Real Terms

Cost structure — key take-aways

  • Components (case, dial, movement) – 30 – 40 %

    • Bryek taps its Swiss supplier network to secure group pricing even on small runs.

  • Assembly & quality control – 10 – 15 %

    • Full in-house T1–T3 workflow keeps labour predictable, compliant and genuinely Swiss Made.

  • Logistics & duties – 5 – 8 %

    • EU-friendly routing from Switzerland minimises import surprises and paperwork.

Total landed cost : ~45 – 55 % of the future retail price.
Premium Swiss Made positioning then supports a higher MSRP, leaving ~45 – 55 % gross margin on an entry- to mid-tier automatic (MOQ ≈ 300 pcs).

A case study : Daniel Wellington
The Swedish brand Daniel Wellington grew a US$ 30 k launch budget into US$ 230 million in annual sales while maintaining ± 50 % margin by marrying low production costs with sharp branding. Although DW produced in China, the case illustrates the private-label margin logic; a Swiss build lifts retail price without proportionally raising costs, further boosting profit per unit.

Swiss Premium vs Shenzhen Savings

  • Swiss Route: Higher component cost but average retail price can be 2–3× that of a comparable Chinese-made watch — netting a fatter euro margin per piece.

  • Shenzhen Route: Lowest COGS, yet increasing competition forces price ceilings; QC variability can trigger returns that erode margin.

Break-Even Snapshot

Profit snapshot for a 300-piece launch (50 % gross-margin target)

  • Swiss automatic : landed cost ≈ €320 → Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) ≈ €700 → potential gross profit ≈ €114 000.

  • Chinese automatic : landed cost ≈ €180 → MSRP ≈ €350 → potential gross profit ≈ €51 000.

Even on small volumes, the Swiss Made label boosts resale value and hedge-stock risk—an increasingly decisive factor for Gen Z and millennial buyers focused on second-hand prices (source: Deloitte).

Bryek advantage : with 20 + years of cost-engineering expertise, Bryek secures competitive landed costs on Swiss builds, letting founders access premium price brackets without inflating COGS.

How Can I Create My Own Watch Brand?

Partner with a specialist like Bryek Horlogerie and follow five disciplined steps—each meticulously engineered to minimise risk, accelerate time-to-market and maximise long-term brand equity.

Step-by-Step Roadmap

Concept & Brand DNA
Bryek’s design workshop aligns your positioning, target price and visual identity right from the start.

  1. Technical Design & CAD
    In-house engineers convert sketches into 3-D files and precise tolerances, iterating quickly on site in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

  2. Prototype & Validation
    One to three prototypes are built for wrist feel, colours, lume and water-resistance tests; you can handle and approve them in Bryek’s lab.

  3. Series Production
    Components are ordered, movements assembled and regulated by Magstein Sàrl, then cased and finished on Bryek’s ISO-grade lines.

  4. QC, Packaging & Launch
    Each watch undergoes 24/48-hour rate checks, pressure tests and final cosmetics before boxing, worldwide shipping and optional after-sales service.

Bryek compresses this entire OEM roadmap into roughly five months, with every step under one Swiss roof—so you speak to the engineers in real time, not through endless email chains across time zones.ancial Times

Fashion & Lifestyle Lines

Labels like Michael Kors, Hugo Boss, Emporio Armani licence their names to groups such as Fossil Group, which run private-label watch programmes at scale (design + manufacturing + distribution) — proving the model’s viability in mass retail.

Component Suppliers Turning into Brands

The Financial Times recently noted that long-time Swiss suppliers like Schwarz Etienne and Formex have launched their own branded collections to capture more margin upstream – further validation that private-label expertise can evolve into consumer-facing success.

Where Bryek fits: Bryek remains the quiet force behind numerous European micro-brands (NDA-protected), providing the very same Swiss assembly and QC that underpin the examples above—yet with small-batch flexibility most big OEMs won’t entertain.

How Does Swiss Made Certification Work?

Since 1 January 2017, the “Swissness” ordinance demands that at least 60 % of a complete watch’s manufacturing cost be generated in Switzerland, the movement be Swiss, final casing and inspection occur on Swiss soil, and the technical development take place locally

Key compliance pillars

Under the 2017 “Swissness” rules, a watch earns the Swiss Made label only if:

  • At least 60 % of its manufacturing cost is generated in Switzerland.
    Bryek relies on a Swiss-based supply chain and does all assembly in La Chaux-de-Fonds, so the cost ratio is safely above the threshold.

  • The movement itself is Swiss—assembled, developed and inspected in the country, with ≥ 60 % Swiss value and ≥ 50 % Swiss components.
    Bryek’s sister company Magstein Sàrl builds and regulates every calibre on the same campus, ensuring full traceability.

  • Final casing and quality control happen on Swiss soil.
    Bryek’s T2/T3 line performs water-resistance tests, 24-/48-hour rate checks and issues signed inspection reports for each piece.

Because every step is handled in-house, Swiss Made is built into Bryek’s workflow from day one—no last-minute “Swiss finishing” or grey-area shortcuts.

Why Choose Bryek – The Swiss Manufacturer Behind Great Brands

Since 2001, Bryek Horlogerie has quietly powered European and U.S. micro-brands with Swiss-made precision that commands premium prices worldwide. Working from La Chaux-de-Fonds, the team unites watch assembly and its own movement arm, Magstein Sàrl, on a single campus — so every calibre is built, regulated and cased without third-party hand-offs. Founders can test the market with a few hundred pieces and scale smoothly into the low-thousands once demand takes off, all under documented quality controls that are open to client audits. In short, Bryek offers the reputation, flexibility and full transparency that turn a good watch concept into a trusted Swiss success.

Take the First Step Toward Your Swiss-Made Watch Brand

Private-label manufacturing lets you enter the €112 billion global watch market without the cap-ex burden of a factory. Swiss production amplifies margin potential, consumer trust and resale value. With Bryek Horlogerie in La Chaux-de-Fonds you gain:

  • A Swiss Made compliant supply chain from design to final QC.

  • Over 20 years of horological expertise and mechanical-movement know-how.

  • Pilot-run agility plus the capacity to scale as your brand grows.

Ready to turn sketches into Swiss-made timepieces?
 Contact Bryek Horlogerie today to start your private-label watch project.