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Chopard Manufacture Visit Part 2(b) - Visit to the Independent Fleurier Quality Foundation
Mar 11, 2009,06:16 AM
Fleurier is really tranquil and the air is really fresh!
The view from the top of Chapeau de Napoleon is breathtaking. It is cooler too.
Chapeau de Napoleon is a hotel-cum-restaurant was built around 1894 and situated 960m
above sea level overseeing the whole valley.
The place was name as Chapeau de Napoleon as from the foothill, it looks like the famous
crooked hat of the Emperor of the French, Napoléon Bonaparte.
Here a look from one of the Chopard labs ... any resemblance of the hat?
Now the views (from the opposite end) while waiting for the food ....
Can you spot Chopard Manufacture?
Here's ...
An even closer view..
A view on the right side
Entrance to
Chapeau de Napoleon
The interior... Patrick helping himself to a healthy salad.
The kitchen, the bar-counter and some inspirational Green Fairies
Our lunches ...
We were done in less than an hour replenishing energy...
Does it look like the painting?
Driving away ...
Descending ...
Chopard Manufacture, the building view from another side of the road. A building of two eras.
During lunch time, the town was still peaceful. Only a handful of cars ...
Patrick said this building is our next destination, a hotel?? ... before that to another nice place...
After a couple of minute drive, we arrived ...
The venue, Rue du Temple 1, was used for the celebration of L.U.C's 10th anniversary in 2006. It belongs to Chopard.
It was really nice huge place ... could be a new venue for the "Chopard Technologies", the R & D department.
Initial
thoughts from Mr. Karl Friedrich Scheufele, this location is more
suitable for the R&D related work. The tranquility
environment is conducive for the team to think and focus.
Walk one big round ...
Patrick standing beside the work of the renowned Belgian artist, Jean-Michel Folon .
A Cadran Solaire circa 1808.
We left after 15 minutes ....
Now to the Fondation Qualité Fleurier (Fleurier Quality Foundation or for short 'FQF') ...
The building FQF is housed ...
The plaque on the house beside FQF building... what's the significance?
It was the house of Mr.Charles-Edouard Guillaume. One of the most important people in the horological world.
A
physicist and a Nobel Prize winner in 1920. He discovered the
nickel-steel alloys, invar and elinvar which has low thermal expansion
properties (used for making of spirals/hairsprings) that enable the
making of more accurate and stable mechanical timepieces. This was before Nivarox.
For mechanical watch-lovers, we must know this gentleman.
Please click here to know more about Mr Charles-Edouard Guillaume.
The
Fondation Qualité Fleurier plaque with the launched date.
Fondation Qualité Fleurier was founded in year 5 June 2001 by the Chopard, Parmigiani Fleurier and
Bovet Fleurier brands, as well as the Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier.
Housed inside this building....the signage is on the ceiling!
Patrick leading the way....
Entering the FQF Test Centre...
A short note about Fleurier Quality Foundation (FQF) Haute Horlogerie Quality Ceritification.
To be able to attain the FQF certification,
- The movement must be COSC-certified
- The movement must have passed the CHRONOFIABLE test
- The movement must attain an exclusive aesthetic quality of finish
- The running of the finished watch must pass the FLEURITEST machine in its final form
(movement encased) and after the 24-hour operational test on the
Fleuritest machine, the precision of the watch must fall within the
range of 0 to +5 seconds per day.
Once quoted by Philippe Dufour (in the August 25, 2006 The Business Times-Singapore) :
"... the most serious one is the Fleurier seal, it is the most logical quality stamp, it tests the watch and not just the movement alone."
This
certification is not location-centric per the Geneva Seal. The
certification is open to any Swiss or European brands. To summarize,
it is a certification which not only certifies the aesthetic quality
but also the logical functional of a high horology time-piece as worn
on the wrist.
For more information about FQF, please visit (www.fleurier-quality.com)
A gentleman in lab-coat surrounded by the 3 machines... it is the Fleuritest machines!
A look at the FQF test centre ...
3 Fleuritest Machines ...
A look at the opposite end of the room...looking towards the meeting room.
Mr Oliver Wieers, the person-in-charge of the FQF Test Centre.
So what does the Fleuritest machine do?
The
Fleuritest machine simulates the movement of a human being for 24
hours. It is scientifically known as the nycthemeral cycle,
alternating between active, extremely active and calmer phases. The
movement that the machine is simulating, is shown on the left windows
of the monitor.
Below is the list of realistic programmed motions
simulated by the machine over 24 hours :
Machine about to start...
The watch-heads were already loaded onto the machine (will show more later).
From the screen, the machine is simulating the wearing of clothes.
On the bottom right corner, the watch under test was shown. The machine vision system will capture the timing at regular
interval programmed and then compute the variations in rate.
A picture of the Fleuritest machine.
On
the wall is the picture of the L.U.C Qualite Fleurier caseback with the FQF logo.
(If you
are interested to see more of the L.U.C QF Ref: 161896, please
click here )
Now it the machine was simulating a person exercising ...