Hermès expands its watchmaking site

Hermès Horloger had already announced the expansion of its watchmaking site in Le Noirmont in April 2023, during the Watches and Wonders exhibition. The manufacture, which has been producing dials and cases since 2017, is now too small and will see its surface area triple to 11,000 square metres.

The Hermès group decided to invest and strengthen its watchmaking expertise back in 2012 with the acquisition of Natéber SA, a dial manufacturer based in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The following year, it bought Joseph Erard SA, a long-standing partner of Hermès and a case manufacturer. The two entities were then merged in 2017.

Today, in order to support the development of its collections, Hermès Horloger is consolidating its artisanal and industrial model and strengthening its production capacity with the expansion of its Noirmont site by 2028. The brand has announced the creation of around 100 jobs in the long term.

The manufacture, which now houses the production of watch cases and dials, is located in the heart of the Swiss Jura, the cradle of watchmaking. These two activities reflect the company's commitment to its strategy of vertical integration.

"We were keen to integrate some of our most specific expertise. At the time, we decided to buy back our dial manufacturer and one of our case manufacturers. All of this is now integrated into a magnificent factory in Le Noirmont, which we are expanding to triple its size, as it has become too small," explained Guillaume de Seynes, Managing Director of the Upstream and Participations division, in an exclusive interview at the 2025 edition of Watches and Wonders Geneva last April.

The Noirmont factory joins the Brügg site in the canton of Bern, which is dedicated to the manufacture of leather straps and casing, and the Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier factory, which specialises in the design of mechanical movements for fine watchmaking and in which Hermès acquired a stake in 2006.

This development reflects the Hermès group's desire to consolidate its control over the watchmaking value chain, an approach it is pursuing for each of Hermès' sixteen business lines.

Designed by Atelier Pulver Architectes, the extension is inspired by the aesthetics of the horse riding arena, the brand's founding craft. The press release mentions the particular attention paid to sustainability: "The building is also in line with Hermès' sustainable real estate commitments. Built with locally sourced materials, it will be equipped with photovoltaic panels, a rainwater recovery system and a green roof. The surrounding garden will reflect the natural environment of the Swiss Jura. With the extension of its expert site in Le Noirmont, the company is shaping a future where creation and expertise are combined in a sustainable and responsible way to drive growth in the region."

This expansion comes at a more complicated time for the Swiss watch industry as a whole, but also amid a slowdown in Hermès' watch business. The first quarter of 2025 saw a 10% drop in sales, with revenue falling to €151 million.