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Pen sketches of a watch with engraved patterns and handwritten notes

Watch design and production

JournalNotes from the studio

Notes from the workbench on watch design and production: how a watch goes from an idea to a factory, and what founders should know before they start.

  1. Watch sketches with the finished engraved watch laid on top, from drawing to real watch, ACTE.5

    Design3 min read

    AI watch design: how to turn your AI visuals into a real watch

    What a watch designer does with your AI visuals, through one founder’s story, and why “the concept is done” is rarely true.

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  2. Hands assembling a faceted watch case and its skeleton movement, ACTE.5

    Production4 min read

    How long does it take to design a watch? From sketch to production

    Six months for one watch, two and a half years for another. A realistic timeline from first sketch to finished watches, and what makes the difference.

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  3. Watch design sketches on paper with a pen, ACTE.5

    Studio2 min read

    Working with a watch design studio: how a project starts

    From the first message to the first call: how a watch project starts at ACTE.5, and why the certainties you start with often change along the way.

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  4. Exploded technical drawing of a watch case with annotated parts, ACTE.5

    Production3 min read

    Watch tech pack: what it contains and why your factory needs one

    What a watch tech pack contains, why a first prototype sometimes comes back wrong, and how a precise file avoids extra rounds with the factory.

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