Watch Design Studio
From Concept to
Production Ready Collection
From Concept to
Production Ready Collection
ACTE.5 is a Swiss-trained watch design studio offering concept, CAD, techpack, and production support for premium and niche brands worldwide. 230+ references launched. We deliver in English and French.
ACTE.5 is a Swiss-trained watch design studio offering concept, CAD, techpack, and production support for premium and niche brands worldwide. 230+ references launched. We deliver in English and French.
A watch design studio is a specialized creative and technical partner focused on timepieces.
Unlike a generic product design agency, a dedicated watch design studio understands movement calibers, dial-making constraints, case tolerances, crystal seating, water resistance architecture, and the realities of quoting a project with Swiss, Japanese, or Chinese suppliers.
Most independent brands, startups, and mid-sized houses cannot justify a full in-house watch design team — but still need design work delivered at a professional, production-ready standard. ACTE.5 operates as your external watch design department: creative direction, product design, CAD, and technical documentation under one roof.
One point of contact, one coherent vision, from first sketch to supplier handover.
What is a
watch design studio?
What is a
watch design studio?
A watch design studio is a specialized creative and technical partner focused on timepieces.
Unlike a generic product design agency, a dedicated watch design studio understands movement calibers, dial-making constraints, case tolerances, crystal seating, water resistance architecture, and the realities of quoting a project with Swiss, Japanese, or Chinese suppliers.
Most independent brands, startups, and mid-sized houses cannot justify a full in-house watch design team — but still need design work delivered at a professional, production-ready standard. ACTE.5 operates as your external watch design department: creative direction, product design, CAD, and technical documentation under one roof.
One point of contact, one coherent vision, from first sketch to supplier handover.
The techpack is where most projects fail or succeed. We produce modular, production-ready documentation: 2D technical drawings, 3D reference files, bill of materials, material and finish specifications, tolerance sheets, and supplier briefing documents. One master file per reference, clean PDF and ZIP deliverables. Our techpacks are built so factories can quote accurately on first pass — no back-and-forth, no guesswork.
We work with the calibers that independent brands actually use: Miyota 9015, Seiko NH35 and NH38, Sellita SW200 and SW300, Ronda quartz, and ETA movements. Module integration, complication layouts, and movement-to-case architecture are handled with real supplier constraints and pricing logic in mind.
Movement
integration
Techpack
production
Watch design services
Creative direction and collection strategy
Every project starts with a clear creative direction. We define the collection's design language, positioning, competitive landscape, and SKU architecture before a single case profile is drawn. This phase shapes the identity of the line, mood, proportions, materials, and narrative, so that every subsequent design decision serves both the brand and the market.
Case, dial, bezel and Bracelet design
From sketch to refined 2D technical drawings, we design every visible component of the watch: case silhouettes, lug geometry, bezel inserts, dial composition, hand sets, index systems, crown profiles, and caseback treatments. Each element is developed with manufacturing constraints in mind, we design what factories can actually produce, not just what looks good on screen.
Movement integration
We work with the calibers that independent brands actually use: Miyota 9015, Seiko NH35 and NH38, Sellita SW200 and SW300, Ronda quartz, and ETA movements. Module integration, complication layouts, and movement-to-case architecture are handled with real supplier constraints and pricing logic in mind.
CAD development in SolidWorks and RhinO
Full 3D development of every component: case, bezel, caseback, crown, dial, hands, bracelet links, and clasp. Assembly files, surface modeling for complex case geometries, and export in STEP, Parasolid, and IGES formats, delivered in a structure your factory can open, quote, and tool without rework.
Techpack production
The techpack is where most projects fail or succeed. We produce modular, production-ready documentation: 2D technical drawings, 3D reference files, bill of materials, material and finish specifications, tolerance sheets, and supplier briefing documents. One master file per reference, clean PDF and ZIP deliverables. Our techpacks are built so factories can quote accurately on first pass — no back-and-forth, no guesswork.
3D prototyping
Resin-printed prototypes for physical review: proportions, wrist presence, lug ergonomics, crown access, and dial legibility. Fast iteration, low cost, and risk-free validation before committing to steel tooling.
Renderings and product visualization
Photorealistic 3D renders for pitch decks, crowdfunding campaigns, e-commerce, trade shows, and investor materials. We create visuals that sell, not just visuals that impress designers.
Packaging and brand strategy
For brands that need it, we extend into packaging design, box architecture, naming, positioning, and launch storytelling. A coherent product universe, from the watch on the wrist to the box in the customer's hands.
Who we design for
Premium and
mid-market brands
Premium and mid-market brands looking for an external design partner to refresh an existing collection, launch a new product family, or restructure their catalogue. We operate as an integrated extension of your team — not a one-off freelancer.
Emerging
niche brands
Emerging niche brands building ambitious first collections with Swiss or Japanese movements. We bring the production expertise and supplier network that first-time founders typically lack, so your debut collection launches with professional-grade files and realistic timelines.
Independent watchmakers and founders
Independent watchmakers and founders launching a first or second reference with limited internal resources. Whether you have a napkin sketch or a fully formed brief, we take the project from wherever it is to wherever it needs to go.
How we work: the ACTE.5 process
1. Brief and creative direction
We define the collection's identity, positioning, price tier, and technical ambition.
This is where we align on what the project is — and what it is not.
2. Concept design
Sketches, mood boards, silhouette studies, dial composition directions.
Multiple concepts explored, one direction selected and refined.
3. Technical design and CAD
SolidWorks and Rhino development, feasibility review, movement fitting, tolerance strategy. The design becomes an engineered product.
4. Techpack delivery
Production-ready documentation for your supplier.
Every dimension, every material, every finish — documented and exportable.
5. Prototype review
Sketches, mood boards, silhouette studies, dial composition directions.
Multiple concepts explored, one direction selected and refined.
6. Production support
Supplier coordination, pre-production verification, and launch handover.
We stay involved until the first production units are confirmed.
Why brands choose ACTE.5
Why brands
choose ACTE.5
Hands-on watch expertise
12+ years, 230+ shipped references across 10+ brands.
Not a generalist portfolio with one watch project buried on page three.
Full-service under one roof
Creative direction, product design, CAD, techpack, prototyping, rendering, packaging, and supplier coordination. One partner replaces five freelancers.
One point of contact
Rodolphe Melot leads every project personally.
No diluted creative vision.
Production-grade files
Techpacks that factories can quote and tool on first pass.
No rework cycles, no wasted tooling budgets.
Worldwide reach
Client work delivered in English and French.
Across Europe, the Middle East, and beyond.
Swiss-trained, worldwide delivery
Rodolphe trained in Switzerland's watch design industry and designs daily with Swiss-made calibers (Sellita, ETA). ACTE.5 brings Swiss watchmaking discipline to brands worldwide.
Rodolphe Melot is a French watch designer with 12+ years of experience and 230+ watch references launched for premium brands. Trained in Switzerland within specialized watch design agencies, he brings Swiss watchmaking discipline to every project — from movement selection and case tolerances to supplier coordination and production sign-off.
His career spans renowned international brands and agencies across Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, and Germany — including contributions to projects for Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Maurice Lacroix, Victorinox, and the Fossil Group.
About the founder
About the founder
Rodolphe Melot is a French watch designer with 12+ years of experience and 230+ watch references launched for premium brands. Trained in Switzerland within specialized watch design agencies, he brings Swiss watchmaking discipline to every project — from movement selection and case tolerances to supplier coordination and production sign-off.
His career spans renowned international brands and agencies across Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, and Germany — including contributions to projects for Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Maurice Lacroix, Victorinox, and the Fossil Group.
Whether you're launching a new watch brand, refreshing an existing collection, or exploring a new product category,
every project starts with a conversation.
READY TO DESIGN YOUR
NEXT COLLECTION ?
READY TO DESIGN YOUR
NEXT COLLECTION ?
Whether you're launching a new watch brand, refreshing an existing collection, or exploring a new product category, every project starts with a conversation.