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Founded in 1973, the company is now a benchmark in the Swiss microtechnology industry, particularly in watchmaking. Its recognised expertise is underpinned by a technological excellence and capacity for innovation that have won over space scientists. Since 2016, it has shared the philosophy and values of the Acrotec group.
The adventure began in 1973 in Cortaillod, in the Canton of Neuchâtel, one of the cradles of Swiss watchmaking. Freddy Petitpierre set up a micromechanics workshop specialising in the manufacture of metrological components. Petitpierre SA quickly expanded its customer base and areas of expertise to include microtechnology subcontracting, tooling and automation, becoming a reliable benchmark in the demanding field of watchmaking subcontracting with a team now comprising 70 employees.
Boris Petitpierre made an active contribution to this growth by joining the company founded by his father in 1991: “It’s a great story that has been constantly written in step with our technological successes and innovations. We have kept pace with the demands and ambitions of manufacturers of finished products who are constantly on the lookout for components verging on perfection, whether in terms of choice of materials, dimensions, surface finishes or geometric complexity. Our range of machines and the talent of our teams have made all the difference in meeting these market demands. We have even fulfilled the expectations of the Swiss Centre for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) in Neuchâtel, which has called on us several times, notably for titanium components essential to its Space-X programme for the exploration of the planet Mars.”
Assembly and tooling virtuosos
Petitpierre’s high standards do not stop at machining and also extend to automation. Whether highly complex, low-mass or very small shapes are required, the company adapts to all the requirements of automatic assembly with an agility that appeals to the most prestigious watch brands and others. This invaluable expertise enables the Cortaillod-based company to imagine as yet inexistent tools that are nonetheless quite simply essential to the rational and specific requirements of an individual customer. From dynamometric screwdriver to figure-of-eight caliper, from staking tool for driving-in casebacks to diamond sorting sieve, Petitpierre takes on all tooling challenges if a need is clearly identified.
Innovation at Petitpierre means constantly striving to meet customer requirements in order to streamline processes, save time and money, while improving the finished product. It is in this spirit that the innovative Drop-Lumen combination has also been launched with the effective support of Acrotec R&D. Drop-Lumen combines a high-performance cleaning module with a high-tech optical measuring device in demanding environments. This “cleaning-measuring” process takes place directly off the machines. “Fifty years after the birth of the metrology components workshop created by my father, we can now consider that we have come full circle with the creation of this metrology centre”, says a delighted Boris Petitpierre. It is also in this spirit that the young company H2i recently joined Petitpierre in launching the Oneof products in the Accuracy range, featuring the smallest watch-measuring instrument ever built and the only acoustic instrument capable of measuring and demagnetising a watch simultaneously.
The other highlight in Petitpierre’s history was the decision to join the Acrotec group in 2016. “This federation of companies that share the same values really appealed to us”, says Boris Petitpierre. “Our innovations and our machines also serve the other companies in the group and there’s very healthy competition between us to build joint projects. This group spirit and our complementary skills are unique in Switzerland, combining to drive us forward.”
Since 1 January 2023, Vincent Rieder has become co-director of Petitpierre, alongside Boris Petitpierre, while also serving as director of the R&D division of Acrotec and H2i since 2020. This is an intelligent way of preserving the company’s historic values while preparing for the future, by taking advantage of this anniversary to launch a new logo with clean lines, a new graphic identity and a modernised website. These innovations are the perfect embodiment of Petitpierre’s ongoing drive to innovate and stay resolutely in touch with markets, in order to continue its remarkable history of serving microtechnical excellence.
October 12, 2023