News A subsidiary of the Audemars Piguet manufacture, Centror has opened a new building where cases and bracelets for high-end watches are designed to the highest standards.
Established in 1982 by Letterio Fazio and acquired by Audemars Piguet in 2000, Centror has its base in the industrial zone of Meyrin. Having rented premises until now, the firm decided to invest in a building of its own. The first stone was laid in January 2013 and, twelve months later, employees are now working within its walls.
On 8 May this year, Olivier Boillat, the director of Centror, François-Henry Bennahmias, the chief executive of Audemars Piguet, and Jasmine Audemars, chair of the board of directors, invited the press and local authorities to the inauguration of this new building. Bright and spacious production workshops, administrative areas, a cafeteria and an underground car park make up a total of around 2,300 square metres of floor space over four floors. The site, comprising two buildings with a combined surface area of 10,000 square metres, is also occupied by a partner: Ritschard Transitaire. The brand invested around twenty million francs in this new project.
A specialist in the manufacture of ultra high-end watch cases and bracelets, Centror employs 74 staff with recognised expertise in the field of luxury watchmaking. It brings together all core skills in the production of watch exteriors, combining advanced technology with artisanal craftsmanship. As well as Audemars Piguet, Centror’s clients include a number of other prestigious manufacturers.
Like the Les Forges manufacture in Le Brassus, Centror has been accredited by Minergie Eco, Switzerland’s most demanding environmental label. Emphasis was laid in particular on the safety and wellbeing of employees and environmental friendliness. Minergie Eco combines four fundamental aspects of sustainable construction: comfort, health, energy efficiency and ecology. The label allows a wide range of options in terms of precisely how a sound and eco-friendly construction can be achieved. To guarantee a minimum standard of quality however, a number of exclusion criteria are specified. For example, to ensure satisfactory sanitary conditions, the use of biocides or chemically-treated timber in heated premises is excluded, as is particle board with urea-formaldehyde resin bonding. Paintwork for its part must be solvent-free. Environmental criteria also exclude the use of lead panels, timber from outside Europe of non-certified origin, and the use of foam fillers. On the other hand, at least 50% recycled concrete must be used if a plant producing this material is situated less than 25 kilometres from the site. In short, something of an obstacle course for those wishing to obtain the certification of which Jasmine Audemars is justly proud: the plaque attesting to Minergie Eco certification was affixed to a wall of the building on the very morning of 8 May.
The expansion of Centror will generate several tens of jobs. As in Le Brassus, where upsizing of the brand’s HQ will also result in the creation of new jobs.
May 27, 2014
