Rolex Replica has released renderings of its next Bulle factory, which will be completed in 2029. We had already mentioned the new permanent and temporary Crown production sites in March 2023, and in recent days the Geneva-based Maison has revealed details on its production growth plan.

Rolex Reveals More Details About the New Bulle Factory

Currently, annual production exceeds one million pieces, and as reported in Morgan Stanley’s annual ranking of Swiss brands, turnover in 2023 was 10.1 billion Swiss francs.

The new complex, for which Rolex has submitted a planning application, will be located on a plot of land measuring approximately 100,000 square metres, purchased at the end of 2022 for 31 million francs. The total investment for the project is around one billion. The production site will consist of four production buildings connected by a central building, which will house administration, support, catering services and meeting and relaxation areas. At the southern end, a building will serve as the main entrance.

Rolex aims to make this project exemplary in terms of the environment and outdoor spaces. Its goal is to obtain the highest level of Breeam certification, a quality seal from the United Kingdom. If achieved, this would be a first for an industrial building in Switzerland. The layout of the buildings will allow them to be integrated into a park that will mitigate emissions from the adjacent motorway.

The new Bulle site, which will be the luxury watch brand’s fifth, is scheduled to open in 2029. Once fully operational, Rolex estimates that the complex will employ more than 2,000 people and several hundred apprentices. This is in addition to the approximately 14,000 employees that the Rolex Group employs worldwide, including 9,000 in Switzerland.

Temporary Facilities

To cope with growing demand and increase production even before 2029, Rolex plans to build a temporary production facility in Romont. According to reliable sources, the watchmaker will lease the site of the former Tetrapak factory, with the aim of bringing it into operation in early 2025. The Romont site is expected to employ 250-300 people, mainly new employees who will receive on-site training and who will work in the new Bulle factory from 2029.

Opinions

In the environment, especially among enthusiasts, the mantra reigns that Rolex has always limitedly forced the production of its watches. As we know, this was and is always the case for models such as the Daytona and other particular references. In reality, it was the exponential increase in demand, starting from the year 2021, that extended the scarcity to almost all models, in steel first.

I don’t want to justify anyone, much less Rolex, but it is clear that it is one thing to increase the production of a hi-tech product – which in any case does not happen overnight – and another to increase the production of watches, especially when most of the components are made in-house and operate in a market segment where the final result must be of the highest quality.

Will it be easier to buy a Rolex? Yes, but not as one would expect. As we have seen, we will have to wait until 2029 for the Bulle factory to become operational, and the Romont plant will do little, but if growth continues, as the numbers prove, supply and demand will always chase each other.

However, the second-hand market, which has dropped in value after the surreal prices reached during the pandemic, even if today the numbers say otherwise, is expected to grow significantly again by 2029. This could please some buyers and, together with the growth plans we have seen, make a Rolex more available.