3 min read

Cheap watch, it's possible!

Luxury watch, smartwatch or affordable watch: how to find your way around?

Today, 65% of French people wear a watch daily. Faced with the constant evolution of the market, the supply has diversified: between mechanical watches, Smartwatches, high-end models and more affordable alternatives, it's not always easy to find your way around.

To sort things out, let's revisit the interview with Adrien, co-founder of Charlie Paris, on the France 5 program. The Daily on the theme: "Quality watches at low prices, it's possible!". A fully transparent dive into the inner workings of watchmaking, the origin of components and the economic model of French brands.

Luxury watch vs. affordable watch: why such a price difference?

Despite the omnipresence of smartphones, watches have firmly established themselves as a fashion accessory and a timeless piece of jewelry. While smartwatches appeal to tech enthusiasts, the traditional timepiece retains a special place.

The price of a watch is not determined randomly: it depends on specific factors:

The components (materials of the Case, type of glass, movement).
The manufacturing process and the assembly location.
Watchmaking expertise and finishing.
The brand's reputation and history.

The making of a luxury watch: artisanal excellence

For over two centuries, Switzerland has been the nerve center of the global watchmaking industry. In this report from La Quotidienne, we travel to Geneva and La Chaux-de-Fonds, to the heart of a historic manufacture where mechanical watches have been handcrafted for over 225 years.

The secrets of a high-end watch

These timepieces operate without a battery, thanks to the mechanical energy transmitted by the interaction of the movement's components. Prices start around €7,000 and can reach several million. This pricing is explained by:

Precious materials: Gold, platinum, mother-of-pearl or even diamonds.
Exceptional craftsmanship: Each watch passes through the hands of dozens of highly skilled artisans. The level of decoration and finishing of the movements is extremely high.
The world of ultra-luxury: For exceptional pieces, a single watchmaker designs and assembles the watch from A to Z. The development of such a movement takes between 3.5 and 7 years to achieve absolute precision (not deviating by more than 4 to 6 seconds per day).

How to offer quality watches at a fair price? Charlie Paris explains.

All French brands, whether luxury or accessible, share an industrial reality: while France has excellent training programs, the local component manufacturing industry (Case(s, hands, movements) has largely disappeared. Brands therefore rely on specialized international partners (Japan, Switzerland, China, Italy).

At Charlie Paris, we fully embrace this transparency:

French design and assembly: All our mechanical watches and to quartz (for men and women) are designed in France and assembled handcrafted near Besançon by experienced watchmakers. The assembly represents almost 50% of the watch's added value.
A model without intermediaries: By prioritizing direct sales, we avoid the markups of traditional intermediaries. This allows us to invest heavily in the durability and quality of our components while remaining affordable.

Fair prices based on technical expertise and materials

At Charlie Paris, the price of our models varies according to the complexity of the movement and the materials used:

Women's quartz watch Sully (195 €) : Equipped with a sapphire crystal and a Case made of robust 316L stainless steel.
Men's chronograph watch Horizon (275 €) : Equipped with an ultra-resistant sapphire crystal and a more complex quartz movement.
GMT Automatic Diving Watch Concordia (645 €) : Designed with high-end finishes and an automatic GMT movement to meet the demands of divers and enthusiasts of fine mechanics.