Launching of the FQFLab

The Fleurier Quality Foundation and its three founding brands - Chopard, Parmigiani Fleurier and Bovet Fleurier - celebrated the tenth anniversary of Fleurier Quality certification last December.

Thanks to a decade of work, this label has established itself as the most demanding in the world of watchmaking since it assesses the timepiece in its entirety. Through its five unforgiving additional tests and the constraints they impose, this certification has propelled the three brands to new levels of progress and expertise. For while it concerns only a fraction of a brand’s products, its impact has a ripple effect on all its watch designs.

To allow the sector as a whole to benefit from a high-tech infrastructure and to have the opportunity to assess the quality of its products, the Fleurier Quality Foundation is launching the FQF Lab, a laboratory which allows all brands to benefit from the Fleuritest, a unique and revolutionary simulator created specifically for the Fleurier Quality label. This device, resembling a large propeller, guides watches in the test phase through three-dimensional movements identical to those experienced on a daily basis, by means of a computer controlled system. The chronometry of watches is tested for 24 hours and it is one of the rare tests in the world which focuses on the finished product, i.e. a cased-up watch ready for sale. FQF-Lab compliance does not give access to the Fleurier Quality hallmark, which is issued on completion of four additional tests. It does however provide manufacturers with a unique opportunity to evaluate their products and continuously optimise their industrial processes.

The Fleurier Quality Foundation certification is open to all producers of Swiss mechanical Haute Horlogerie - and not only to those based in Fleurier as some might mistakenly think. It endows products with a set of high-level quality certifications. Geared towards the final customer, the demands guaranteed by the Fleurier Quality Foundation encompass precision in all circumstances; robustness and durability; as well as the impeccable quality of aesthetic finishes.

The five certification criteria are:

  • Manufactured 100% in Switzerland. The materials may come from anywhere in the world; as too may the design and the theoretical conception of the project. On the other hand, the entire work of actually producing the timepiece and any phases involving even the slightest transformations of the material must be done in Switzerland.
  • Fine aesthetic workmanship. Several exclusive aesthetic finishing criteria are laid down in an extremely precise set of specifications. Only traditional, precious or avant-garde materials may be used, and these must be the object of decorative work reflecting substantial expertise and generating aesthetic added value.
  • The COSC certification (Swiss Official Chronometer Control Institute). It is a neutral body dedicated to evaluating high-precision watches according to a set of specific tests involving changes in temperature and position spread over several days. Each movement is individually appraised and the certificate granted to models having emerged successfully from this battery of trials testifies to their faultless timekeeping precision.
  • The Chronofiable tests performed in an independent laboratory. They certify a movement’s resistance to shocks, wearing, water, magnetism - to mention a few factors. Each model undergoes an ageing cycle corresponding to six months of normal wearing; tests designed to measure the push-and-pull forces on the winding stem and pushbuttons; tests on reactions to magnetic fields; and finally, shock-resistance tests using a heavy pendulum or striker.
  • Fleuritest. The fifth and last test in the Fleurier Quality Foundation certification process is probably the most impressive and undoubtedly the most exclusive. Developed exclusively for the Fleurier Quality Foundation, the Fleuritest machine features a wear simulator that is unique in the world. A large propeller performing three-dimensional movements is linked to a computer that enables it to identically recreate daily life situations such as putting on a pullover, going jogging or looking for something in a bag. These are followed by calmer phases aimed at corresponding as closely as possible to a full 24-hour cycle on the wrist. The timekeeping precision of the watch is measured with absolute accuracy by the Fleuritest machine which tolerates no differences outside the range of 0 to + 5 seconds per day, making it one of the most demanding devices in existence.


Fleurier Quality Foundation certification is undeniably the most demanding in the world within today’s watch industry and owes this status to three key aspects. Neutrality: its independence from the brands it represents ensures impartial judgement and guarantees that there is no risk of any preferential treatment or any accommodating concessions. The complementary nature of the tests: the five tests comprising ensure that this certification takes account of all aspects of reliability and resistance that affect the life of a timepiece, while combining them with high aesthetic requirements and guaranteed Swiss provenance. Industrial reproducibility: Fleurier Quality Foundation certification covers the industrial production of timepieces. This obliges brands to develop manufacturing processes that are reproducible while remaining of extremely high quality - and therein lies the main challenge.

January 29, 2015