Sector
Micro-engineering, metal parts, engraving, polishing and finishing: find workshops able to meet the exacting standards of luxury, from watchmaking to leather goods.
In luxury, a metal part counts as much for what you see as for what you measure. A watch middle case, a belt buckle, a bag clasp, a jewellery mount or a perfume bottle cap must hold tight tolerances, but also have an impeccable surface finish: a cosmetic defect that escapes metrology is enough to get a part rejected.
These requirements carry through to subcontractors: micro-engineering and bar turning for movements and small parts, case machining, fine cutting, lost-wax casting for jewellery and above all finishing: polishing, satin finishing, blasting, engraving, electroplating or PVD coatings. The Jura arc for watchmaking, the Arve valley for bar turning and the Paris region (Île-de-France) for jewellery structure this ecosystem in France.
This page sets out the sector’s requirements, typical parts and the precautions to take. Because models not yet on the market are sensitive, confidentiality is central to any request, as the guide to drawing confidentiality and NDAs explains.
Standards, regulations and practices that buyers expect from their subcontractors.
A visible defect is a quality defect: a scratch, a pit, a tool mark, a difference in gloss. Define appearance criteria, with reference parts, lighting and an observation distance, because visual inspection is subjective.
Movements and small mechanisms call for tolerances of a few microns to a few hundredths of a millimetre on parts a few millimetres across, in brass, steel or nickel silver. A metrology room and temperature-stable workshops make the difference.
Articles in prolonged contact with the skin (straps, cases, jewellery, buckles) are subject to the nickel release limit in Annex XVII of the REACH Regulation, verified to the EN 1811 standard. Tell the workshop about finishes and plating.
Items in gold, silver or platinum fall under hallmarking regulations (in France, the “garantie” system): legal fineness standards (750‰ for 18-carat gold, 925‰ for silver) and hallmarks. Check that the workshop works with these metals, weighs and tracks the materials entrusted to it and recovers the scrap.
A non-disclosure agreement before any drawing is sent, limited file sharing, tracking of rejected parts, return or destruction of tooling at the end of the project: these precautions are common and legitimate.
Each skill has its own detailed page: services, materials, price factors.
Micro-machining and precision milling of cases, middle cases and movement parts, in stainless steel, titanium, brass or precious metals.
Polishing, satin finishing, fine blasting, electroplating (gold plating, rhodium plating) and PVD coatings: the finish creates the perceived value. Specify colours, thicknesses and durability tests.
Fine laser cutting and engraving of small flat parts: hands, plates, applied indices, metal labels.
Resin models for lost-wax casting, appearance prototypes and presentation models. Castable resins are an asset in jewellery.
Non-contact dimensional inspection, under a microscope or in a metrology room, and appearance inspection to criteria defined with you.
Models and functional prototypes of cases, mechanisms and jewellery, to validate shape, ergonomics and assembly before production.
In watchmaking as in jewellery or leather goods, it is the finish that distinguishes an ordinary part from a luxury one. Each process has its own look and constraints, to be defined with the workshop before launching the run.
| Finish | Look | Point to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Polishing | Glossy, mirror effect | Rounds the edges and removes material |
| Satin finishing, brushing | Directional matt | Grain direction and matching between adjacent parts |
| Fine blasting | Uniform matt | Type and grain size of the media |
| Electroplating | Gold plating, rhodium plating, other platings | Thickness, possible nickel, wear resistance |
| PVD coating | Durable, hard colours | Surface preparation, adhesion |
One point comes up constantly: finishes change dimensions. A coating adds a few microns, polishing removes some. State whether the tolerance applies before or after treatment. To compare looks and processes, see the guide to surface treatment of metals and the surface treatment page. Roughness can be checked with the roughness tool, but the final appearance is judged by eye, hence the value of a reference part.
A single part can also receive several finishes, for example a satin flank and a polished bevel: this requires separate operations and protection between them, to be allowed for in the quote.
Luxury works in small quantities, by collection and in limited editions. Workshops in the sector therefore accept small batches and prototypes, but their schedules follow launch seasons: announce your deadlines early. For a new model, go through an appearance prototype, then a jointly approved first article, before launching the run. The guide to dimensional inspection and the first article explains how to document it.
Confidentiality is settled before the file is sent: a non-disclosure agreement, sharing limited to the files that are needed and a clear rule for rejects and tooling. An agreement does not replace the legal protection of your creations (designs, patent), which should be handled with an intellectual property adviser.
Also ask how the workshop protects parts between operations: a polished part passed from hand to hand gets scratched, and rework often costs far more than careful packing, especially on a small batch.
On Meaflow, you post your requirement for free, without naming a brand, and you talk by message with interested workshops before sharing the full file. Start by searching for workshops in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté or Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, then post your request.
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Some jewellery or micro-engineering workshops do, but not all. Precious metal is weighed, tracked and recovered, which requires dedicated equipment for dust and scrap. Specify the metals, fineness and quantities, and ask the workshop how it ensures traceability.
Describe the requirement publicly without sensitive detail, then share the full file by message after a non-disclosure agreement. Limit the files to what is necessary and ask for rejects and files to be destroyed or returned at the end of the project. An agreement does not replace protection by design registration or patent.
On targeted dimensions of small parts, specialist workshops hold a few microns to a few hundredths of a millimetre, with suitable inspection and a stable environment. This level has a cost: reserve it for functional dimensions, such as bearing seats, pivots and clearances, and keep a wider general tolerance elsewhere.
It is regulated by the REACH Regulation (Annex XVII): nickel release is limited for articles in prolonged contact with the skin, and is verified to the EN 1811 standard. The choice of material and plating makes it possible to comply; if in doubt, a test to that standard settles the matter.
Typical content of a confidentiality agreement, trade secrets, ownership of drawings and tooling, scope of the 1975 French law and sharing habits: how to entrust your drawings with confidence.
Anodising, powder paint, zinc, passivation, nickel, chrome: the strengths and limits of each treatment, their effect on dimensions and how to specify it in a request.
Which measuring equipment, which report, which dimensions to inspect and how often? Inspection report, first article and control plan: ask for the right level without overpaying.
Describe your needs and requirements (standards, certificates, expected documents) and compare quotes from workshops. It’s free.
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