With a team of 120 “Innovation Craftsmen” at his side, Dexel founder Elio Granito dedicates his life as an innovator to making the complexity of his buckles and clasps invisible and easy to use…
Joël A. Grandjean, JSH Magazine & Swiss-Watch-Passport.ch’s Editor in Chief
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Attention to detail? In his office, I needed to plug in my computer. I looked for the power socket and then asked for it. It was carefully hidden, discreetly within reach, convenient and, above all, out of sight of the unsightly wires.
The “Dexellency“
All of a sudden, I saw the connection. What if the seemingly ordinary reality of a plug elegantly hidden from view was actually a reflection of this never-ending ingenuity, this ceaseless quest for comfort, wearability and intuitiveness? This is Dexel’s signature, its mark of distinction and, since the company was founded in 1985, the wink towards the concept of “Dexellency”…
A devotee of the kind of constructive discretion that involves doing everything possible to ensure that the brilliance and the obviousness of the brands stand out on the markets, the founder keeps a low profile. It must be said that he started out with well-known brands and designed dials for the major dial-makers of the time. By digging a little deeper, by scanning the metal creations of renowned visual artists, it becomes clear that his office is a veritable landmine of imagination.
He modestly recalls where he comes from, his father was a farrier. He knows how to surround himself with a management team whose hands-on approach allows him, even encourages him, to devote himself entirely to his unquenchable creativity. I am here in the office of a creative person without limits, with a sense of the fabricable, the manufacturable… An inventor entirely dedicated to passing on his fundamentals and intelligently filling his sketchbooks. Incidentally, almost inadvertently and since I insist, I will even have the privilege of seeing a kind of “collection” of patents pass by. An open “booklet” on certain current or future filings….
I am here in the office of a creative person without limits, with a sense of the fabricable, the manufacturable…
Three specific areas of expertise
In our regions, all watch manufacturers of this size are filled with the same noises and smells, and employ an incredible number of trades specific to this sector. Apart the fact that a difference can already arise from optimising manufacturing processes and the flow of movement between the different work areas, there are three particular characteristics at Dexel.
Among these specialties that make the difference is the Design & R&D Task Force, a team of experts entirely committed to design and conception. This team is stimulated by a constant state of awareness and direct connection with the company’s critical departments.
Raphaël Granito, son of the founder and head of product management, explains, “These men and women, who are a constant source of new ideas, are the driving force behind a real platform of proposals on a daily basis, never hesitating to put their ideas into practice and to develop the exploration that has barely been formulated.” And he adds: “If necessary, the suggestion will even, in some cases, be materialized through a functional prototype.”
The art of bonding through pasting
Then, at the heart of the many manufacturing trades practiced at Dexel, one area of expertise stands out: “In addition to all the traditional and fundamental forms of assembly, we distinguish ourselves by the art of collage bonding. This mastery is the result of a rare practice, requiring precise and sure dexterity, long-term experience and knowledge of binders, savings, glues, powders and pastes…” Because the materials thus assembled often also have their say, since they express their roughness, inclusions and reactivity through each meticulous manipulation.
Tests laboratory
Moreover, and this new intramural unit strikes a chord with customers, Dexel has a real test laboratory that ensures the high quality of all the watchmaking components designed, developed and manufactured within the Manufacture. Nothing is dispatched before having spent time in this intelligent checking space: “It’s good to know that production has been carried out according to the rules of the art, that tolerances have been respected and transcended from the first to the last piece in a series. It’s even better to be able to prove it, to guarantee it,” explains Raphaël Granito, who shows me around the premises.
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