The investment also paid off by virtue of the impressive feed speed (50 m/min) and acceleration (1.2 g) as well as the ability to achieve an outstanding spindle speed of 30,000 rpm within 1.5 seconds. The s191V comes with a Fanuc-31i control unit that makes it easier to operate the Bumotec's special, interactive user interfaces. Julien Ducommun is painfully aware that Bumotec owners are clearly won over by all of the benefits the machine offers: "I would have bought a used Bumotec, but they very rarely become available." 

The sort of complex components that Niru is dealing with can generally only be manufactured effectively if there is close collaboration with the customer in relation to CAD/CAM considerations. Julien Ducommun generally receives a CAD file. He uses the GibbsCAM program to simulate the machining process on a computer; this optimises the subsequent process, including the traverse paths. The fine-tuning work is done on the Bumotec itself. Although Niru Swiss uses digital in-line measurement technology, Ducommun also carries out quality assurance on all components after the machining process using high-tech equipment. Julien Ducommun: "Even though we produce simulations and carry out optimisation work beforehand, continuous monitoring is the only way to ensure that we comply with all the applicable parameters for the complex components we are machining. The perfection level of each component we produce must always be documented. That is simply the reality of producing complex, high-quality components in small production runs."

With its UR-111C, Swiss brand Urwerk once again appears to have achieved the impossible — a mechanical wristwatch with a linear time display.

Stéphane Violante, Marketing Project Manager at Starrag Vuadens (right) talks with Urwerk founder Felix Baumgartner: "Urwerk's priority is using our precision CNC machining centre to produce parts that will subsequently be finely finished by hand and then fitted in an extremely complex chronometer." 

When new orders are received, the team in Geneva completes small test runs that involve producing a small number of test components. If the results are good, larger orders may be received. Word has spread within the famously conservative watchmaking industry about the efficiency of this small, specialised workshop. Gone are the days when Niru Swiss had to advertise — word of mouth now does the job. 

One of the factors that has helped Niru Swiss to build such a strong reputation is the collaboration with avant-garde brand Urwerk and its founder Felix Baumgartner, who Julien Ducommun knows from his time working in the watchmaking industry earlier in his career. The Bumotec machining centre is currently proving its worth with a special component for the Urwerk brand. The case of the new UR-111C wristwatch is just 15 mm high and 46 mm wide, and there is no screw-mountable bottom plate. Instead, it is cut from a stainless steel blank, and includes a 20-mm-deep side compartment to accommodate the movement. The work is completed to the high quality that is synonymous with the Bumotec, delivering excellent repeating accuracy to the last micrometre from early in the morning until late at night.