As Rolex builds its mega-manufacture in Bulle, with an expected 288,000 square meters of floor space, the complex will bring together production, R&D, a training center and a Rolex World Service hub, creating a workforce challenge no luxury watchmaker has ever faced at this scale. How to prepare a workforce for a facility that can accommodate more than 2,000 employees? Advertising, recruiting and training need to begin years before the doors open in 2029.
To make matters worse, Rolex must also find work locations for new recruits before the Bulle manufacture is ready. Watchmakers, technicians and specialists need places to work and train. And having recruited them in the canton of Fribourg, Rolex cannot expect them to commute to Geneva or Bienne.
To solve this problem, the brand has established temporary sites across the canton of Fribourg, as first reported by Coronet. While Bulle already houses HR, Villaz-Saint-Pierre is home to after-sales service and the Rolex Training Center. Romont hosts production and R&D. Rolex plans to transfer these employees to the new Bulle complex once it opens, though it says it does not expect to have all 2,000 employees in place on day one.
Still, behind the scenes, Rolex continues its recruitment efforts. This week and through Nov. 1, the brand is attending the Comptoir gruérien, an annual regional fair in the Gruyère district expected to draw more visitors than Watches and Wonders. The exhibition, which was first announced by Coronet earlier this year, has little to do with the latest watch collection. Rolex is showcasing watchmaking careers through demonstrations and presentations of the professions involved in production. A model of the planned Bulle complex is also on display. Rolex says its participation in the fair is evident as training the next generation of watchmakers is “une priorité pour Rolex.”