Petitpierre SA celebrates half a century of history in the service of microtechnical excellence

Founded in 1973, Petitpierre SA has become a benchmark in the Swiss microtechnology industry, particularly in watchmaking. Its recognised expertise is based on technological excellence and a capacity for innovation that has won over space scientists.

The adventure began in 1973 in Cortaillod, in the Canton of Neuchâtel (Switzerland), one of the cradles of Swiss watchmaking. Freddy Petitpierre set up a micromechanics workshop specialising in the manufacture of metrological components. Petitpierre SA quickly expanded its customer base and areas of expertise to include microtechnology subcontracting, tooling and automation, becoming a solid reference in the demanding field of watchmaking subcontracting with a team that now numbers 70 employees.

Boris Petitpierre made an active contribution to this growth by joining the company founded by his father in 1991: “It’s a great story. It has never stopped being written to the rhythm of our technological successes and innovations. In fact, we have kept pace with the demands and ambitions of manufacturers of finished products who are constantly on the lookout for components that are close to perfection in terms of choice of materials, dimensions, surface finishes and geometric complexity. Our range of machines and the talent of our teams have made all the difference in meeting these market demands. We have even met the expectations of CSEM in Neuchâtel, which has called on us several times, notably for titanium parts that are essential to its Space-X programme for the exploration of Mars.“

Virtuosos of assembly and tooling

At Petitpierre, this requirement does not end with machining, but extends to automation. Whether it’s highly complex shapes, low mass or very small sizes, Petitpierre adapts to all the requirements of automatic assembly with an agility that appeals to the most prestigious watch brands and others. This invaluable expertise enables the Cortaillod-based company to imagine tools that do not exist but are quite simply essential to the rational and specific needs of the customer. From the dynamometric screwdriver to the eight-chiffre, from the bottom chasing jib to the diamond sorting sieve, Petitpierre takes on all tooling challenges if a need is clearly identified.

Innovation at Petitpierre means constantly striving to meet customer requirements in order to streamline processes, save time and money, while improving the finished product. With this in mind, Petitpierre has also launched the innovative Drop-Lumen combination with the effective support of Acrotec R&D.

Drop-Lumen combines a high-performance cleaning module with a high-tech optical measuring device in demanding environments. This “cleaning-measuring” process is carried out directly at the output of the machines. “Fifty years after the birth of the metrology components workshop created by my father, we can now consider that we have come full circle with the creation of this metrology centre,” says a delighted Boris Petitpierre.

It is also in this spirit that the young company H2i recently joined Petitpierre in launching the ONEOF® products in the Accuracy range, featuring the smallest watch-measuring instrument ever built and the only acoustic instrument capable of measuring and demagnetising a watch simultaneously.

“The other highlight in Petitpierre’s history was the decision to join the Acrotec Group in 2016. This federation of companies that share the same values really appealed to us,” says Boris Petitpierre. “Our innovations and our machines also serve the other companies in the Group, and there’s a very healthy competition between us to build joint projects. This group spirit and our complementary skills are unique in Switzerland, and are what drive us forward.”

Since 1 January 2023, Vincent Rieder has become co-director of Petitpierre, alongside Boris Petitpierre, while also being director of the R&D division of Acrotec and H2i since 2020. This is an intelligent way of preserving Petitpierre’s historic values while preparing for the future by taking advantage of this anniversary to launch a new logo with clean lines, a new graphic identity and a modernised website. These innovations are the perfect embodiment of Petitpierre’s constant drive to innovate and “keep up” with the markets in order to continue its remarkable history of serving microtechnical excellence.

To read the full press release, click here (in french only).