MASTER MECHANICS

36 MANUFACTURING europa star
sub-contractors. With them, we have woven a
tightly knit fabric of suppliers, whether in the
realm of small or large series, for cutting, for
gears, for various steps in assembly, for encasing,
decoration or finishing. We have calculated
that our small structure actually provides
work for around 300 people.”
THE MAGMA CONCEPT ‘VIRUS’
“We are a virus, a free electron,” delightfully
declares Philippe Thivolet, General Manager,
and Cédric Grandperret, Executive Director of
Magma Concept, located in Plan-les-Ouates
near Geneva. In 2001, along with prototype
expert, Manuel Garcia, and digital imaging
specialist, Cédric Vaucher, they founded this
rather particular hybrid organization. It is active
in both imaging synthesis and in the construction
of movements.
In the beginning, Magma Concept began to
work with 3D modelling as a marketing support.
Then, quite naturally, the company turned
towards the offer of products. Everything
seemed to start in 2003 with the demand for
tourbillons by Jörg Hysek, based on a Jaquet
calibre.This was followed by collaboration with
Chanel for its first J12 Tourbillon equipped
with a sapphire upper cage.
In 2006, Cédric Granperret, the mechanical
soul of the group and former member of the
technical department at Chopard, was lured
away by Jean-Claude Biver who wanted him
to create the new technical base for Hublot, to
create pilot lines, and to set up the assembly
and production unit for Mag Bang.The experience
lasted two years and, in 2008, Cédric
Grandperret returned to Magma.
In the meantime, the Magma team had totally
designed and developed its own tourbillon calibre
as well as a series of functions and displays
using the 7750 base, but in specific materials
such as titanium, aluminium and gold, all “in
perfect accord with ETA”. These developments
allow Magma Concept today to propose four
different 13 ¼''' 28,800 vibrations/hour calibres:
the MAG-007 with three hands including
centre seconds, large date, in automatic or
manual versions, with stop seconds; the MAG-
005 GMT3, automatic with complication, three
hands in the centre, two different GMT indications
at 6 o’clock and 12 o’clock, both with
their own day/night display, as well as a retrograde
date with a 120° hand at 9 o’clock; the
MAG-004, flyback chronograph with column
wheel integrated into a 7750, featuring hours,
minutes, and small seconds at 9 o’clock,
60-second chronograph counter at the centre,
30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, and 12-hour
counter at 6 o’clock, as well as a date window
at 5 o’clock; and the MAG-003, an automatic
chronograph with cams integrated into the
movement, configured like the MAG-004.
As for the MAG-002, it is a tourbillon featur-
ing 3Hz (21,600 vibrations/hour), hours and
minutes at the centre, power reserve hand
indicator at 12 o’clock, and, optionally, a
small seconds on the cage at 6 o’clock.
“It is an intentionally simple tourbillon in its
design and its architecture,” explains Cédric
Grandperret, “held between two bar bridges,
equipped with 60 hours of power reserve and
excellent torque that allows for additional
new complications to be added without making
major changes.This is why it was designed
this way.”
This tourbillon equips all the new models for
Cécil Purnell, which only offers tourbillons in
its collections, and which is currently Magma’s
largest client.Among the other customers that
we can mention are Artya, Aquanautic and
new mandates coming up for deLaCour.
To break old habits
As the management at Magma likes to say,
“We are constructors of both engines and bodywork.
In this sense, Magma operates as a micromanufacture
that masters the design and construction
as well as the production of a large
part of its component parts, whether used for
movements or cases. Also providing a design
service directed by an industrial designer trained
in the automobile industry (PSA), Magma
Concept is able to offer advanced personalization
of its products, including the form of
the movements gears, the lines of the case
and details in the casing. Magma’s second site,
located in Gland, regroups the production unit
and creates plates, bridges, all the steel and
brass components, dials, crowns and pushpieces