A clubfor makingwatches.
- Type
- Scientific & technological
- Office
- Régie des clubs
- Status
- Request in preparation
In short
©2026PoignETS proposes a student club that designs and makes complete watches, from choosing the movement to the piece you wear.
To start, the club builds on off-the-shelf movements, reliable and well documented. The engineering effort goes into everything around them: the case, the dial, the strap and the clasp, as well as the choice of movement itself.
Every project ends in a finished object, measured and shown. That is what makes a watch a concrete place for the design, manufacturing and metrology taught at ÉTS.
Aims
©2026- [ 01 ]
From drawing to wrist
Take every project through to a finished, worn watch.
No project stops at the 3D model: every part is drawn, made, assembled and measured.
- [ 02 ]
Put the degree to work
Design, manufacturing and metrology on one object.
A watch tests tolerances to the hundredth of a millimetre, where every deviation shows.
- [ 03 ]
Pass it on
Document the drawings, the decisions and the mistakes.
Each cohort starts from what the last one learned, so the club improves year after year.
Link to the curriculum
©2026A watch is mechanical engineering in miniature.
- 01Mechanical design and CADCase, caseback, crystal seat, crown and gaskets, lugs and strap width, all drawn around a movement's dimensions.Design
- 02ManufacturingCAM and machining of cases and parts, then finishing: brushing, polishing, bead blasting.Machining
- 03MaterialsSteel, titanium and brass for the case; leather and hardware for the strap and clasp.Materials
- 04Tolerancing and metrologyTight fits, water resistance, and measuring the movement's rate once it is cased.Metrology
First-year programme
©2026Six stages, from movement to showing.
[ 01 ]Stage 1Movement selection
Compare off-the-shelf movements on size, reliability, availability and cost, and pick one. Its dimensions set everything that follows.
[ 02 ]Stage 2Design
Draw the case, dial, strap and clasp in CAD around the chosen movement, with design reviews as a team.
[ 03 ]Stage 3Making
Machine and finish the case, and make the leather straps and the clasps.
[ 04 ]Stage 4Assembly and testing
Case the movement, fit the dial and hands, close the watch, then check water resistance and timekeeping.
[ 05 ]Every yearClub watch
One watch designed and built together, bringing the year's work into a single piece. It is the recurring part of the club.
[ 06 ]Every yearPublic showing
Show the year's watches to the ÉTS community, students and staff.
Resources requested
©2026A clean place to work, machine time, and watchmaking tools.
- 01Room or bench space
- Good light and low dust, with lockable storage for small parts.
- 02Machine time
- Access to a lathe, a mill or a CNC machine for cases and parts.
- 03Watchmaking tools
- Screwdrivers, tweezers, loupes, movement holders, case openers and presses, a hand-setting tool, a pressure tester and a timegrapher.
- 04Supplies
- Movements, bar stock, crystals, gaskets, crowns, leather and leatherworking tools.
Budget
©2026Tools bought once, and supplies that recur with every watch.
- [ 01 ]One-time
Tools
A starting cost, spread over several years of projects.
- [ 02 ]Recurring
Cost per watch
Movement, stock, crystal, gaskets and leather are used up by every piece, so the budget is worked out per watch built.
- [ 03 ]To come
Pricing
The detailed budget will be built from real supplier prices and attached to the recognition request.
How the club is run
©2026A democratic club that reports every year.
- 01Executive
- At least a president, a treasurer and a secretary.
- 02Founding meeting
- A first general meeting, minuted, to elect the executive.
- 03Elections
- Positions posted and elections held every year.
- 04Reporting
- Every year: the member list, an activity report, financial statements and a budget, as ÉTS policy requires.
For ÉTS
©2026Watches designed and made at ÉTS, that can be held, worn and shown.
- [ 01 ]
Visible work
Results you can hold in your hand.
A watch can be presented, photographed and exhibited, which keeps students' work in plain sight.
- [ 02 ]
Student engagement
Involvement that counts.
Taking part in the club can count toward Génie+.
- [ 03 ]
A yearly event
A showing open to the community.
Every year, the finished watches are shown to ÉTS students and staff.
The file
©2026What the policy asks for, and where the club stands.
The Politique de reconnaissance des regroupements étudiants (s. 3.2) lists what a request must contain. Here is each item, where to find it, and what is still to do.
- 01Aims and objectivesAims, Link to the curriculumOn this page
- 02Activity planFirst-year programmeOn this page
- 03Recurring aspectsClub watch, yearly showingOn this page
- 04Resources neededResources requestedOn this page
- 05Democratic operationHow the club is runOn this page
- 06Budget forecastBudgetPricing to come
- 07Students the club is for—To be defined
- 08Department support letter—To come
- 09Bylaws—After recognition
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