Original article was posted on Consumption Daily

Original article was posted at: 20:05:11, April 30, 2019

Address of original article:https://www.toutiao.com/i6685656892183675404/?wxshare_count=5&from=singlemessage&pbid=6677910845941515788&isappinstalled=0

Original article was written by: ZHAO Xi

 

Foundation Ceremony of “Culture of Horology and Time Science Museum”

From a processing plant with materials supplied only by two factories at first, to a company striving into the world’s hinterland of horology - Switzerland, and then to the establishment of Horology Institute, Culture of Horology and Time Science Museum and the International Horology Culture Industrial Park... Dailywin Watch has become an example of unexpected upgrading and high-quality development in horology industry.

On April 29, the foundation ceremony of “Culture of Horology and Time Science Museum” jointly established by the Dailywin Watch Group and the National Time Service Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences was held in Fenggang Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province. At the ceremony, Dailywin Group signed a cooperation agreement with SPACEnter Space Science and Technology Institute (formerly Shenzhen Southern Institute of Space Science and Technology), and the SAGA Space series commemorative watches newly developed and manufactured by the company were also released on site.

The horology industry has been presenting a good situation of innovation, upgrading and steady development by playing the leading role of culture in recent years, from producing products to inheriting culture of horology to building time science bases. It actively served the needs of consumers for a better life, adjusted structure, increased varieties, improved the level of design, strengthened brand cultivation, adhered to the spirit of craftsmanship and upheld high-quality development.

 

LIANG Weihao, Chairman of Dailywin Watch Group

 

Transformation path of “one watch”

 

From products to culture, extending to the high end of the value chain

 

Even working in the horology industry for 50 years, LIANG Weihao, chairman of Dailywin Watch Group, never thought that one day he could witness the combination of aerospace technology and watchmaking. In his view, the perfect combination of high technology in the field of aerospace and the spirit of craftsmanship of watchmakers will surely make the company a pioneer in the future development of the industry.

When LIANG Weihao expressed the above viewpoint, Dailywin Watch and the National Time Service Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences just finished the foundation ceremony of “Culture of Horology and Time Science Museum”.

In order to enhance the competitive advantage of the company, Dailywin Watch and Dongguan University of Technology jointly established the Dailywin Horology Institute, which is committed to meeting local needs and industrial needs, cultivating high-quality practical and innovative talents, and nurturing a number of high-end engineering and technical talents and “craftsman-like” professional horology talents for local areas through various forms such as diploma education and non-diploma education.

LIANG Weihao revealed that Dailywin Watch would also build an International Horology Culture Industrial Park in Fenggang Town with a total investment of about RMB 500 million, and the overall project would be completed within three to five years. Once completed, it will become a garden-style comprehensive intelligent manufacturing center integrating research and development and design, production assembly, brand operation, horology museum, trade fair, tourism, teaching and testing and other functions. After the International Horology Culture Industrial Park is established, Swiss designers and testers will be invited to the Dailywin Watch. Dailywin Watch can provide good environment and equipment, and it will improve the strength of China’s watchmaking industry with the help from Switzerland.

It is hard to imagine that a company like this was once a processing plant with materials supplied only by two factories over 20 years ago. Its technologies and profit margin were very low. At that time, LIANG Weihao realized that in order to make the company bigger and stronger, transformation, upgrading and technological innovation must be carried out. For this reason, the company has continued to strengthen research and development, expanded its scale, begun to extend to the front section of the value chain, and provided customers with “one-stop service” from product design, material supply to production of finished products.

LIANG Weihao told journalist of Consumption Daily that the Lugano Watch Processing Plant in Ticino, Switzerland, once had the concept of producing detachable watches. They spent a year searching for a company that could turn this concept into products. However, it took Dailywin Watch only two weeks to develop the samples and four months to complete the whole production of the products, thus winning favor of this “Swiss manufacturer”.

In order to better learn from “Swiss manufacturers”, in 2016, LIANG Weihao set up a watch factory in Lugano, Switzerland, embarking on the path of transformation of Chinese watches.

 

Design a brand that comparable to international brands

 

Only 4.75 mm, making the thinnest watch in industry by material innovation

“China is the world’s largest country of watchmaker and watch-consumer. There is a considerable gap between the quality and appearance design innovations of movements in China and the world’s leading watchmakers. By comparison, China is closer to developed countries in terms of appearance manufacturing and quality rather than movements. Our innovative ability in design has granted us better competitiveness in world-level market competition.” ZHANG Hongguang, chairman of China Horologe Association, said at the annual conference and the election work conference of Design Professional Committee of China Horologe Association.

 

 

ZHANG Hongguang, Chairman of China Horologe Association

As Chairman ZHANG Hongguang said and journalist saw at the signing site of Dailywin Watch and SPACEnter Space Science and Technology Institute, the group has made several subversive new products by introducing cross industrial new aerospace materials and technologies. According to LIU Ren, General Manager of Dailywin Watch Group, for the three Space series products, one of which is made of the Long March-5 carbon fiber, and the whole watch is only 4.75 mm thick, the thinnest watch in the industry. This special aerospace carbon fiber material is a high-strength and high-modulus new fiber material with a carbon content of more than 95%, and is widely used in the manufacture of space rockets.

Innovation has been made not just in materials. LIU Ren told the journalist that aerospace elements have also been delicately added to the design of these watches. For example, the shape of space rockets has been used in time scale, hands and straps, alongside with the red elements unique to Chinese space rockets. The inspiration of the dial comes from the mysterious and beautiful moon, and the designer has outlined the vastness of the universe through a simple and elegant arc.

Models showcase new product of cooperation with the aerospace industry

In recent years, industrial design has been written into the five-year national economic plan for three consecutive times in China. In the view of Chairman ZHANG Hongguang, horologes are consumer goods with both cultural connotations and fashion characteristics, in which industrial design plays a particularly prominent role. The whole horology industry also attaches great importance to industrial design. Since 2013, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has selected a batch of national industrial design centers every two years. Three batches have now been selected, each includes horology enterprises.

 

Playing the leading role of culture

 

Transformation and high-quality development of horology industry

 

Transformation of Dailywin Watch has also become the epitome of China’s horology enterprises to rise in the world in design and high-end fields.

 

In an exclusive interview with the journalist of Consumption Daily, Chairman ZHANG Hongguang said that the cooperation between Dailywin Watch and the aerospace science and technology is an extension of the horology industry, in which new materials, new processes and new technologies in aerospace technology are introduced to the horology industry. In his view, by continuous innovation in design and applications of new materials, Dailywin Watch has kept extending to the high end of the value chain, and achieved continuous improvement in quality and value. Chairman ZHANG Hongguang said that in recent years, the horology industry has done a lot to promote the combination of horology and culture. At present, 8 horology museums have been built independently by enterprises. This time, Dailywin Watch built a science museum, displaying from various angles such as popularization of science, time science and timekeeping. The perspective is unique and also has special significance. It will also become a highlight of contribution of watchmakers to “the Belt and Road”.

 

Chairman ZHANG Hongguang said frankly that in the development of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and “the Belt and Road”, horology has been combined with culture, and culture ushers horology. We are also pleased to see that only when the leading enterprises continue to lead the way, will there be continuous development for the entire horology industry. Chinese watchmakers have never ceased their efforts to catch up with the world’s leading powers and move towards high end.

Special aerospace carbon fiber material used in new products of this series is a high-strength new fiber material with carbon content above 95%

As stated by Chairman ZHANG Hongguang, the Economic Report of China’s Horology Industry from January to October 2018 issued by China Horologe Association also shows that according to the analysis of production and operation data of horology industrial enterprises above designated size, nine mechanical watch movements and mainframe production plants and 20 key enterprises, products with obvious brand advantages, exquisite design and accurate consumption positioning were still flourishing in the market, with double growth in revenue and profit of main business, although the overall situation of China’s horology industry in 2018 was not optimistic. According to the sales data of 20 backbone enterprises of horology industry collected by the Association, the average growth rate of horologe sales profit was 0.9% for three years from January-October 2016 to January-October 2018, and the average growth rate of horologe sales revenue was 1%. Over the past year, the whole industry has been presenting a good situation of innovation, upgrading and steady development by playing the leading role of culture, actively serving the needs of consumers for a better life, adjusting structure, increasing product varieties, improving the level of design, strengthening brand cultivation, adhering to the spirit of craftsmanship and upholding high-quality development.