Orion ... des montres russes ?

Years ago the Moscow trade company “Interex-Orion” was selling watches. Today Interex-Orion manufactures watches. The company has become a successful watchmaker and leader among Russian ateliers de terminage by delivering new and atypical perspectives to the timepiece market.

Private ateliers de terminage appeared in Russia about ten years ago. The best of them are producing more watches than the dinosaurs of the Russian watch industry. These watch making neophytes are independent and efficient. They also have an excellent knowledge of the marketplace, understanding the consumer's tastes and priorities.

In as little as 3 months, Interex-Orion can deliver showrooms a new model. So, it is no surprise that they soon gained a lion's share of the market.

Interex-Orion was founded in 1990 as a pure wholesaler trading company becoming the largest supplier to the Vostok watch manufacturer. Years of experience as a supplier provided tremendous insight to the market trends. So in 1996, our management team made the decision to become a manufacturer of complete timepieces. Our objective was to deliver Russian customers affordable, well-designed timepieces. Much thought was given toward implementing the new process of manufacturing complete watches. For example, the acquisition of equipment capable of assembly and testing was necessary. We also had many discussions with potential suppliers of mechanical calibers. Since 2002, our main supplier of mechanical hand-wound calibers has been 1st Moscow watch manufacture Poljot. They provided Interex-Orion with the calibers 2614, 26668, 26669 and 2612-alarm. Mechanical calibers 2414 and 2409 were bought at the Vostok and Slava factories. The ladies models are equipped with calibers 1509 and 2015 produced in the Zarja watch factory in Penza-city. While the aforementioned products met the demands one market segment, Interex-Orion still needed a stylish and reliable product to win the recognition of our Russian provincial consumer; who had a much lower income than that of Muscovites. For this task, it was determined to procure inexpensive, automatic calibers, cases, and bands from Hong Kong .

Our goal at Interex-Orion is to be an independent company. We strive to create, make, and sell products that our customers like to see. Consequently, it was necessary to create our own studio and build our own factory. As Andrei Kopeliovich said “creating our own timepieces has allowed us to quickly deliver freshly designed products to the marketplace”.

The first collection labeled with the ORION brand came on the market in 1999. All models of Interex-Orion can be described as "affordable mechanics". The company produces watches of 3 relative price segments.

Basic –

Classical ORION watches equipped with inexpensive Russian hand-wound calibers and quartz movements (Interrex-Orion included quartz watches in its production line in order to vary and complete the assortment.)

Middle –

Limited edition, multifunctional, mechanical watches labeled CARDI. Collections include Viking, Crystal, and Captain. Open-heart models are made with Hong Kong automatic calibers, day/night, 24-hour indicator, and day-date calendar.

High –

Skeleton-watches under the ORION label with Hong Kong movements. This also includes multifunctional Divers and Auto watches with "open-heart" and engraved movements, water resistant to 100 meters, and pocket skeleton-watches with transparent case-back.

In all, Interex-Orion offers approximately 25 models for men and over 50 models for women. Pricing of our top models do not exceed 1500 rubles ($50.00USD).

The brand Cardi was bought by Interex-Orion in 2002. Founded in 1991, Cardi was Russia 's 1st private company which opened watch atelier de terminage. Cardi was known for inexpensive, original designs, with bright dials that were very popular in post-perestroika times. This project could have been a great success if Cardi's management could have solved their quality problems. The quality of Cardi watches were so poor that it wasn't long before loyal Russian customer's refused to purchase them.



There was a risk that absorbing the notorious brand Cardi would tarnish the Interex-Orion label. However, it was management's vision that Interex-Orion would restore the Cardi label to its brilliance. Interex-Orion applied its own quality standards while keeping the original design of Cardi watches. Soon the Cardi brand was effectively integrated in Orion's distribution system. The re-launch of Cardi was successful! This was to be Russia 's first occasion of one watch brand successfully absorbing another.





Interex-Orion's staff, including the management and distribution departments, consists of only 31 associates. Production capacity exceeds more than 20,000 watches per month. With such significant output and the fact that all components come to Interex-Orion from different suppliers, quality control is of paramount importance. In the spirit of Soviet quality, Interex-Orion utilizes technical documentation scrupulously reconstructed from the quality control lines of the renowned Poljot factory. However, there is one important difference; the amount of quality control operators at Interex-Orion is equal to amount of assemblers. All parts and details undergo strict tests before moving to the assembly line. All movements endure a "pre-sale preparation". Our basic models undergo 3 to 4 days of testing for rate accuracy and endurance under dynamic temperature influences. The same tests for our middle segment watches can take up 10 days, while the high segment watches are tested for a minimum of 12 days. This process ensures a quality product.



Our strategic task to conquer the provincial market was fulfilled. ORION and Cardi watches are of great demand in many Russian cities including St. Petersburg , as well as, the Ukraine . Watches made by Interex-Orion take a confident third place in export following Poljot and Vostok. Due to the expanding interest in the Russian market, the company has been "attacked" by foreign customers from all over the world for the past two years. The United States , Germany , Great Britain , Netherlands , Poland , Czech Republic , Sweden , and Norway are all testing domestic sales of Orion's products with positive results.



Interex-Orion has ten major distributors, dozens of small ones and large plans for the future. Recently the company has bought additional equipment for watch decorating and also decided to equip our basic watches with transparent case backings. As a result, plates and bridges of the Russian movements will require proper decorating leaving room for fantastical creations on Slava's large 2409 caliber.



Question:

Is it more profitable to produce or to assemble watches in Russia ?



Answer:

Fierce discussion continues. While some people are arguing, Interex-Orion is working hard. They are proving that with a qualified workforce, strong management, quality control, and creative products, they can become Russia 's premier ateliers de terminage.



Text by Timour BARAEV, Edited by J.P. Angell, Plymouth MI, USA, many thanks in the Name of subwave and Orion, Moscow

ateliers de terminage

While the aforementioned products met the demands one market segment, Interex-Orion still needed a stylish and reliable product to win the recognition of our Russian provincial consumer; who had a much lower income than that of Muscovites. For this task, it was determined to procure inexpensive, automatic calibers, cases, and bands from Hong Kong .

Si, ils assemblent et testent en russie (comme les suisses…)