Before any watch goes into production, it has to exist once as a physical sample that both sides have checked and approved. This guide explains how that sampling process runs in our OEM and ODM projects: what you send us, what happens at each step, how long it takes, how the sample is priced, and what “approved” actually means at the end.
For the overview of every article on development and sampling, see our product development and sampling hub.
Sampling starts from your design direction. That can be a complete design file, sketches, reference images, or a clear written description of the watch. Along with it, we ask for:
The more of this is clear at the start, the fewer revision rounds the sample will need later.
We review whether the design can be built as drawn and what it will take. The movement is chosen from the functions you need and your target price. Some calibers carry their own conditions — certain movements, for example, can only be ordered once the movement supplier has approved the brand’s company documents — so we check this now rather than after the design is finished.
Your design is developed into renderings and drawings for you to review and comment on. Renderings typically take one to two days; more detailed 3D drawings usually take three days to a week. There is normally no separate design fee for this work.
All designs and documents created for your project belong to you, and we are happy to work under your own NDA. More on this in our article on protecting your design.
This is the cheapest point to change anything. Proportions, dial layout, hands, case finishing and the date position are best settled here, because each of them affects the parts that are made next.
Once the design is confirmed, we quote the sample. We do not quote before we have seen the design — a figure given without it is only a guess.
Sample terms are set out in full on our sample cost and policy page.
The confirmed design is turned into engineering drawings, one for each component — case, bracelet, dial, hands, crown, caseback — prepared together with the specialist supplier that will make that part. If you already have 3D files, our engineers produce the production engineering data from them. Note that what you receive is a set of per-component drawings rather than a single full-watch 3D assembly.
Material, movement and crystal choices are tied together at this stage; our guide on how materials, movement and glass work together explains the trade-offs.
Components are made or sourced against the drawings and the sample is assembled. For ODM development with custom parts, this usually takes 45 to 60 days from confirmed drawings to finished sample. Samples that reuse existing components can be faster; new materials or long-lead movements can take longer, and we tell you before the schedule is agreed.
If you also need custom packaging, it can be developed alongside the sample once the watch specification is fixed.
When the sample is ready, it is checked against the approved design on four levels: appearance, structure, function and consistency. Most custom watches need at least one revision round, and planning for it is more realistic than hoping to avoid it.
Revision rounds should narrow. The first round typically settles colour, proportion and overall feel; later rounds deal with specific details such as a clasp adjustment or a texture change. If a round reopens decisions that were already settled, the cause is usually an open question in the brief rather than a manufacturing difficulty, and it is faster to resolve it directly than through another sample.
Occasionally a sample shows that part of the design cannot be built as drawn: a dial detail too fine to reproduce in metal at watch scale, or a case shape that cannot be machined consistently at the required size. When that happens we explain the specific material or process constraint and propose the closest achievable alternative — usually one adjusted element, not a redesign — rather than quietly producing a compromised version.
A note on terms: a prototype tests one element before the design is final, such as an unusual case shape or an untested material combination. A sample is a complete, production-accurate watch built to the approved specification. Most projects go straight to a full sample; a prototype round is worth adding only when one element carries real technical risk.
For a detailed checklist of what to inspect, see How to Evaluate a Watch Sample Before Mass Production.
The approved sample becomes the golden sample — the physical reference that production is checked against. At approval, the specification is also written down: components and suppliers, colour references, tolerances, timekeeping range and water resistance. With that in place, the project is ready to move into mass production; timing from there is covered in our delivery and lead time guide.
Most sampling delays are decision delays, not production delays. Three habits make the biggest difference:
For a new line, developing fewer references in the first round — one core design and a limited number of colourways — usually reaches an approved sample faster and gives clearer market feedback for the next round than developing a wide range at once.
| Step | Typical duration |
|---|---|
| Design and requirements review | A few days |
| Renderings | 1–2 days |
| 3D and engineering drawings | 3 days to 1 week, plus component engineering |
| Sample production (ODM, custom parts) | Usually 45–60 days |
| Revisions | Depends on what changes |
For a watch with custom parts, plan on roughly two to three months from design brief to approved sample: about a week or two for drawings, usually 45 to 60 days to make the sample, plus time for revisions.
Your design files or references, the functions the watch needs, a target price and an expected quantity per style. If you already have 3D files or a preferred movement, include them.
Typically from around USD 500, and USD 1,000–3,000 for more complex designs with more custom parts. The exact figure is confirmed after we review your design.
Most custom designs need at least one. Changes to appearance are usually quicker than changes that affect tooling or structure.
All designs and documents created for your project, including CAD files, belong to you.
If you have a design ready for sampling, or want to check feasibility and cost first, talk to us about your project.