CNC to produce a case?

[JoeyB]

stilty, on 08 March 2012 - 12:30 AM, said:

We'll, I'd almost say the opposite. It is the Orig. Rolex Design, you would have a problem with. I'm pretty sure the patents for the Registered Design cases are now expired.

Almost every legitimate watch company has been knocking off the DateJust case for many years. Obviously design patent isn't much of a problem.

There is a difference between patents and copyrights, design properties and infringement. Legitimate companies have made similar design copies, but not exact. If they could, Rolex and the rest would go after the far east, it's just not feasible. But machine a 6538 or 5513 case in the U.S. for volume sales and you will find yourself in court. No one is going to bother with the one-of, or the relatively small replica collector. Profiting from someone else's creation is the issue, the infringement is the same. That was the point in the thread about freddy333's 6542 white dial being a genuine Rolex rather than a replica. Replicas and even frankens are copies and infringe on creative rights of another. freddy's watch has an aftermarket bezel insert, but everything else is genuine Rolex design and manufacture, and is no infringement of intellectual creative rights.

As I said before, machining a case is quite difficult as everyone pointed out. To justify the expense and time would take volume sales, and volume sales will get counterfeiting charges.

[Rolexaddict]

3 ways :

MIM, metal injection molding,

cast iron,

forged metal

MIM is sometimes used in horlogery, but our rep watch cases are from forged blocs of SS which are machined with lathe and mill through automated programs or routines. Chinese watch factories unfortunately don't have original Rolex blue prints...

Sounds like Beyeler and Spielmann companies have sold machines and some prints to Asian companies, may be thats why Yuki and Phong have more accurate cases

Edited March 8, 2012 by Rolexaddict