RGM Watch Company was founded by American watch manufacturer Roland Murphy. His career and interest in clocks (the art or science of timing devices) began when he worked part-time at a clock company in his teens. Later, he entered Baumann Technical School of Watchmaking and was admitted to WOSTEP (Swiss Watchmaker Training and Education Program) in 1986. After completing WOSTEP, he worked on product development at Hamilton Watch Company until he created the RGM watch. RGM watch sales are conducted on an individual to individual basis. Customers and potential clients visiting the company are often welcomed by Roland Murphy himself. He shared his passion for classic watch design, innovation, and craftsmanship when talking about customized design features that customers often request. RGM has a team of 11 people who produce "hundreds" of watches every year, with prices ranging from $3500 to $95000 depending on the design and materials.

Upon entering the RGM factory, you will immediately be surrounded by several classic clockmaker benches and some antique rose engine lathes. These century old lathes can produce complex and magnificent metal patterns using cutting and carving techniques. The decorative details of RGM watches at this level are beneficial to customersVery confusedof

At the beginning, due to the lack of suitable metal processing machinery to produce very small parts and precise non-contact measurement methods, the development of RGM products is often very slow. Swiss companies have these devices, but they are not particularly interested in collaborating with an inexperienced startup, especially one from the United States. With the determination to make progress and the help of a local mechanical repair shop and a group of second-hand metal processing machinery, Murphy launched the Caliber 801 mechanical motion system in 2007. Before we can rely on reliable and accurate components, we will manufacture parts with holes smaller than the nominal size, and then the watchmaker will correct the holes on the fixture boring machine... This is a very time-consuming process

Inspect and measure small parts of Caliber 801 on an old-fashioned optical comparator. This type of inspection requires a considerable amount of time to locate and measure, and is not very automated, but it is sufficient for handling the initial few low-level series watch components. Today, there are seven versions of Caliber 801 that require measurement of a series of complex components. At this point, it becomes crucial to ensure that the components are always precise. This means that it is too time-consuming for watchmakers to manufacture separately by enlarging the small holes during the assembly process. Murphy explained. So how do they solve the problems of production and testing?

In June 2016, RGM purchased QVI ® The StarLite150 image measurement system is used to complete size and inspection tasks previously measured by optical projectors. The StarLite 150 quickly demonstrated its advantages in this systemIt is possible to continuously measure small and complex watch components without the need for operator intervention, "said Benoit Barbe, Director of Micro Mechanical Design. In recent years, with the increasing demand for production and machine models, StarLite 150 has become an indispensable part of the development process due to its compatibility with the company's 3D CAD system and CNC milling machinePart of the detection methods. Once the CAD model is completed, it can be downloaded to the image measurement system and the measurement can be completed within seconds. We have high confidence in the accuracy of the measurement results, but there are doubts when using an optical comparator, "commented Barbe.

The more we know about the StarLite 150 measurement system, the higher our work efficiency. ”One particularly appreciated feature of StarLite150 by the RGM manufacturing team is its VectorLightTMLED programmable ring light. Barbe said, "The high brightness of the light source makes it very fast and easy to check the size between two blind holes." The demand for customized watch functions is increasing, and it needs to be uniqueThe more complex designs and CNC machine tool production operations there are. We now regularly measure and inspect customized microcomputer etching using end mills as small as 0.02 millimeters. After using StarLite, the measurement has never been so simple or accurate.