Multilingual aftersales at a watch manufacture — the agent that drafts technical replies in four languages

An independent manufacture in the Vallée de Joux. Nine people. A few hundred pieces a year. An audit conversation last month. The same observation we hear elsewhere: the master watchmaker spends half a day every week answering incoming technical requests. In four languages.

Here is the agent we would build — and the part of the work we would never hand to it.

The current workflow

Every week the house receives ten to fifteen external requests:

• "I found this watch in my father's collection. Can you tell me whether it is authentic?" (with a photo)
• "What is the recommended service interval for a column-wheel chronograph from 1998?"
• "Where can I find a winding crown for the 1965 calibre Z?"
• "Can you issue a certificate of origin for this piece?"

The master watchmaker reads each one, identifies the reference, consults the archives, and writes a precise reply in the client's language. Thirty to forty-five minutes per request. Five to eight hours a week — on work that is not watchmaking.

The agent

1. Classification. For each incoming message, the agent identifies the language (mainly FR / DE / EN / IT), the request type (authentication / service / parts / certificate / general), and the reference mentioned if one is given.

2. Technical research. The agent queries the house's internal sources: the reference register, service intervals by calibre, vintage parts stock status, and the photo archive for comparison. It assembles the technical context.

3. Drafting. The agent writes a reply draft in the client's language, in the house's established tone. It cites the relevant technical details and states openly what it cannot resolve (typically, a definitive authentication). The draft lands in the master watchmaker's inbox.

What it gives back

• From 30 minutes to 5 minutes per request. The watchmaker reads, adjusts, signs, sends.
• No request falls through the cracks. Every one is classified, indexed, and traceable.
• Half a day a week reclaimed — reinvested in the next piece, not the keyboard.

What it does not do

• The agent never rules on authentication. It flags the elements it observed in the image, but an authentication commits the house; that remains a human decision and, when necessary, a physical one.
• It does not confirm the availability of a vintage part without manual sign-off from the watchmaker.
• It does not set any service price. Quotes stay a direct conversation with the client.

Cost and timeline

Pilot in a single language in three weeks. Full deployment across the four main languages in six to eight weeks, with Swiss hosting, logging, and a one-click shutdown procedure.

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A free 30-minute audit looks at whether your aftersales operation is an agent candidate — or whether another part of the house would benefit more.