Rolex R&D Project Manager — Movement Construction
- Location
- GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
- Seniority
- Mid-Level
- Industry
- Fine Watches & Horology
- Posted
- May 16, 2026
About Rolex
Rolex is a Geneva-based Swiss luxury watch manufacturer renowned for in-house movement design, exacting engineering standards and artisanal craftsmanship. The maison operates with a high degree of vertical integration and pursues long-term investment in technical excellence, precision manufacturing and proprietary research across movement architecture and component technologies.
Rolex in Geneva seeks an R&D Project Manager (Movement Construction) to lead watch movement development projects and cross-functional engineering teams.
Role & Responsibilities
- Lead end-to-end R&D projects for movement construction, from technical concept through prototyping, validation and transfer to production.
- Define technical specifications, functional requirements and acceptance criteria for new movement modules and components.
- Coordinate multidisciplinary teams including micro-mechanical engineers, prototypists, metrology, quality and production stakeholders to meet project milestones.
- Manage project timelines, budgets, risk registers and change control; present progress updates to senior stakeholders.
- Oversee prototype fabrication, bench testing, environmental and life‑cycle validation; interpret test data and drive corrective actions.
- Ensure designs comply with internal quality standards and manufacturability (DFM) while optimising reliability, tolerances and serviceability.
- Liaise with external suppliers and specialised ateliers for tooling, surface treatments and component qualification when required.
- Maintain comprehensive technical documentation, design dossiers and patents/framing of IP where applicable.
Qualifications
- Degree in mechanical engineering, micro-mechanics, materials science or equivalent; specialized horology/precision mechanics training highly desirable.
- Proven experience in watch movement design, precision mechanisms or micro-mechanical product development.
- Demonstrated project management capability — planning, budgeting, cross-functional coordination and risk management.
- Strong competence in tolerancing, GD&T and design for manufacture for high-precision components.
- Excellent analytical skills with proven ability to interpret test results and translate into engineering actions.
- Professional maturity, decisiveness and ability to communicate technical matters to both engineering and executive audiences.
- Fluency in French and high proficiency in English preferred for this Geneva-based role.
Skills
Experience
Typically 5+ years of hands-on experience in R&D or engineering roles focused on precision mechanical components or watch movement development, including proven responsibility for managing cross-functional projects from concept to production transfer.
Education
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Micro‑mechanics, Materials Science, Horology or equivalent technical discipline.
Workplace
The role is situated in Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Culture
Rolex combines traditional watchmaking craftsmanship with rigorous engineering and a culture of technical excellence. The workplace prizes precision, discretion and long-term commitment to product quality, offering engineers the opportunity to work on highly specialised, vertically integrated projects within a stable, research-driven environment.
About Cerulean
Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like Rolex, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «Movement Development Project Manager», «Watch Movement R&D Lead», «Mechanical Movement Project Engineer», «Horology R&D Project Coordinator», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.