Stollenwurm and AB Concept announce a major advancement in the production of tantalum for watchmaking. Both companies are focused on improving metalworking methods and applying advanced manufacturing techniques to horology. The partners have jointly explored multiple approaches to working with tantalum and have now reached a significant milestone in this work, with further development continuing.
Industry-First Additive Manufacturing of Tantalum Components
Stollenwurm and AB Concept are pleased to confirm the first documented use of additive manufacturing to produce and finish tantalum components for watchmaking. This represents a major step forward in the ability to form and harden tantalum for both functional and aesthetic watch parts.
Initial hardness testing on an additively manufactured tantalum buckle recorded values of ~180 ± 20 HV1, compared to ~140 HV1 typically seen in conventionally processed tantalum.
Further porosity refinement is underway, with current surface results already suitable for satin or micro-blasted finishing; polishing parameters continue to be improved.
Tantalum is notoriously difficult to manufacture due to its unusual combination of material properties. The metal was named after Tantalus, a figure condemned to eternal frustration — a fitting metaphor for anyone trying to machine it. Its high ductility causes smearing and chip adhesion rather than clean cutting, while its tendency to work-harden requires precise and continuous cutting parameters. The metal retains heat at the cutting interface, accelerating tool wear, and its elastic recovery — or “springback” — makes dimensional control challenging. Combined with high density and demanding surface finishing behavior, tantalum is widely regarded as one of the most stubborn metals to shape for precision components.
Development continues in parallel on CNC machining, hybrid processes, and supplementary metallurgical workstreams, with very significant advancements in surface finish, burrs, micromachining and tool wear. This progress reflects a practical step forward in an area many have considered unworkable at production scale.
Background on the Partnership & Process
AB Concept began working in additive technologies in 2003, initially producing castable forms for high-end jewelry. Over two decades, the company has grown additive manufacturing into a viable industrial practice, integrating it alongside CNC machining and other traditional processes.
Founders Aurélien Bouchet and Maxime Oudot trained first as machinists (CNC, milling, turning) before expanding into advanced digital production. Their background in the railway industry and later specialization in watchmaking has enabled AB Concept to combine additive, subtractive, and finishing technologies toward functional precision components.
Anecdotally, during training, machinists were humorously told to fetch a “thickening file” when material had been removed. Additive manufacturing now provides exactly that capability — especially valuable in a metal as complex as tantalum.
Aurélien’s grandfather, the brother of an important figure in metal cutting in Besançon, often asked a humorous question: “How do you think Italians make macaroni?” Answer: “It’s very simple, they take a hole and put dough around it!” This reflects the reality that it is better to add material than to remove it, especially in a metal as complex as tantalum. It is also much more environmentally friendly and considerably less carbon intensive.
Stollenwurm SA is a new Swiss independent watch company, founded in 2024 by Edward Tourtellotte in the canton of Neuchâtel. It is headquartered in Le Locle, and all significant watch design, development, assembly and testing are based in Le Locle and La Chaux-de-Fonds.
The company is named after a legendary Swiss alpine creature — a fire-breathing serpent with the head of a cat, said to be the guardian of priceless treasures and ancient knowledge. Stollenwurm creates unique, extremely limited edition timepieces in combinations of platinum and tantalum, with a maximum of 12 pieces for any design. Both the creature and the watches are rarely seen.
Edward operates as an innovation conduit, linking boundless conceptual ideas from the universe to focused execution by development teams, thus bringing rare and unique timepieces to the high horology collector community. His core expertise lies in product conception and delivery—identifying, assembling, and motivating the world’s most capable teams to achieve technical feats that push the boundaries of horological possibility. Future watch designs involve multiple novel complications, including a new type of minute repeater, a simplified DST capable world timer, and an entirely new mechanical watch movement without a balance wheel.
Ethical Sourcing and Traceability
All tantalum used in this program is ethically sourced, from Canadian supply channels, originating in Germany, Japan, and Thailand.
Forward Work
The partnership continues to refine porosity, polishing behavior, and hybrid post-processing methods, and is also engaged in the early development of a new alloy system for future applications.
Further technical disclosures will follow as development milestones are met.
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About Stollenwurm SA
Stollenwurm SA is a Swiss independent watch manufacturer located in Le Locle, Switzerland. The company develops extremely limited edition timepieces in tantalum and platinum, notable for complex métiers d’art and other innovations.
About AB Concept
AB Concept, based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, specializes in precision machining and additive manufacturing technologies. Founded by machinists with expertise in both traditional and digital fabrication, the company advances industrial applications for complex metals in watchmaking.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251116869441/en/
Stollenwurm and AB Concept are pleased to confirm the first documented use of additive manufacturing to produce and finish tantalum components for watchmaking.
Contacts
MEDIA CONTACT:
Stollenwurm:
Edward Tourtellotte
hq@stollenwurm.ch
AB Concept:
Mélody Erard
me@abconcept.ch