EPHJ 2023 – TRACER V2 on the Floor
EPHJ 2023 was the occasion for Oratek to present the second version of TRACER, our compact defect tracking system designed for watchmaking manufacturers. Built around a real and recurring pain point on the production floor, TRACER transforms an informal, post-it driven process into a fully traceable digital workflow.
A Problem Every Manufacture Knows
In most watchmaking production environments, quality issues are handled informally. When a controller spots a defect during final inspection — a dust particle, a scratch, a surface imperfection — the watch is set aside with a handwritten note. That note travels with the piece to a dedicated fixer, who then has to locate the defect again, understand its origin, and repair it.
The watch goes back into the flow. Sometimes it returns to the same fixer. Sometimes the context has been lost. The entire history of that defect — who spotted it, when, what exactly was wrong — exists only on a post-it and in someone’s memory.
TRACER – Report It. Fix It. Know It.
TRACER replaces that fragile process with a simple, two-step digital loop displayed directly at the booth under the labels Report it and Fix it.
The controller scans the manufacturing order on the TRACER terminal, declares the defect — dust, scratch, or any other issue — and hands the piece to the fixer. The fixer scans the same order on their own terminal and instantly sees the full declaration: who reported it, when, and what was found. They fix the issue, close the loop in the system, and move on.
Every step is recorded. Every defect has a history. The knowledge that previously lived on paper now lives in a database, as integral to the production process as the logs of a CNC machine.
TRACER V2 – Building on the First Release
Oratek first presented TRACER at EPHJ 2022. The 2023 edition marked the arrival of V2, a more mature version of the platform reflecting feedback from the field and refined around the actual constraints of watchmaking production environments.
The hardware — compact terminals in custom 3D-printed stands — is designed to sit naturally on an inspection bench without disrupting the existing workflow.
Traceability as Infrastructure
What TRACER introduces is not just a tool, but a new layer of manufacturing intelligence. Quality data that was previously invisible becomes structured, searchable, and actionable. Over time, patterns emerge: recurring defect types, specific positions in the flow, individual piece histories.
For watchmaking manufacturers focused on repeatability and continuous improvement, this kind of traceability is no longer optional — it is infrastructure.
To learn more about TRACER or discuss how it could integrate into your production environment, feel free to contact us.
