I read an interesting article over on ablogtowatch today which relays a statement by the Swiss Watch Federation. Beginning in 2017, a watch can only be labeled "Swiss Made" if at least 60% of a watch's total production cost, taken as a whole, is Swiss made. It also specifies that technical development and movement must also have been performed in Switzerland.

This is an increase from current demands which state that at least 50% of the movement's components are made in Switzerland. In neither case does the watch's total percentage of Swiss parts need to reach that threshold, only the movement. Also, watches produced this year, or past, may remain in circulation until the end of 2018.

There is a little more to it than the above but those are the cliff notes.

If I put on my tin foil hat for a moment, the thought crosses my mind that this is relatively trivial in meaning to the average consumer. Perhaps go as far as to say that this is more a ploy to justify the ever elevating prices for their veblen goods? In some instances, perhaps even categorize certain watches and brands as giffen goods?

When paying as much as we do to enjoy this hobby and passion, high quality is of course of great importance. This news however, does not make me weak in the knees. What do you guys think?

 

I don't know - "60% of total production cost" is kinda fungible. I can easily see 100% of the parts manufactured in China making up only 10% of the production cost, the remaining 90% is for the highly paid swiss watchmaker who does the assembly and testing.

 

Those rules are BS - the workaround is ready before such a rule gets defined...

As long as you suck for vintage, there's a certitude you don't get any of chinese crap in your watch. Unless it's been recently serviced

My darling used to work at a sub-contractor manufacturing dials for several well-known Swiss luxury brands, at their factory in Thailand.

 

Lets see if one day comes to 100... i doubt it!

 

I find it interesting that small manufacturers in the US get held to a higher standard to claim "Made In The USA" than the Swiss do for "Swiss Made".

 

That's mostly because the Swiss don't have to abide by American laws and regulations

 

Total double standard in my opinion. Shame on the Swiss. Cheapens the brand. Name and shame I say!!!

 

If you don't want to know how the sausage was made (so you can still enjoy it) stop peeking into the sausage factory...

Take the blue pill...

 

Al, stop trying to pass off jellybeans as reality altering pharmaceuticals.

 

I would just like to further state that a Swiss watch factory in China does not mean quality is inferior. My only beef is that "Swiss Made" invokes a perception that can be quite different from reality.

 

Yessir - this place is reality altering enough without any big pharma help...

 

As far as China's manufacturing goes, they can make any quality level they wish. It all depends on the money the client wants to spend.

...... and, of course, the willingness of the client to turn a blind eye towards pollution and child labor.

Marketing, my man. It's all about the marketing and the story / spin that goes with it. The Swiss are absolute masters of it.

 

Because of the revaluation and rise of the franc, wouldn't the 60% of the value of the production mean less of the watch is made in Switzerland not more?

 

This almost made me spit my tea on the keyboard.

 

Anyone that has children knows that sugar is very much so a reality altering drug

 

Fascinating, that would explain why so many fake dials / refinished dials are being made there... there's an actual pool of skills to tap into. Any of this outsourcing business also taking place in Vietnam, by any chance?

 

Never heard of Vietnam so far.

China has become much better in quality and consistency. Also good skills are hidden in Mauritius.

You talk about globalization?