[lukeaf8]

I'd like everyone's opinion here, I have an honest question and I'm looking for honest answers. Many of the watches that you see popping up on Kickstarter claim to be Swiss watches, presumably because they have Swiss movements inside the casing.
But is that what makes a watch Swiss?
If the watch case is poorly designed and clearly not in line with the centuries of traditions, is it really a "Swiss watch"?
Are projects like these decreasing the value of "Swiss Made"?
I'm curious what you think, what makes a watch truly a swiss watch?

 

[~tc~]

Search, been discussed a number of times. Some links to get you started:
http://www.ablogtowatch.com/swiss-made-2/
http://www.fhs.ch/eng/swissmade.html

 

[lukeaf8]

Super helpful articles. Thank you.

 

[LRceo]

I'd like everyone's opinion here, I have an honest question and I'm looking for honest answers. Many of the watches that you see popping up on Kickstarter claim to be Swiss watches, presumably because they have Swiss movements inside the casing.
But is that what makes a watch Swiss?
If the watch case is poorly designed and clearly not in line with the centuries of traditions, is it really a "Swiss watch"?
Are projects like these decreasing the value of "Swiss Made"?
I'm curious what you think, what makes a watch truly a swiss watch?

This is my first ever post so bare with me haha

I think it's interesting how you mentioned kickstarters and how they say their watch is 'swiss made' and 'luxury watches'. But as a matter of fact I was at Basel world and there are a lot of watches on the market at the moment that brand themselves as 'swiss made' but that aren't. i believe (currently) a watch must have a 60% of its overall value being swiss and also it must be checked and manufactured in switzerland as they simply have a higher quality of quality control if that makes sense.

Overall there isn't actually a lot wrong with japanese watches or movements, but i think branding a watch as swiss and it not being true most certainly damages the swiss reputation

 

[muttley]

I was at Basel world and there are a lot of watches on the market at the moment that brand themselves as 'swiss made' but that aren't.

Do you mean there were falsely branded Swiss watches at Basel World, or that they are on the market at the moment? I'm not sure I understood the sentence sorry. Do you have any examples of the falsely branded Swiss watches, e.g. brand names? How did you know they didn't meet the requirement for the 'Swiss Made' description on the dial? It's usually fairly easy to spot fakes, but what you're describing must be much harder to detect?
Cheers.

 

[The Watchology]

To be considered as Switzerland watches, there are two main conditions for these watch brands:

The Swiss portion of the production cost must be at least 60%
The most important part of the manufacturing process must have taken place in Switzerland.

This Guy in the video actually explains it quite well.

More detailed info can be found at Official website of the Swiss watch industry: FH - Federation of the Swiss watch industry FH

 

[ulackfocus]

This is my first ever post so bare with me

Are you asking us to get naked with you?!?!? :scared: :blink:

Maybe they'll just put a chunk of Swiss cheese and a piece of Swiss chocolate in the box. :001_tongue: Voila!

Sorry, you'll just have to bear with my silly & sarcastic sense of humor.

..... i think branding a watch as swiss and it not being true most certainly damages the swiss reputation

It actually cements the Swiss reputation. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If a brand tries to elevate itself to the level of quality that SWISS MADE implies, that tells you all you need to know about what those two words on a dial mean to customers.

 

[SaskBoy]

It actually cements the Swiss reputation. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If a brand tries to elevate itself to the level of quality that SWISS MADE implies, that tells you all you need to know about what those two words on a dial mean to customers.

Umm ahhh................. NO. I'm pretty sure the Swatch Group and EVERY OTHER WATCH MAKER AND BUSINESS WITH A BRAND EVERYWHERE.... EVER would disagree with you. Inferior quality mislabeled items out in the wild DO NOT make the real items increase in desirability. They deteriorate brand confidence in buyers and affect sales as customers lose the ability to see the value (perceived or real) in the product.

If the Chinese started labelling cheaply made products "Made in America" as a form of flattery do you honestly believe it would be all cool with consumers and improve the genuine products desirability.

 

[CometHunter]

''...Inferior quality mislabeled items out in the wild DO NOT make the real items increase...

You're quoting ulackfocus and that's not what he's saying at all! Read it again carefully.
(1) It's NOT inferior...the quality is raised up.
(2) It's NOT mislabeled...nothing was said about the other watch being labeled in any way at all.

 

[SaskBoy]

He was responding directly (with quote) to a another posters comment about watches not of Swiss origin claiming to be. Even if the quality is there, I'm not sure how watches claiming to be Swiss when they are not does anything to "cement" the Swiss reputation. If anything it makes the label "Swiss Made" worthless.

Even if these makers elevate their quality to the level of Swiss (whatever that means) they still aren't Swiss, which is the root of the thread. The quality is irrelevant.

 

[uglyone4u]

How come they call it SWISS CHEESE if it's made in America?

 

[CometHunter]

Cheese-making 101

Because "they" are lazy idiots and "swiss cheese" is easier to remember. American "swiss", (Emmantal Cheese) is actually based on a cheese variety that originated in Emmantal, Switzerland. But if you ask for Emmantal cheese you'll probably just get a blank look from the guy behind the dairy counter.

TRIVIA: The "holes" in the cheese are caused by bubbles and are technically known as "eyes". And there is a variety that does not contain any eyes at all. That variety is (or should be) called "blind" Emmantal cheese.

 

[SaskBoy]

Around here American cheese comes as individually wrapped slices and is rumoured to be one molecule away from being a form of plastic

 

[muttley]

I like cheese, and I like watches. Is there a brand you might suggest that could satisfy both interests?

 

[SaskBoy]

Are you looking for specific watch\cheese pairings, or a cheese choice that's more all encompassing for watch collecting in general?

If you want a pairing I'd recommend a nice Stilton or Roquefort to go with most fashion watches as they all stink and will leave a bad taste in your mouth

 

[peterk814]

Search, been discussed a number of times. Some links to get you started:
"Swiss Made" Now Means More Swiss Made | aBlogtoWatch
FH - Swiss made: the only true reference

Oldie, but thank you for the articles they were really interesting.

 

[centennialman]

Maybe the watches leave a bad taste but there is nothing better than a burger with Stilton on it even when wearing a Timex or Caravelle. Wish I could find good Stilton around here, already have the Timex.