The Swiss have been synonymous with high-quality watches for centuries. Over time, they established the world's first watchmaking guild and pioneered many innovations, including the first wristwatch. During the 16th century, watchmaking grew in Switzerland as jewelry makers turned to the trade. Geneva became a center for intricate, compartmentalized watch production. The modern wristwatch originated from soldiers in WWI who found pocket watches impractical. In recent decades, the Swiss watch industry has embraced new technologies like quartz and smartwatches while upholding traditions of craftsmanship.

1. A Watch
Swiss Made
Fatih E. Nar

2. Swiss Made
❖ Anyone with a keen interest in watches will acknowledge that when it comes to horology, the Swiss
are synonymous with one thing and that’s high end top quality products. Today Swiss watches are
prized the world over and represent the country’s third largest export.
❖ Over the centuries most major innovations in design and build have emanated from this centre of
watchmaking excellence and if you are looking for “firsts”, first watchmaker’s guild, first perpetual
watch, first wristwatch, first waterproof watch, first quartz watch etc. then the Swiss have pretty
much got it nailed.

3. Origins
By the end of the 16th century, the watchmakers of Geneva had established a reputation for making quality desirable products
and although watches were being made all around the world by this time, the Swiss formed the world’s first watchmaking guild.
Thus in 1601 history records Geneva in Switzerland as the birthplace of the entire industry.
The origins of watchmaking in Switzerland can be traced back as far as the 16th century.
At this time, John Calvin a religious reformer, well known for both his controversial views
and austere standards of living, decided that citizens should not be allowed to wear
jewellery.
The jewellery makers faced financial ruin and coupled with the fact that watches were
the only item of jewellery still permitted to be worn, decided to turn their attention to the
art of watchmaking for which there was a steadily increasing demand.

4. A Legend Born
The early watch designs were manufactured to be as aesthetically pleasing as possible, accuracy of time keeping was not the
initial attraction of owning a Swiss timepiece (if you wanted an accurate watch prior to 1850, the bulky rather plain looking
watches from Great Britain were perhaps a better choice) although some quality watches were made, manufacturers tended
to pander mainly to the demands of their rich fashionable clientele who simply wanted to look good. Other European
countries including: Italy Germany & France were also producing quality timepiece and the Genevese watch makers were not
averse to travelling abroad for study, to copy designs and improve their skills.
Geneva soon became crowded with watchmakers; some settled in the area from abroad, manufacturing took place in small
houses and was very compartmentalized, a lot of intricate handwork was involved. It was typical for one craftsman to work on
one part of a watch and then pass it on to another in a different area of the city to work on another part. There was no
standardisation in procedure and thus manufacture could be a long drawn out process with corrections having to be made to
each watch as it passed from one manufacture to another. It was fairly accurate to say that each watch was unique.
In 1886 the Geneva seal was given legal status after first being introduced earlier in the century to help deal with an industry
plagued by counterfeiting. One of the first forms of hallmarking, it is still in use today and is recognised as a label of origin and
a guarantee of quality for watches made to superior standards.

5. Modern Watch
The modern wristwatch that is universally popular nowadays has its own origins around the time of the First
World War.
Soldiers of the day discovered that pocket watches were not at all practical and began to tie them to their wrists
using pieces of leather. Officers who could afford them had wrist watches or “trench watches” as they became
known which are highly collectable today, many were of a transitional design between pocket watches and wrist
watches, incorporating features of both, some came complete with shrapnel guards to protect the watch face.
The end of the war saw the wristwatch gain in popularity and in 1926 the first self-winding wrist watch was
produced in Grenchen, with electrical watches introduced in the 1950s.
In 1967 the Centre Electronique Horolger in Neuchatel developed the world’s first quartz wristwatch and sales of
electronic watches now account for 90% of all watches produced in Switzerland, however at the quality end of the
market, the remaining 10% of traditional mechanical watches account for over 50% in terms of export value.
In recent years since the introduction of electronic watches, the number of producing companies has fallen from several thousand to around 500 with
consolidation taking place all of the time. For over four hundred years Switzerland has managed to stay at the forefront of watch production by a
combination of tradition and a willingness to embrace both new technology and change. Perhaps the real reason for its success as a producer of
watches is the sheer number of products it is able to offer covering all budgets with a seemingly infinite range of designs and specifications.

6. Impact of Smart Watches
❖ 1st Swiss Watch Industry Denied the Impact, they
assumed the worst-case scenario was that US or Asian-
designed electronic fashion and fitness icons would
threaten a similar near-death experience for Swiss
manufacturers as the arrival of Japanese quartz watches
in the 1970s. However the Swiss claims that
wristwatches are emotional products.
➢ “The first watch you ever received, you never forget.
You don’t usually keep the first smartwatch you get,”
Mr Thiébaud (President of Tissot)
❖ And then Swiss Watch Industry also started to invest in
Smart Watches with research, development and early
products, by Tag Heuer, Hublot .

7. Assessments
❖ Heritage, history and provenance
❖ In-house manufacture status and independence
❖ Market perception, brand presence, demand and
popularity
❖ Innovation and pioneering spirit
❖ Creativity in design and function
❖ Choice of materials and jeweller’s standard of finishing
❖ Reliability, accuracy and absence of common defects
❖ Involvement in social activities
❖ Choice of ambassadors and related contribution to society
❖ Representation at watch shop tier level
“When it comes to
prestige, good sense
goes out the window.”

8. Watch Business

9. Leaders & Watches

10. Have a Nice Time!