Whenever the question of Chinese competition is raised, some firms brandish the Swiss Made label in retaliation. What they aren’t reckoning with are its weaknesses. Philippe Dufour, an independent watchmaker in La Vallee-de-Joux, makes his view clear: "As it stands, the Swiss Made label serves no useful purpose. The definition is loose enough to allow vast amounts of parts to be made outside Switzerland."
Indeed, for a watch to qualify as Swiss Made, it must have a Swiss movement which has been cased-up and inspected in Switzerland. And a movement is Swiss when it has been assembled in the country and when Swiss-made parts account for 50% of its value. Brands, in particular those dealing in large volumes of watches, take advantage of this allowance to have as many parts as possible made outside Switzerland at lower cost. All that remains is for them to incorporate some high-value Swiss-made parts and you have a Swiss-Made watch.
【Sino-Swiss movements】 While the Swiss are chewing over protectionist measures, the competition is doubling its efforts. Until now, Chinese manufacturers were content to supply individual parts. Now some are looking for partners in Switzerland to assemble their products and therefore benefit from the coveted Swiss Made label. "Chinese entrepreneurs have contacted us, asking if we would assemble their movements," confirms a watchmaker in Bienne. Sellita, a specialist in movement assembly in La Chaux-de-Fonds, has been similarly approached.
So far, all these companies have categorically refused any such offers, "so as to defend the Swiss watch industry and not pull the rug from under our own feet, " says Miguel Garcia, 【CEO of Sellita】. The fact remains that from a legal standpoint, this is a perfectly legitimate scenario that is already sending shivers down some bosses’ spines. The Chinese are known to pay on the nose when strategic interests are at stake, and could easily persuade local firms to work for them, at the risk of marking them as traitors in their competitors’ eyes.
While the Swiss are chewing over protectionist measures, the competition is doubling its efforts. Until now, Chinese manufacturers were content to supply individual parts. Now some are looking for partners in Switzerland to assemble their products and therefore benefit from the coveted Swiss Made label. "Chinese entrepreneurs have contacted us, asking if we would assemble their movements," confirms a watchmaker in Bienne. Sellita, a specialist in movement assembly in La Chaux-de-Fonds, has been similarly approached.
So far, all these companies have categorically refused any such offers, "so as to defend the Swiss watch industry and not pull the rug from under our own feet, " says Miguel Garcia, 【CEO of Sellita】. The fact remains that from a legal standpoint, this is a perfectly legitimate scenario that is already sending shivers down some bosses’ spines. The Chinese are known to pay on the nose when strategic interests are at stake, and could easily persuade local firms to work for them, at the risk of marking them as traitors in their competitors’ eyes.
While the Swiss are chewing over protectionist measures, the competition is doubling its efforts. Until now, Chinese manufacturers were content to supply individual parts. Now some are looking for partners in Switzerland to assemble their products and therefore benefit from the coveted Swiss Made label. "Chinese entrepreneurs have contacted us, asking if we would assemble their movements," confirms a watchmaker in Bienne. Sellita, a specialist in movement assembly in La Chaux-de-Fonds, has been similarly approached.
So far, all these companies have categorically refused any such offers, "so as to defend the Swiss watch industry and not pull the rug from under our own feet, " says Miguel Garcia, 【CEO of Sellita】. The fact remains that from a legal standpoint, this is a perfectly legitimate scenario that is already sending shivers down some bosses’ spines. The Chinese are known to pay on the nose when strategic interests are at stake, and could easily persuade local firms to work for them, at the risk of marking them as traitors in their competitors’ eyes.
While the Swiss are chewing over protectionist measures, the competition is doubling its efforts. Until now, Chinese manufacturers were content to supply individual parts. Now some are looking for partners in Switzerland to assemble their products and therefore benefit from the coveted Swiss Made label. "Chinese entrepreneurs have contacted us, asking if we would assemble their movements," confirms a watchmaker in Bienne. Sellita, a specialist in movement assembly in La Chaux-de-Fonds, has been similarly approached.
So far, all these companies have categorically refused any such offers, "so as to defend the Swiss watch industry and not pull the rug from under our own feet, " says Miguel Garcia, 【CEO of Sellita】. The fact remains that from a legal standpoint, this is a perfectly legitimate scenario that is already sending shivers down some bosses’ spines. The Chinese are known to pay on the nose when strategic interests are at stake, and could easily persuade local firms to work for them, at the risk of marking them as traitors in their competitors’ eyes.
While the Swiss are chewing over protectionist measures, the competition is doubling its efforts. Until now, Chinese manufacturers were content to supply individual parts. Now some are looking for partners in Switzerland to assemble their products and therefore benefit from the coveted Swiss Made label. "Chinese entrepreneurs have contacted us, asking if we would assemble their movements," confirms a watchmaker in Bienne. Sellita, a specialist in movement assembly in La Chaux-de-Fonds, has been similarly approached.
So far, all these companies have categorically refused any such offers, "so as to defend the Swiss watch industry and not pull the rug from under our own feet, " says Miguel Garcia, 【CEO of Sellita】. The fact remains that from a legal standpoint, this is a perfectly legitimate scenario that is already sending shivers down some bosses’ spines. The Chinese are known to pay on the nose when strategic interests are at stake, and could easily persuade local firms to work for them, at the risk of marking them as traitors in their competitors’ eyes.
>>121 >【Sino-Swiss movements】 中華製スイス時計 > >While the Swiss are chewing over protectionist measures, the competition is doubling its efforts. >Until now, Chinese manufacturers were content to supply individual parts. >Now some are looking for partners in Switzerland to assemble their products and therefore benefit from the coveted Swiss Made label. >"Chinese entrepreneurs have contacted us, asking if we would assemble their movements," confirms a watchmaker in Bienne. >Sellita, a specialist in movement assembly in La Chaux-de-Fonds, has been similarly approached. > >So far, all these companies have categorically refused any such offers, >"so as to defend the Swiss watch industry and not pull the rug from under our own feet, >" says Miguel Garcia, 【CEO of Sellita】. The fact remains that from a legal standpoint, >this is a perfectly legitimate scenario that is already sending shivers down some bosses’ spines. >The Chinese are known to pay on the nose when strategic interests are at stake, and could easily persuade local firms to work for them, >at the risk of marking them as traitors in their competitors’ eyes.