Swiss made?

[jctrolex]

I’ve been reading a few articles regarding value proposition Swiss watches. Some of them are sub $1k territory. Can anyone tell me what qualifies as a “Swiss made” watch? Not that I think these watches are inferior in quality but I am having a hard time believing these watches are entirely made in Switzerland by Swiss labour due to the high cost of living and high individual income in Switzerland. I once paid $20 for a hot dog and a coke in the Geneva airport I had to check my currency conversion twice to make sure that wasn’t a mistake.
I met an individual who is in the watch industry in Hong Kong told me a lot of the watch cases of some of the Swiss brands are actually manufactured in Hong Kong or China.

[_speedmaster_]

1. 60% of production costs must be incurred in Switzerland.
2. At least 50% of the *value* of a movement must be swiss made.
3. At least 60% of the movement must be assembled in Switzerland.

In effect, the "swiss made" label is a charade. Many people buy "swiss made" thinking it is fully designed and built by in Switzerland, when, in most cases, a large percentage of components are manufactured elsewhere. A large percentage of the movement is assembled elsewhere.

[77T]

Originally Posted by jctrolex

I once paid $20 for a hot dog and a coke in the Geneva airport I had to check my currency conversion twice to make sure that wasn’t a mistake.

That aside is a great comparison - the price for SWISS MADE hot dog and a coke is like a SWISS MADE Rolex.

Yet, just a mile away another hot dog vendor was selling at $8 - sort of like a SWISS MADE Omega.

In the case of the hot dog, the ground meat and spices were likely sourced from another EU country. And the coke syrup prolly came from elsewhere, but if it was in a can/bottle then Coca‑Cola HBC did the work with carbonated water sourced in Switzerland. But the container from which you drank was produced from aluminum, or plastic, or paper made elsewhere.

The bun maybe had EU wheat but Swiss water and baked anywhere but unlikely in Geneva.

All in all, maybe 50% Swiss hot dog and coke. About the same in watches give or take a line or two in the ledger.


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[tudorbaja27]

Originally Posted by 77T

That aside is a great comparison - the price for SWISS MADE hot dog and a coke is like a SWISS MADE Rolex.

Yet, just a mile away another hot dog vendor was selling at $8 - sort of like a SWISS MADE Omega.

In the case of the hot dog, the ground meat and spices were likely sourced from another EU country. And the coke syrup prolly came from elsewhere, but if it was in a can/bottle then Coca‑Cola HBC did the work with carbonated water sourced in Switzerland. But the container from which you drank was produced from aluminum, or plastic, or paper made elsewhere.

The bun maybe had EU wheat but Swiss water and baked anywhere but unlikely in Geneva.

All in all, maybe 50% Swiss hot dog and coke. About the same in watches give or take a line or two in the ledger.


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[AEC]

American hot dogs are the best value in hot dogs, by far.

[Soly20]

I don't like hotdogs!

[Cryten]

"Swiss Made" doesn't necessarily mean made in Switzerland at all. You can have a watch case, bracelet, crystal, gaskets, crown, dial , hands etc all made in China. Essentially the entire watch. You ship it to Switzerland where "final assembly and testing" are done. Poke an off the shelf ETA inside it and you have a "Swiss Made" watch.

Swiss labour costs are higher than China so it's very easy to obey the law as it's written with minimal Swiss input.

Manufacturers that actually manufacture in Switzerland (as apposed to assemble components made in China) want the laws tightened, and quite rightly so. The law as written allows for quite a lot of deception on the part of some makers.