Why are Swiss watches more popular than German watches?

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by Andad

Australia is legally prohibited from labelling their sparkling wine as "Champagne” Steven.

Sounds like a scam to me, kinda sorta akin to 'Swiss Made' ??? There are very impressive Champaigns made from grapes sourced within many regions all around the world.

Why is it only a single region is 'allowed' to be called Champaign? Marketing scam, perhaps?

That's kinda my point, buying because it is called 'Champaign' is kinda sorta a scam as there are the same, dare we say perhaps even better, Champaign products from non-France regions

[MILGAUSS88]

A lot has to do with geography.

The German watchmaking industry was in East Germany not West Germany. So they were under communist control for 50 years after World War II.


Pre-World War II the United States made more watches than Switzerland frankly we're a better quality.

The Swiss wrist watch industry didn't really become the Juggernaut it is today until after World War II.

If East Germany had not been under communist control the watch industry could look completely different today

[Tools]

Champagne is made in the Champagne region of France using a specific set of criteria and standards.

Anything else is Sparkling Wine.

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by MILGAUSS88

Pre-World War II the United States made more watches than Switzerland frankly we're a better quality.

Shhhhh, next thing you know you'll be telling the truth about the 1960s/1970s 'Holy Trinity' marketing campaign, which in reality may have been guilty of being detrimental to horology as it could have financially held back advancements from non-Trinity commercially-marketed brands.

[Lightsped]

By now, specially with how easy it is to look up everything online and with social media and the various big watch youtubers, it seems that most (not all) the attention is on Swiss. The Germans have had time to get the word out considering how easy that is today. Yet most casual watch people know nothing about Hanhart, Sinn, etc....

[Gebbeth]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

Sounds like a scam to me, kinda sorta akin to 'Swiss Made' ??? There are very impressive Champaigns made from grapes sourced within many regions all around the world.

Why is it only a single region is 'allowed' to be called Champaign? Marketing scam, perhaps?

That's kinda my point, buying because it is called 'Champaign' is kinda sorta a scam as there are the same, dare we say perhaps even better, Champaign products from non-France regions

The Champagne region has trademarked its usage and there have been international trade agreements that prohibit products to be labelled in that way unless it came from that region.

It's the same for Napa wines, or Wisconsin cheese, or CA raisins.

The equivalent would be something like, we sometime colloquially refer to tissue paper as Kleenex or a copy as a Xerox copy. However, Canon could not refer to copying as Xerox copying, or another brand of tissue paper selling their product as Kleenex. That would be verboten.

[Calatrava r]

My Dornbluth and Sohn Quintus Regulator. Totally hand made.

[enjoythemusic]

^^^. wow!!!

[unsprung]

Modern german watchmaking is really young. Basically (re-)started in the 1990s. The swiss have a huge advantage in their continuous efforts in watchmaking over the centuries.

Also, in my opinion, the germans limit themselves by sticking mostly to just two types of watches: „Glashütte style“ watches (which all feature a very similar design language) and Tool watches in the mid-price range. The swiss have a lot more variety in their brand portfolio.

So overall, german watchmaking is imho still a niche, while swiss watchmaking has achieved world wide recognition even amongst people not interested in watchmaking.

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by Tools

Champagne is made in the Champagne region of France using a specific set of criteria and standards.

Anything else is Sparkling Wine.

Similar to Scotch

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by Gebbeth

The Champagne region has trademarked...

Got it, so it's really just naming rights legal stuff for the lawyers, not a 100% guarantee of higher quality product versus Napa, New Zealand, etc. So if that's how that is, then I guess 'Made In Switzerland' for a mechanical timepiece is not necessarily a '100% guarantee' of a better product than a mechanical timepiece made in Germany, Japan, China, the USA, etc. It's just a region / legal naming thing.

Yes, that makes sense, glad we have it sorted.

Wonder when the Middle-East, perhaps Saudia Arabia and/or Dubai, will be producing mechanical timepieces? There's an abundance of cheap labor, currency, and collectors, imagine the demand for a Halal Middle-Eastern timepiece made near Mecca. Perhaps a strictly limited edition with a very special stone dial?

Hmmm, this could be a great business idea for someone with connections