05Mar
What puts the Swiss in a ‘Swiss Made’ watch?
by swisscham in Business
How much is the “Made in Switzerland” marque worth to consumers increasingly vigilant about the provenance of everything from what they eat to what they wear? The answer, luxury watchmakers say, is “a lot”. Protecting the label is essential to the industry’s image, profitability and future growth, many luxury watchmakers say, and studies by St. Gallen and Zurich universities do show the tag can almost double a luxury watch’s price. Swiss luxury watchmakers welcomed proposed legislation tightening the use of the ‘Made in Switzerland’ marque, saying the current law means that watches produced almost entirely in China can be sold legally as ‘Swiss Made’.