Travelling the Horological Silk Road Between Switzerland And China

How outsourcing the production of components for Swiss watch brands has influenced China's own watch industry

- Martin Green

It is often said that the best brand that the Swiss ever created was for themselves. As a result, the label ‘Swiss Made’ has become much more than a country-of-origin indication and is regarded worldwide both as a seal of approval and a guarantee for outstanding quality, especially in the world of watches. Needless to say, while clever marketing certainly has played a role in making this stick in the minds of generations of watch enthusiasts, this achievement would not have been possible without decades of producing watches worthy of their reputation for being exceptional in quality. This makes the Swissmade label extremely valuable, in fact, so valuable that the Swiss government created a law more than 50 years ago to regulate and protect the use of it. (Various studies, in particular those carried out by the ETH Zürich and the University of St. Gallen, have shown that consumers are generally prepared to pay up to 20 per cent more for a Swiss watch, and even up to 50 per cent more for mechanical pieces.)