The Origin and Development of Swiss Watches

        Origins:Swiss watches are universally known and command high prices. However, the watchmaking industry was not native to Switzerland. At the end of the 16 century, religious conflicts in France triggered a massacre, prompting Huguenot followers of Calvin to flee to Switzerland, bringing with them watchmaking techniques. Combining this French craft with the local gold and silver smithing trade gave rise to the Swiss watch industry. It spread outward from Geneva near the French border, primarily extending northeast along the Jura mountain range all the way to Schaffhausen in the northeast, blossoming across the northern half of Switzerland.

Swiss watches

        Development:In its infancy, watchmaking relied almost entirely on manual labour. It was not until the introduction of watchmaking machinery in 1845, enabling mass production, that the industry truly became a modern manufacturing sector. Over the following century, watch production surged dramatically, with peak annual output reaching 1.04 billion pieces, accounting for 40% of the global total, almost entirely destined for export. Out of all watches exported worldwide, 10 in every 7 came from Switzerland. Despite this, the Swiss watch industry maintained the fragmented structure of a handicraft trade for over three centuries; apart from a handful of renowned major manufacturers, it was never highly centralized, with the majority of makers being small and medium-sized. Faced with intensifying global competition, the watch industry pooled its resources to establish the Swiss Watchmaking Research Institute in 1921 and the Centre for Electronic Watchmaking in 1962, both of which were research and development institutions based in Neuchâtel. Until the mid-70s, certain new technologies first emerged in Switzerland. Among the earliest were liquid crystal digital displays; the ultra-thin watch (under 1 millimetres thick); and body-heat batteries integrated into the strap. However, during the mid-1970s, they were overtaken by places such as Japan and Hong Kong. One route was the high-end watch tightly integrated with jewellery. Through dedicated research and development, Swiss watchmakers introduced a series of affordable plastic quartz analog watches in the 80, the earliest and most famous of which was named Swatch. This is a portmanteau: the latter part is 5 “ watch ”, while the first two letters also begin the English word “ Swiss ”. The quartz movement is sealed inside a plastic case, making it unrepairable if broken, yet remarkably durable, running for two to three years on a single small battery change. This watch achieved immense success in Western markets.