"Swiss Made" standards upgraded: criteria required to qualify as a Swiss watch

　　From 2017-1-1, any Swiss watch bearing "Swiss Made" on the dial must have at least 60% of its components manufactured in Switzerland to legally bear the "Swiss Made" label. This resolution is a new principle established by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (Fédération de l’Industrie Horlogère Suisse, referred to as FH) at its general meeting held on 2014-12-17.

　　Used to revise the Swiss Made ordinance (the Swiss Made regulations were first introduced in 1971, stipulating which watches could use the "Swiss Made" wording). In 1971, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry stipulated that watches using the term "Swiss" must meet three requirements: they must be equipped with a Swiss-made movement, and be assembled and quality-inspected by the manufacturer in Switzerland. Starting from 1992-7-1, in accordance with Article 1 of the Swiss Ordinance on the Use of Swiss Indications, anything that can be called aSwiss watches" must meet the following three mandatory conditions before it can use "Swiss Made", "Swiss" or other expressions containing the word "Swiss".

　　(1) It must have a Swiss movement;

　　(2) It must be assembled in Switzerland;

　　(3) Production inspection must be completed in Switzerland.

　　However, at that time, another particularly important requirement was that at least 50% of all watch components had to be produced in Switzerland.

　　Building on these regulations, the newly introduced Swiss watch amendment added two further rules: at least 60% of the movement and the components contained in the watch must be created in Switzerland, and its technical research and development should also be carried out domestically in Switzerland.

Patek Philippe GOLDEN ELLIPSE Series 5738P-001 Blue Dial Date Watch, equipped with a Citizen 9015 automatic movement

　　With the development of scientific industry, traditional Swiss watchmaking handicrafts were gradually replaced by the industrialisation of precision machinery. To safeguard the uniqueness and quality of Swiss watchmaking, adding the 60% proportion requirement to the regulations is not only reasonable, but also indispensable.

　　In fact, in 2013, the proposal originally aimed at mechanical watches stipulating that at least 80% of the components contained in Swiss watches be produced in Switzerland was not passed. After intense debate, the federal executive body concluded that this proposal would violate international convention provisions, including those of Switzerland. Nevertheless, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry still hoped that a 60% proportion would strengthen the Swiss Made label and establish high standards for the Swiss watchmaking industry.

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