What is a Swiss Watch?Do you know?

What is a Swiss watch? At first sight, this question seems to be strange. Let us reason, though. Firstly, nowadays for a watch to have got a cherished tag "Swiss Made" it is enough to meet several requirements. For example, a watch will be considered a Swiss one if 25% of its parts are produced in Switzerland and some assembly operations are carried out there as well. Secondly, Asian manufacturers have recently begun to register their companies in Swiss cantons because of the fact that Swiss wrist watches have come into fashion. With this, the companies are entitled to call their watches Swiss ones.

The Swiss watches and clock industry appeared in Geneva in the middle of the 16th century. In 1541, reforms implemented by Jean Calvin and banning the wear of jewels, forced the goldsmiths and other jewelers to turn into a new, independent craft : watchmaking. By the end of the century, Genevan watches were already reputed for their high quality, and watchmakers created in 1601 the Watchmakers' Guild of Geneva, the first to be established anywhere.

Switzerland has long been associated with high-quality watchmaking. Watches are the country's third biggest export after the chemical and engineering industries in terms of value.

Important though accuracy is to us today, it was not always so. For several centuries, watches were extremely expensive and were status symbols for the wealthy. The wristwatch is a 20th century invention; before then they were worn in different ways, often as items of jewelry, and decorated accordingly.

The market for Swiss watches is concentrated in three continents. The two biggest customers are the US and Hong Kong. (Hong Kong is a major hub: many of its imports are re-exported.)

Italy, Germany and France are the leading customers in Europe.