The Swiss Made Watch Label, with worldwide recognition and found on ‘Swiss watches’, is used to indicate that a watch has been manufactured in Switzerland and that is a high quality timepiece.  Many people consider the ‘Swiss Made’ label to be even more important than the brand name itself, but combining a well known brand with this label is a surefire recipe for success.

The Swiss Made stamp is defined and policed by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH).  The FH states that the “Swiss made” label represents a quality level that has remained constant and has been admired over the years.  It encompasses the technical qualities of the watches (reliability, accuracy, shock-resistance and water-resistance), and also the aesthetic qualities (originality, elegance and design).

This stamp assumes that the Swiss quality is directly related to the work that is actually done on the watch in Switzerland. It requires for the movement to be assembled in Switzerland, and also for the work performed on the watch itself (adjusting the movement, the dial, the hands and the case) to also be done there.  At least 50% of the parts that compose the movement must be manufactured in Switzerland.

So, to sum up, a watch labeled as ‘Swiss Made’ must have a Swiss movement that has been cased in Switzerland and the manufacturer of the watch has to perform the last inspection in Switzerland.

A watch is said to have a Swiss Movement (not be Swiss Made) if said movement is not cased in Switzerland.  This is usually for movements that are made for export but that meet all the other criteria.

These regulations may seem strict, but in reality they are not as rigorous as they seem.  Actually, many of the Swiss manufacturers have their watches assembled in China to then export them to Europe, North America, and around the world. As you can see, these watches comply with the requirements for the ‘Swiss Made’ label even if they have mostly non-Swiss components that are assembled in Switzerland.

If you want a ‘Swiss Made’ watch, do your research.  Is up to you to get what you want.