Swiss Made Watches Not 100% Swiss Manufactured?
Definition of the term Swiss Made in watches.
Denver, Colorado, USA (PRWEB) July 14, 2005 -- The term "Swiss Made" when
used on watches is typically regarded as a mark that indicates the country of
origin of a watch.
However, the term "Swiss Made" is actually a term that
has been trademarked by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (http://www.fhs.ch), and has been used
to deceive the American public as well as the general population worldwide into
believing that 100% of the components used in a "Swiss Made" watch are
manufactured in Switzerland.
According to seldom seen "disclaimers" from
the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (go to http://www.fhs.ch and click on the "Swiss Made" link for the
verbatim definition), a watch is considered to be Swiss Made if 50% of the VALUE
of the components have been manufactured in Switzerland and if it has been
assembled and cased up in Switzerland and the final inspection is in
Switzerland. This deceptive disclaimer means that a $10 movement can be
purchased from the far east or Russia and then can be assembled using one $10
Swiss manufactured screw made to fit the movement, and the watch can legally be
called "Swiss Made," said Terry Allison, founder of Montres
Allison.
Pierre Maillard, well known and highly regarded writer for
Europa Star (the best known magazine that covers the Swiss Watch Industry)
stated in a recent article regarding the term "Swiss Made": "...this label is no
longer a guarantee of origin worthy of the name because, as we know only too
well, it covers all kind of practices and allows the label ‘Swiss’ to be placed
on watches that are essentially Chinese. Let’s admit it. The ‘Swiss Made’
appellation is largely a masquerade." To read Pierre's entire article go to the
following link: http://www.europastar.com/europastar/search/search_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000486686
"The
use of this term is very deceptive and creates unfair competition for us and for
manufacturers of components and watches in countries other than Switzerland,"
stated Allison. The components in question are not marked as to the country of
origin, so the public is not fully aware of the magnitude of this very serious
issue being perpetrated on the American people.
Often times, "Swiss Made"
watches aren't 100% Swiss manufactured, and if the public knew this, in
Allison's opinion, the public would make buying decisions based on other
factors.
A Gallup poll published on the Federal Trade Commission
government website showed that half of adults surveyed indicated that the
country of origin is important to them when considering the purchase of a
watch. The same poll revealed that if they had a choice,
two-thirds of those surveyed would prefer to have a watch manufactured in
Switzerland. More than a quarter of those polled indicated that country of
origin was extremely important to them. The Gallup Poll also surveyed the
respondents' confidence that an unqualified "Swiss" marking on a watch meant
that the complete watch was manufactured in Switzerland. More than half (52%) of
the adults surveyed were at least "somewhat confident" that a watch marked
"Swiss" was completely manufactured in that country. The percentage was even
higher (59%) among those who stated that they would prefer a watch manufactured
in Switzerland. The results of the Gallup poll can be seen at http://www.ftc.gov/opp/jointvent/madeusa/ftp/usa/047.txt.
"It
is common industry knowledge that many of the Swiss watch manufacturers purchase
cases, movements, components, crystals, crowns, and display boxes from countries
in the far east for use in watches that will be sold to unsuspecting customers
as "Swiss Made," said Allison. Allison also stated, "My problem with this is
that the components manufacturers in countries other than Switzerland that are
producing quality components that are being used in "Swiss Made" watches and
that are good enough to be used in the highest quality of watches are not being
treated fairly by the consuming public due to the deceptive term "Swiss Made"
and the perception by the public that "Swiss Made" products are so much better
than those produced elsewhere." "A watch should be judged on it's individual
merits, and not on the country of origin -- especially when a country of origin
marking such as "Swiss Made" is deceptive and allows the use of components
manufactured in countries other than Switzerland."
If more than one-half
of adults surveyed believe that the term "Swiss Made" indicates that a watch was
completely manufactured in Switzerland, when the regulations clearly indicate
that this need not be the case, the FTC and US Customs need to become involved
in order to protect the American consumer who has been repeatedly duped by those
companies who mark their watches as "Swiss Made" when they are secretly
subcontracting the manufacture of many of their components in Russia and the far
east.
"The list of manufacturers who mark their watches as Swiss Made
while knowing that their watches do not consist completely of components
manufactured in Switzerland is very long. You would probably be surprised to
learn of the high end watches that use components manufactured in countries
other than Switzerland," Allison stated. Do a google.com search for the term
"swiss made scam" to read about many of the dirty little secrets in the Swiss
watch industry. Caveat Emptor - Buyer beware.
About Montres
Allison:
Montres Allison manufactures 18k gold, platinum, and silver cases,
dials, movement components, buckles, and crowns in Colorado, USA for customers
who demand the finest in hand craftsmanship, custom watches, and prototypes. In
all custom projects, some of the stock movement components are re-fabricated
from 18k gold and/or platinum and hand finished in Colorado, USA. Montres
Allison produces some of the finest timepieces available in the world today
using in-house components, ETA movements, and ebauches and calibres from various
regions and manufacturers around the world. Non-inhouse components absolutely
must be manufactured to the precise standards required in Montres Allison Luxury
Timepieces. Montres Allison is proud that it will not be limited to only one
geographic region in the selection of parts, movements, and components in the
manufacture of its luxury timepieces.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/7/prweb249462.htm