If it feels like the Swiss Army brand has been around for a hundred years, well that's because it's true-more than a century and a quarter, actually. After all this time, their Swiss Army knives have become one of the most common gifts and certainly one of the most recognizable tools of the last hundred years or so. However, their watches don't get as much attention as they rightfully deserve. In this article, we'll take an in-depth look at why these watches are a prime example of quality at its best.
After more than a hundred years of riding the momentum of their main product's success, Victorinox felt the need to expand their product line. They had a study done in the US and found that their customers their wanted them to create more products of similar quality to their famous knives. After throwing around some ideas, they made the decision to produce a line of high-quality watches to go with their knives, in part because of the success of the Swiss watchmaking industry.
In the early goings, they had one dilemma that had to be overcome; producing high quality watches would require them to have control over the final assembly of these watches. To accomplish this aim, they actually constructed a new factory in 2002 that would let them have complete control over the creation of their timepieces.
Bear in mind a great deal of the effort behind assembling and producing quality watches must still be done by hand by experts with great technical and watchmaking ability. The fact that they continue to make watches of such great quality is an amazing feat in and of itself; Swiss Army creates almost a million watches annually, even with a workface that is heavy on the human side.
Only the best materials go into each Swiss Army watch; they purchase their movements-the part of the watch that makes the hands rotate-from a Swiss company called ETA. ETA also supplies movements to Omega and Tag Heuer, two of the most respected luxury brands in Swiss watches.
However, the reputation of Swiss watches is potentially at stake after recent developments. That's because truly Swiss-made watches have seen a lot of competition these days from foreign companies. In order to be considered a "Swiss watch," the companies that make them must use at least fifty percent of the movement from a Swiss company.
A lot of foreign companies, mostly in Asia, have based their existence on this very lenient rule. What they do is they make watches that are lower in quality, but they claim that they are "Swiss-made" and so they can market them and sell them for a higher price. What they are really doing is enjoying the benefits of the Swiss name that these genuine watchmaking companies have created over time, as customers immediately think that because a watch is Swiss it is of the greatest quality.
In spite of this challenge, the Swiss watchmaking industry continues to stay strong. This is a statistic that must have the leaders of these companies smiling: only three percent of all the watches sold in the world are Swiss-made watches, but more than half of the money spent on timepieces in the world goes to buying them. And leading that pack are companies such as Victorinox that offer watches of great quality at an affordable price.
After more than a hundred years of riding the momentum of their main product's success, Victorinox felt the need to expand their product line. They had a study done in the US and found that their customers their wanted them to create more products of similar quality to their famous knives. After throwing around some ideas, they made the decision to produce a line of high-quality watches to go with their knives, in part because of the success of the Swiss watchmaking industry.
In the early goings, they had one dilemma that had to be overcome; producing high quality watches would require them to have control over the final assembly of these watches. To accomplish this aim, they actually constructed a new factory in 2002 that would let them have complete control over the creation of their timepieces.
Bear in mind a great deal of the effort behind assembling and producing quality watches must still be done by hand by experts with great technical and watchmaking ability. The fact that they continue to make watches of such great quality is an amazing feat in and of itself; Swiss Army creates almost a million watches annually, even with a workface that is heavy on the human side.
Only the best materials go into each Swiss Army watch; they purchase their movements-the part of the watch that makes the hands rotate-from a Swiss company called ETA. ETA also supplies movements to Omega and Tag Heuer, two of the most respected luxury brands in Swiss watches.
However, the reputation of Swiss watches is potentially at stake after recent developments. That's because truly Swiss-made watches have seen a lot of competition these days from foreign companies. In order to be considered a "Swiss watch," the companies that make them must use at least fifty percent of the movement from a Swiss company.
A lot of foreign companies, mostly in Asia, have based their existence on this very lenient rule. What they do is they make watches that are lower in quality, but they claim that they are "Swiss-made" and so they can market them and sell them for a higher price. What they are really doing is enjoying the benefits of the Swiss name that these genuine watchmaking companies have created over time, as customers immediately think that because a watch is Swiss it is of the greatest quality.
In spite of this challenge, the Swiss watchmaking industry continues to stay strong. This is a statistic that must have the leaders of these companies smiling: only three percent of all the watches sold in the world are Swiss-made watches, but more than half of the money spent on timepieces in the world goes to buying them. And leading that pack are companies such as Victorinox that offer watches of great quality at an affordable price.
About the Author:
Rob Dunwoody is an expert on Swiss watches and accessories. For more info on these fine Swiss timepieces, make sure you check out Rob's site on Swiss watches. You can also find other great info on Swiss watches by clicking here.
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