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.
Producing high-quality watches still requires, even in this day of automation and machine production, many specialized workers and technicians to rigorously test each watch. When you consider that Swiss Army makes about 900,000 every year, and that their watches have to stand up to rigorous testing, it's really incredible that they have continue to create such high-quality watches.
Swiss Army only accepts the highest quality materials to be put into their watches. The central component of every watch, known as the movement, is bought from a Swiss company by the name of ETA. This company is also responsible for supplying movements (the part of the watch that causes the hands to spin and thus, tell time) to other Swiss greats like Omega and Tag Heuer.
The carefully cultivated reputation of Swiss-made watches is experiencing a new threat these days. Swiss-made watch companies have seen competition increase from unscrupulous foreign companies. That's because of the rule that the movement of each watch only has to be made with at least 50% Swiss-made parts.
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.
Producing high-quality watches still requires, even in this day of automation and machine production, many specialized workers and technicians to rigorously test each watch. When you consider that Swiss Army makes about 900,000 every year, and that their watches have to stand up to rigorous testing, it's really incredible that they have continue to create such high-quality watches.
Swiss Army only accepts the highest quality materials to be put into their watches. The central component of every watch, known as the movement, is bought from a Swiss company by the name of ETA. This company is also responsible for supplying movements (the part of the watch that causes the hands to spin and thus, tell time) to other Swiss greats like Omega and Tag Heuer.
The carefully cultivated reputation of Swiss-made watches is experiencing a new threat these days. Swiss-made watch companies have seen competition increase from unscrupulous foreign companies. That's because of the rule that the movement of each watch only has to be made with at least 50% Swiss-made parts.
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 authority on Men's watches. For more info about Swiss Army watches, click on the link in this sentence. Also, you can check out Rob's personal watch site for a more in-depth look at these fine watches.
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