Perfection is a notion that we have created over time. To think of it, it is nothing more than wishful thinking, something that cannot be truly achieved but can only be desired. But sometimes, just sometimes, this notion becomes a reality. Georges Kern once said that the Swiss have the exact image about making watches as the Germans have about making their cars. The idea is to make the very best and nothing but the best. The current CEO of Breitling and former Head of Watchmaking and Digital departments at Richemont Group had accurately described the mindset of Swiss watchmakers.
The History Of Watchmaking In Europe
Swiss watchmakers today are lauded for the degree of finesse that they display while making watches. Swiss handcrafted watches have gathered international admiration and liking to the point that they have become synonyms for luxury. You cannot make a mistake with a Swiss watch, it is as simple as that. But this was not the case always. Things were pretty different back in the 16th century and 17th centuries though. This blog will aim at providing a lens on the industrial saga in Europe and the rise of Swiss watchmaking companies.
German and Dutch Domination

Another interesting fact about watches is that Germans were the first ones to actually make clocks. They are regarded as the first people to manufacture clocks that were so small that you could carry them with yourself. In a way, these acted as precursors to pocket watches. Peter Henlein is a name that often comes up when talking about watchmaking history. The 16th-century clockmaker and locksmith resided in Nuremberg and he is said to have made the first-ever watch.

This was also the time when Huguenots, a minority group in France were fleeing religious persecution and were settling in Switzerland. They carried their artistic culture with them and helped transform what we know today as the Mecca of Haute Horlogerie, Geneva. The city gradually transformed into a cradle of high-end horology and became a hub for various watchmakers to practice their art and flaunt their skills, although it was nowhere close to what we see today. The industry still did not have a proper structure and watchmakers mostly operated out of their own little workshops or tiny attics situated on tall buildings.
English Domination

But the fight for watchmaking supremacy was still around three centuries away. Switzerland would eventually and inevitably challenge their German as well as Dutch counterparts. You see, the Dutch and the Deutsche (Germans) originally spearheaded the watchmaking revolution in Europe. The 17th century was especially a crucial period. Innovations like the balance spring and fuse chain were products of this era. The 18th century, on the other hand, was dominated by the English people. Some popular watchmakers of that era were George Graham, John Harrison, and of course, James Cox.
French Domination

Towards the end of the 18th century, yet another power shift was waiting at the doorsteps. This would mark the end of English domination in high watchmaking. French horologist Jean Antoine Lepine came up with the Lepine Calibre in 1770. This was a flat calibre that had bridges and it enabled watchmakers to design thinner pocket watches that were easier to move around. It was a crucial power move for the French as the era demanded thin pocket watches. Bulky timepieces were not appreciated as people had started wearing fitted clothes such as waistcoats and fitted trousers.

The 19th century had begun and the above-mentioned Lepine calibre was taken up for mass production by Frederic Japy, a Swiss watchmaker. This move proved to be hugely beneficial for other Swiss watchmakers as well as it opened up gates for a new age of mass production. And FYI, ‘mass-production’ in those days was nothing like today. Mass production referred to a maximum of ten to twenty timepieces.
Rise of Swiss Watch BusinessesÂ

In actuality, what really helped Switzerland get ahead in the race to the top was their ability to out-produce other countries. Swiss peasants and farmers would be busy in the fields all summer and would indulge in watchmaking during the gruelling and cold winter months. This autonomy helped them gain an edge over their rather regulated counterparts. CEO of Montblanc, Jerome Lambert, had stated once that the decentralized system in Switzerland is what differentiates it from competition watchmaking centres. Essentially, every valley had an organization that had a very dynamic centre. This acted as an extension of authentic Swiss watchmaking that only enhanced the process further. However, this was not the case in Germany, France, and England as they were rather larger hubs with a much more centralized structure.

There are many aspects to the Swiss watchmaking success that are often not discussed perhaps because they are not that classy. Did you know that Swiss horologists made copies or ‘fakes’ of English and German timepieces? Coming back to the point, Switzerland soon started to manufacture far more timepieces than its neighbours who were yet to grow out of their cottage industry state of business. Historical sources state that by the year 1800, both Switzerland and England were producing around 200,000 watches per year. This value jumped over 10 times to 2,200,000 for Switzerland by 1850 while countries like England saw no significant rise in watch production.
As production took a boost due to the various methods like the ‘establissage’ system, watchmakers made great use of these methods. Longines, for instance, was established in 1838 and within just over 40 years the watchmaker had more than 1,000 employees under its roof. The Swiss watch industry was also heavily influenced by the American markets. American watchmaking had also taken a jump by this time. Although they were not as well versed with the intricacies of watchmaking as the Swiss, they were highly efficient and quick in their action.
American Influence In Swiss Watchmaking

American industrial practices were also very alluring. So much that a man named Florentine Ariosto Jones travelled all the way to Switzerland from Boston to establish a watch company that incorporated American industrial trends into authentic Swiss horological practices. He founded the International Watch Company in 1868. But this attraction also posed a threat as American-made watches started competing with Swiss-made watches. As a counter-measure, Swiss watchmakers flooded the American markets with their own timepieces. These watches were especially cheap and low in quality.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Swiss watchmakers started focusing on quality timepieces and by the time the First World War began, they had already started making high-quality timepieces. This saga continued throughout the war era. By the end of the Second World War, the Swiss watch industry had taken control and had cornered the watch business in America. This was also due to the fact that most of the factories where watches were predominantly made had started making civilian goods as part of the war effort.
The Quartz Crisis And Beyond

But this top-dog status did not last for long. Towards the end of the 1960s, Japanese battery-powered watches started flooding the markets. One of the most popular watch brands of that time was Seiko. Battery-powered watches, also known as Quartz watches offered accurate timekeeping at very low prices. Several watchmakers entered bankruptcy and ended up being just another name in the history books.

It was Nicolas Hayek Sr. who took it upon himself to revive the Swiss watch industry. To be honest, we would not have a Swiss Haute Horlogerie industry today if it wasn’t for Hayek and his right-hand man, Jean-Claude Biver, who commandeered Omega back to its feet during those troubled times. Today, the Swiss watchmaking industry is almost unrivalled as it enjoys total control over the dominion. It makes you think how quickly times can change, or as it was in this case, a century or two.
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