And those crafty Yanks setup mass production with Waltham, etc. Now we have Swiss with 50,000 a year mass production and some think this is rare LOL. That's TWICE as many BMW M3 a year.

The Swiss have been great at MARKETING their country of origin as magically adding perceived value as it is 'attached' to making watches. Is the air more refined?

Problem is, Swiss labor costs are the highest in the world. This brings oppertunities for using AI and robotic polishers, advanced CNC, etc. You'd think all these machines would lower operating costs, which would be passed through to retail pricing. Especially when mass production of 50,000+ products per year versus, say, hand crafting 12, perhaps 200, or a fun 420 🕶 timepieces a year.

Translation of 1978 interview with the president of GP

By: chmandaue : May 20th, 2026-11:53

Swiss watchmaking was in deep crisis by 1978. But what sort of crisis was it? How did someone helming a luxury brand _in the middle of it_ see things? Link to entire interview: open.substack.com 8 ...

Obviously, the monetary chaos must not be allowed to continue. Political authorities suggest that things aren’t so bad. According to statistics, exports continue to increase. These are illusions. Turnover means nothing. What counts are profits....

By: enjoythemusic : May 20th, 2026-12:41

Interesting the discussion about the 'values' of currencies. The Swiss were less costly labor back in the day, now they are very very expensive.

Yes we forget that

By: chmandaue : May 20th, 2026-13:15

..or some of us never knew it in the first place, that watchmaking moved from London and Paris into Switzerland due to the lower cost of labor. Swiss brands are happy to let anyone think that Swiss watchmaking has always been highly paid artisans hand-pol...