I'd like to get myself a proper ladies watch. I want something elegant, classic and sporty--a proper grown up watch.
I've set on this particular model from Victorinox Swiss Army after shopping around. I don't want to climb K2 or hang with 50Cent.
I'm wondering now what it means to have a Swiss watch. I assume the Swiss-ness is purely just the mechanism and the other aspects of the watch could be forged, made, painted and polished in any old country.
Is that right? A 'Swiss watch' is just the innerds?
That the name of the watch is "Swiss Army" is not important, but that it is declared to be "Swiss Made" IS important. By "Swiss Made" not only the movement is meant but also the rest. A certain percentage of foreign spares is accepted but things like dial and hands have to be of Swiss origin.
I would be careful with wearing faked watches. Any customs official, even off-duty and off border areas, when seeing a faked watch, is under order to try his best to confiscate such a watch. And also the chaps of the border guard are on this. And they have to take courses about the subject
You see, back in 1966, my Godfather in Geneva went to a reputed watches shop and told the gent there that he, for a boy of 16, needed a very solid, but not very expensive watch, likely to last for eternity, which would survive some lack of carefulness , travelling, skiing, being on the beaches of the Med, everything. The expert considered and then recommended a Certina Blue Ribbon in a simple classic design. It is the one I am still wearing now
Well, I would disagree with that pyramid, there actually are pieces that buy you a house in the US. But who wants to have that on one's arm?
I personally think Victorinox is just a gimmick. I would buy a better one, even if it's used and not known. I would actually prefer a good mechanic movement, solid case and not very noticable.
An absolute classic and a beautiful watch. Actually, I have a very similar one (by design) however made by Tissot. It's a Tissot Visodate from the 1950s. It used to belong to my grandfather, then my father got it for his 18th birthday, and now I inherited it. Looks and works perfect.
Certina deserves to be on that list as much as any other brand.
And in case somebody missed the smiley - I despise the idea of sorting people by their watches or whatever else they appear to be wearing.
Tissot brand has a traditional value in my family, and I'm actually happy it's not Patek as I wouldn't be able to afford one for my wife :-)
Wrong. "Swiss Made" means that the largest part of the value creation took part in Switzerland. Nothing more, nothing less.
So if a bunch of pieces are produced in China, shipped over here and assembled - the watch is "swiss made" as the biggest part of the value creation was done here. It is an open secret that most of the "fashion brands" making watches below say 500 CHFs hardly "really" produced here. (Swatch being the exception which is)
Yes, it even is regulated with the percentage of the value to be made in Switzerland. But do not forget that there is a licence on each watch-type, and that there are agreements of the watch producer assocation. A lot of the "outer-shells" of course are foreign-made, this is no problem.