The company that is most associated with the Swiss Army brand, Victorinox, has been in existence for more than a hundred years. Everybody knows about the classic Swiss Army knife after all these years, but not as many people are aware of the great quality that goes into their Swiss Army watches. This article will share some of the reasons that these timepieces are of the highest quality.
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.
The only problem was that, in order to maintain the same level of quality consumers expected, they would have to control the assembly process and ensure they were of highest quality. To do this, Victorinox built a new factory in 2002 Switzerland that allowed them to oversee the creation process directly. This gave them total ability to examine every little detail about their watches before they hit the market.
Even with all the advances in modern technology and with new industrial practices, every watch high-quality Swiss Army watch has to be examined and tested by an army of technicians. This is no small task when you realize that Victorinox manufactures a little less than a million watches per year. Really, when you stop to think about it, it's truly amazing that the company has continued to make such a complex creation with the same level of quality as their knives.
Swiss Army watches are made from only the finest materials. Most of their watches are made out of ETA movements. ETA is the name of a Swiss company that makes the watch movements (the mechanism that actually creates the motion of the ticking hands). ETA movements are found in almost all of the Swiss watches, including the high-end luxury brands such as Tag Heuer and Omega.
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.
Many Asian companies, in particular, have done their best to take advantage of this rule. They can make watches that they claim are Swiss made, charge a high-end price for them, and not make them to the same quality standards as genuine Swiss-made watches. Newer companies with no track record are benefitting from the reputation that Swiss watchmaking companies have created over centuries because they call themselves "Swiss-made" and consumers automatically assume that they are high quality as well.
Still, Swiss watchmaking companies continue to enjoy the success that they have rightfully created. Consider this shocking statistic: Swiss watch companies only make three percent of the entire global supply of watches, but yet they bring in about half of the US $40 billion spent across the globe on watches. That's because they are a respected and admired brand across the world. And right in the thick of that market, Victorinox and their Swiss Army watches stand as a beacon of both affordability and the high quality we have all come to expect from Swiss watches.
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.
The only problem was that, in order to maintain the same level of quality consumers expected, they would have to control the assembly process and ensure they were of highest quality. To do this, Victorinox built a new factory in 2002 Switzerland that allowed them to oversee the creation process directly. This gave them total ability to examine every little detail about their watches before they hit the market.
Even with all the advances in modern technology and with new industrial practices, every watch high-quality Swiss Army watch has to be examined and tested by an army of technicians. This is no small task when you realize that Victorinox manufactures a little less than a million watches per year. Really, when you stop to think about it, it's truly amazing that the company has continued to make such a complex creation with the same level of quality as their knives.
Swiss Army watches are made from only the finest materials. Most of their watches are made out of ETA movements. ETA is the name of a Swiss company that makes the watch movements (the mechanism that actually creates the motion of the ticking hands). ETA movements are found in almost all of the Swiss watches, including the high-end luxury brands such as Tag Heuer and Omega.
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.
Many Asian companies, in particular, have done their best to take advantage of this rule. They can make watches that they claim are Swiss made, charge a high-end price for them, and not make them to the same quality standards as genuine Swiss-made watches. Newer companies with no track record are benefitting from the reputation that Swiss watchmaking companies have created over centuries because they call themselves "Swiss-made" and consumers automatically assume that they are high quality as well.
Still, Swiss watchmaking companies continue to enjoy the success that they have rightfully created. Consider this shocking statistic: Swiss watch companies only make three percent of the entire global supply of watches, but yet they bring in about half of the US $40 billion spent across the globe on watches. That's because they are a respected and admired brand across the world. And right in the thick of that market, Victorinox and their Swiss Army watches stand as a beacon of both affordability and the high quality we have all come to expect from Swiss watches.
About the Author:
Rob Dunwoody regularly writes about and reviews Men's watches. Check out his Swiss Army watch blog for more great info. Or, you can find other high quality info at this website.
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