Swiss Made watches Press Release
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écrit par john marston le 15 juillet 2005 03:19:44:
http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2005/7/emw249462.htm
http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2005/7/emw249462.htmDenver, Colorado, USA (PRWEB) July 14, 2005 -- The term "Swiss Made" when used on watches is typically regarded as a mark that indicates the country of origin of a watch.
However, the term "Swiss Made" is actually a term that has been trademarked by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (http://www.fhs.ch), and has been used to deceive the American public as well as the general population worldwide into believing that 100% of the components used in a "Swiss Made" watch are manufactured in Switzerland.
According to seldom seen "disclaimers" from the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (go to http://www.fhs.ch and click on the "Swiss Made" link for the verbatim definition), a watch is considered to be Swiss Made if 50% of the VALUE of the components have been manufactured in Switzerland and if it has been assembled and cased up in Switzerland and the final inspection is in Switzerland. This deceptive disclaimer means that a $10 movement can be purchased from the far east or Russia and then can be assembled using one $10 Swiss manufactured screw made to fit the movement, and the watch can legally be called "Swiss Made," said (Name Omitted), founder of (Name Omitted).
Pierre Maillard, well known and highly regarded writer for Europa Star (the best known magazine that covers the Swiss Watch Industry) stated in a recent article regarding the term "Swiss Made": "...this label is no longer a guarantee of origin worthy of the name because, as we know only too well, it covers all kind of practices and allows the label ‘Swiss’ to be placed on watches that are essentially Chinese. Let’s admit it. The ‘Swiss Made’ appellation is largely a masquerade." To read Pierre's entire article go to the following link: http://www.europastar.com/europastar/search/search_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000486686
"The use of this term is very deceptive and creates unfair competition for us and for manufacturers of components and watches in countries other than Switzerland," stated (Name Omitted). The components in question are not marked as to the country of origin, so the public is not fully aware of the magnitude of this very serious issue being perpetrated on the American people.Often times, "Swiss Made" watches aren't 100% Swiss manufactured, and if the public knew this, in (Name Omitted)'s opinion, the public would make buying decisions based on other factors.
A Gallup poll published on the Federal Trade Commission government website showed that half of adults surveyed indicated that the country of origin is important to them when considering the purchase of a watch. The same poll revealed that if they had a choice, two-thirds of those surveyed would prefer to have a watch manufactured in Switzerland. More than a quarter of those polled indicated that country of origin was extremely important to them. The Gallup Poll also surveyed the respondents' confidence that an unqualified "Swiss" marking on a watch meant that the complete watch was manufactured in Switzerland. More than half (52%) of the adults surveyed were at least "somewhat confident" that a watch marked "Swiss" was completely manufactured in that country. The percentage was even higher (59%) among those who stated that they would prefer a watch manufactured in Switzerland. The results of the Gallup poll can be seen at http://www.ftc.gov/opp/jointvent/madeusa/ftp/usa/047.txt.
"It is common industry knowledge that many of the Swiss watch manufacturers purchase cases, movements, components, crystals, crowns, and display boxes from countries in the far east for use in watches that will be sold to unsuspecting customers as "Swiss Made," said (Name Omitted). (Name Omitted) also stated, "My problem with this is that the components manufacturers in countries other than Switzerland that are producing quality components that are being used in "Swiss Made" watches and that are good enough to be used in the highest quality of watches are not being treated fairly by the consuming public due to the deceptive term "Swiss Made" and the perception by the public that "Swiss Made" products are so much better than those produced elsewhere." "A watch should be judged on it's individual merits, and not on the country of origin -- especially when a country of origin marking such as "Swiss Made" is deceptive and allows the use of components manufactured in countries other than Switzerland."
If more than one-half of adults surveyed believe that the term "Swiss Made" indicates that a watch was completely manufactured in Switzerland, when the regulations clearly indicate that this need not be the case, the FTC and US Customs need to become involved in order to protect the American consumer who has been repeatedly duped by those companies who mark their watches as "Swiss Made" when they are secretly subcontracting the manufacture of many of their components in Russia and the far east.
"The list of manufacturers who mark their watches as Swiss Made while knowing that their watches do not consist completely of components manufactured in Switzerland is very long. You would probably be surprised to learn of the high end watches that use components manufactured in countries other than Switzerland," (Name Omitted) stated. Do a google.com search for the term "swiss made scam" to read about many of the dirty little secrets in the Swiss watch industry. Caveat Emptor - Buyer beware.
About (Name Omitted):
(Name Omitted) manufactures 18k gold, platinum, and silver cases, dials, movement components, buckles, and crowns in Colorado, USA for customers who demand the finest in hand craftsmanship, custom watches, and prototypes. In all custom projects, some of the stock movement components are re-fabricated from 18k gold and/or platinum and hand finished in Colorado, USA. (Name Omitted) produces some of the finest timepieces available in the world today using in-house components, ETA movements, and ebauches and calibres from various regions and manufacturers around the world. Non-inhouse components absolutely must be manufactured to the precise standards required in (Name Omitted) Luxury Timepieces. (Name Omitted) is proud that it will not be limited to only one geographic region in the selection of parts, movements, and components in the manufacture of its luxury timepieces.# # #
Réponses:
- c'est quoi? clint 15.7.2005 08:17 (0)