I am not a "watch" expert either, but...
"When it comes to watches, thereýs one name that stands out, Swiss watch. They produce the highest quality timepieces, establishing more brands with top-of-the-line models being endorsed by world-class celebrity icons like Brad Pitt and Tiger Woods. Some of the very popular brands are TAG Heuer, Rolex, Omega, and Oris. They are manufactured by different companies. However, they maintain the high quality standards that the Swiss watch has been taking care over the decades."
In 2008, the Swiss watch show has spotted the latest trends in watches.
Swiss quality - "Swiss made"
As with other products like chocolate, Switzerland jealously protects its beautifully made and aesthetically appealing watches and clocks with the Swiss made label. Swiss made is more than a simple label of origin. It is a sign to customers that they are buying a product of outstanding quality and reliability.
With the help of legislation, international treaties and multilateral agreements drawn up by the World Intellectual Property Organisation and the World Trade Organisation, Switzerland has the necessary legal instruments to protect Swiss made watches and clocks from piracy and counterfeiting.
Swiss made
To obtain the Swiss made label a watch must meet certain minimum conditions. Although some foreign-made components may be used, they may not account for more than 50% of the total value of the components and the watches must also be both assembled and inspected in Switzerland.
Some regions in Switzerland, like the banking and watchmaking capital of Geneva, have their own label of origin. However, the Geneva hallmark does not enjoy the same level of protection as the Swiss made label. A watch may carry the Geneva hallmark if it meets the same requirements as those for a Swiss-made watch and if at least one of the major operations in its manufacture was carried out in the canton of Geneva.
More prestigious than this is the award of the quality hallmark known as the "poinçon de Genève" or Geneva Seal, issued by the Office for the Voluntary Inspection of Watches from Geneva. They must have been made in the canton, and each movement must be numbered. There are 12 strict criteria to be met ensuring the highest standards in engineering, finishing and assembly.
Is there such a thing as a foreign-made Swiss watch?
A watch that has been manufactured abroad but contains Swiss components may carry a mark to this effect. However, any exaggeration of the degree of Swiss involvement is strictly prohibited. The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry sees to it that watches which are put on sale do not flout this rule.
Campaign: Fake Watches are for Fake People (in new window)
Campaign: Fake Watches are for Fake People
Fake watches are for fake people
According to estimates by the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (fine watchmaking foundation), 40 million fake Swiss watches are manufactured and sold ever year. Counterfeited goods like these damage not only the Swiss watch market but also the good reputation of the Swiss watch industry as a whole. The FH and the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry are locked in a ruthless ongoing battle against the counterfeiters. In addition to legal action, they launched the anti-counterfeiting Fake Watches are for Fake People campaign in 2009.
Fairs
At the start of every year Switzerland holds two major international exhibitions where it can showcase its watchmaking expertise:
"BASELWORLD" is the most important international watch and jewellery fair. Over 100,000 visitors from the industry travel from every continent to Basle to view the latest creations. The fair has more than 2,000 exhibitors, including all of Switzerlands major watchmakers.
Geneva hosts a more exclusive affair, the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), or International Salon for Prestige Watchmaking, to which only professional guests of the exhibiting brands are invited. The show is regarded as one of the major events in the Geneva calendar, second only to the Motor Show. Visitors can discover the latest innovations in the world of fine watchmaking. Many of the timepieces on show are one-offs or limited editions.
Accurate Watches were first launched in 1989 in Bienne, Switzerland. The mantra of the company was to produce high quality Swiss made watches that would be affordable for retail customers. Accurate wanted to change the stigma that Swiss-made watches were expensive.
Accurate s decision signified a change in the history of watch manufacturing in Switzerland. For the first time, superb craftsmanship was affordable for more people than ever. Since the first Accurate watch collection was introduced, the commitment to high quality and affordability has earned the company global recognition. In just a decade of production Accurate has sold over 2.5 million timepieces.
The latest collection, The Opera, includes Accurate Watches first ever watch made of natural jade, zirconium and stainless steel. Available in a bracelet or casebook, Accurate has merged technology with natural jade carving skill. The natural jade is believed to radiate bio-energies including infrared and antibacterial rays and negative ions.
The quartz crystal and battery combination of the quartz watch is basic, but there is some variation in the watchmaking industry. Swiss quartz movement combines the movement with the chassis and jewels of a mechanical watch to form the most accurate and most durable quartz watches. A few quartz watches have solar-powered rechargeable batteries. Some quartz movements feature a kinetic system, similar to those in automatic watches, in which a rotor produces the electrical current that powers the watch.
The greatest advantage of the quartz watch, other than its relative affordability, is the fact that the movement needs no winding to keep it working. Quartz movement watches also require fewer time adjustments and less maintenance than mechanical watches. The gears of a quartz watch rarely, if ever, need lubricating.
Watch movement origins
Swiss watch
Most watch movements are designed and manufactured in Switzerland or Japan. Traditionally, Swiss watchmakers set the standard for quality, especially for mechanical movements; however, since the 1980s, Japanese-made movements have caught up to the Swiss in quality. Chinese-made movements also have increased in quality in recent years. Watch manufacturers label the origin of the movement with a stamp on the watch case and, sometimes, on the dial. Here is a brief explanation of the terminology:
* Swiss movement: Watch movements have many parts to be assembled into one workable unit. "Swiss movement" means that over 50 percent of the completed movement was assembled in a Swiss factory from Swiss-manufactured parts. This is true of mechanical, automatic and quartz movements. The case stamps that identify the Swiss movement use various terms including Swiss quartz, Swiss automatic or Swiss auto, and, simply, Swiss.
This definition also applies to movements originating in countries other than Switzerland. For example, a watch with Japanese movement usually will have a stamp of "Japanese."
* Swiss-made: A Swiss-made movement must have Swiss parts, be assembled in Switzerland, and then be placed in the case in a Swiss factory. The case itself does not need to be manufactured in Switzerland, although most high-end watches feature Swiss-made cases.
Always a force for technical innovation in traditional luxury watchmaking, Swiss manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre proves a point at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva with the automatic Master Compressor Extreme LAB 2.
Like its predecessor the Extreme LAB three years ago, this watch pushes horological boundaries in service to extreme environments and tribute to the Le Sentier-based manufactures 1958 Chronomètre Geophysic.
Take a moment to study the dial-side picture and take in the universe of timekeeping on display, all in the limited space afforded by a 46.8mm diameter wristwatch dial (specifications on the actual display area are not available).
Jaeger LeCoultre Master Compressor Extreme LAB 2 2
Briefly, the functions are as follows, according to the press release: hours, minutes, small seconds, date, second-time zone hand and counter, chronograph with large minute counter, manual stop second, functions selector (three-position indicator: winding, date and dual time zone adjustment, time-setting), amagnetic silicon escapement. The silicon escapement applies to Calibre 781 only. This model also features Calibre 780, which is identical in almost every other way.
Whats displayed are the hours, minutes, small seconds (as movement functioning indicator), sweep chronograph hand, date, function selector (this is a one-crown operation proposition), digital chronograph minutes, chronograph hours, second time zone (24-hour scale) and power reserve (60 hours).
Jaeger LeCoultre Master Compressor Extreme LAB 2 3
I think you may want to re-consider, your choice...
