Swiss-made watchmakers under threat

First published: 26-04-2011

Timepiece enthusiasts may be interested to hear that a number of Swiss-made watchmakers could be in trouble if faced with a court battle.

The issue has come about due to some brands apparently not making their devices Swiss enough, reports Bloomberg.

One of the Swiss-made companies under threat is Mondaine, which has produced its railway watches using imported dials and cases.

However, the court case could see fewer non-Swiss components allowed to be implemented into timepieces from the European country, after calls from larger rivals.

Ronnie Bernheim, co-owner of Mondaine, noted: "This law would be cutting the industry into two … The volume business will be killed, except for the big companies. Our foreign competitors are laughing."

Mondaine first hit the watchmaking industry back in the 1950s and have since gone on to make a number of famous timepieces, including the first device in the world to include LCD elements.