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History of Watchmaking

Watchmaking dates back a long way within the history of mankind. The first timekeeping devices were based on determining time by tracking the movement of the sun and shadows.

In ancient times, a wide range of timekeeping methods were developed by various civilizations. The first prototypes of mechanical clocks appeared in Europe in the 13th century. As the story goes, farmers who migrated to the French-speaking ‘Jura’ region of Switzerland produced high-quality watch parts for watchmakers during the harsh winter months. Switzerland's cold winters forced many Swiss farmers to spend long periods of time indoors. Thus, two things were born in Jura: Skills to be passed down through generations and, inevitably, high-quality wristwatches. This sowed the first seeds of what ultimately emerged as the Swiss watch revolution.

The golden age of the watchmaking craft was during the Renaissance. In the 15th and 16th centuries, watches with complex movements were produced by numerous watchmakers in countries such as Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. During that period, watches got smaller and more portable, thus gaining greater popularity.

In the 16th century, Genevan thinker and priest John Calvin suggested that ornaments and jewelry should be banned, so jewelry manufacturers had to turn to a new occupation. Such a shift resulted in the rise of watch production in Geneva.

The Rise of Swiss Watchmaking

By the beginning of the 17th century, craftsmen had mastered watchmaking by passing on their knowledge to each other. All craftsmen united to form the Geneva Watchmakers' Company Foundation, a key milestone for the region. This foundation opened its doors to those who were eager to become watchmakers, an approach leading to a subsequent influx of interested apprentices into the foundation. In parallel with the increase in the number of craftsmen, the number of watches produced also started to rise.

In the late 18th century, as the history and development of the watch took shape, the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution began to influence the watchmaking industry. As a result of the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution, various cities began to take steps to rival Geneva. Following the rapid industrialization of Europe in the 1800s, Switzerland's watchmaking industry grew steadily, bringing with it both innovation and efficient production. Around that time, Switzerland was producing 2,000,000 watches annually.

As Japan and the US began to dominate the watchmaking industry, Swiss watch imports fell by 75%. During that period, Switzerland charted a new path to profit from competition: Mass production. With Geneva as the center, watchmaking in Switzerland began to spread to different cities. Leveraged by the advantage of its demographic distribution and geographical location, Switzerland has managed to survive in a competitive environment by turning its cities into production hubs.

As a result of this ‘mass production’ movement, a major turning point in the history of watches, quality watch parts produced in different centers began to make their way to and were sold in Geneva.

In 1926, Switzerland launched the world's first waterproof watch. Such and similar innovations gave a boost to the Swiss industry, rendering the country to become the first that comes to mind when watchmaking is concerned, a position Switzerland still maintains today. For centuries, Swiss watchmaking has been regarded as the pinnacle of superior quality and craftsmanship, and the ‘Swiss Made’ label is globally considered a symbol of superior quality. The label has maintained its status for years, subject to standards legally protected by the Swiss government.

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