I can name companies obviously from Switzerland but also Germany, Japan, France, Belgium, Italy, and the UK but need to Google which ones actually build and assemble the watches stateside.
Is it marketing? Lack of experience?
I can name companies obviously from Switzerland but also Germany, Japan, France, Belgium, Italy, and the UK but need to Google which ones actually build and assemble the watches stateside.
Is it marketing? Lack of experience?
Really only Switzerland and Japan have significant watch industries. The other countries mentioned, sure, but much smaller. I’d say Germany or UK might be #3. I can’t think of any well known luxury brands from France, Belgium, Italy.
Quartz Crisis of the 70’s - 80’s killed off much of the rest of the industry
In terms of why industry in Switzerland and Japan survived, I think it is an interesting question. In Switzerland I think it is a combination of government support / subsidy / intervention, and Swatch. In Japan I suspect it is related to Seiko and Citizen being huge companies both at the consumer and luxury levels, and making both quartz and mechanicals. I’m sure other folks more knowledgeable than me could tell this story better.
Would be interesting to discuss what would it take for US luxury watch industry to come back?