It is easy to follow the consensus that watchmaking was always a purely Swiss thing. And whilst it’s true that modern mechanical watchmaking is dominated by Swiss brands this was not always the case: if we turn back the clock three other nations deserve our attention.
The French accidently created Swiss watchmaking. Europe wasn’t always a liberal place. France was Catholic and a new interpretation of Christianity was not tolerated: Protestants were persecuted and many fled to Geneva, taking their watchmaking skills with them.
England: the country that gave us chronographs, balance springs, lever escapements, automatic winding and tourbillons never made the leap from craftsmanship and innovation to mass production.
In the USA, the loop was closed: industrial watchmaking was invented and here there was sufficient scale to combine quality, accuracy and low cost. But history was not kind to American watchmaking brands either. Their mass market crashed with the stock market in 1929. During the 1940’s all manufacturing pivoted to war production. By the time the Quartz Crisis rolled into town there were just a few factories left.
Without the hiatus of World War II Swiss brands had an immense advantage. They embraced the lessons of US pioneers. Scale was combined with craftsmanship making ‘Made in Switzerland’ synonymous with quality, performance and aspiration. Within a few decades the Swiss became the dominant force in watchmaking.
And so, aspiring watchmakers anywhere else in the world face an impenetrable wall: how can they re-kindle the lost fire?
For some time, the HORAGE team have been thinking the unthinkable. Could we also produce outside of Switzerland? Why should a global industry be 99% sandboxed into one country? Our company might be in Biel-Bienne, but we are international. This gives us the freedom to ask tough questions.
There’s only one rational choice if considering the global production gap: USA. Only here do we find resources, infrastructure, scale and attitude. Is the glass half full or half empty? The confidence to think big and not fear failure is universal but in USA it is the norm, not the exception. We are now ready to take our first steps. A proverb says you should learn to walk before attempting to run. Wise words. The road to USA will be a long journey. We cannot ask a crystal ball about where we will take wrong turns or which dead-end streets we will encounter, but that wouldn’t stop you from embarking on an adventure, right?
The first tangible results of this project are now in our hands: a special “Pioneer Edition” DecaFlux timepiece featuring a white dial and a specially engraved “Road to USA” rotor. We are excited about what comes next.
Step-by-step we hope to encourage and support a horological re-birth in the United States of America.
Want to find out more? Follow the links!
If you are serious about this do you need contacts with US watchmakers who are making watches or making parts for restorations?
Do have any ideas on where to locate?
This is exciting. Curious to learn more about it. Will you start with US assembly and servicing before moving to parts production?
This version of the DecaFlux is the best yet! Love it. Am I right that it’s a tribute to USA but 100% Swiss made still? Tempting…
"Country Roads, Take Me Home
To the Place I Belong."
John Denver
Fun Fact:
Why do Germans like the song "Country Roads"?
The very large German festival, known for its beer drinking, is one of the places where "Country Roads," began to take hold. Like most inebriated, bratwurst-loving, schnitzel eating people, it's hard to not be taken away by the tune. The gist is that the American hit is simply a fun song to sing along with.