NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Business / Companies

Swiss watchmakers threatened by homegrown low-cost rivals

Bloomberg
30 May, 2016 09:15 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Three 'Emergency Chronograph' luxury wristwatches, produced by Breitling. Photo / Bloomberg - Michele Limina

Three 'Emergency Chronograph' luxury wristwatches, produced by Breitling. Photo / Bloomberg - Michele Limina

As Swiss watchmakers struggle with the strong franc, weaker Asian demand, and new technologies such as smartwatches, the last thing they need is a threat from within their clubby ranks.

But that's exactly what's happening.

The Goldgena Project, led by designer Claudio D'Amore, is a shoestring-budget brand that's open to using non-Swiss components for mechanical watches. Asian parts make production cheaper, and most watches sold under the ''Swiss made'' label for less than US$2500 ($3734) contain some bits from that region anyway, he said.

Swiss made is an official government designation certifying that a timepiece is mostly made of parts manufactured and assembled in Switzerland. This distinction is given hefty import in the industry, like the "appellation d'origine contrôlée" for French wine.

"Swiss made is a joke," D'Amore, 40, said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The Swiss-Italian has spent 13 years designing watches for brands such as TAG Heuer, Parmigiani Fleurier, and Montblanc.

Goldgena is testing whether consumers are still interested in Swiss-designed watches, without all the glamour hidden inside.

Figuring it can cut the price of a timepiece by more than half, the brand plans to sell automatic watches for as little as US$700, compared to the US$4,000 starting price for Rolex models.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

By using a Japanese movement, Chinese assembly, and avoiding middlemen, Goldgena says. it can undercut the industry.

Watchmakers are allowed to call their timepieces Swiss made if at least half the value of the timepiece's movement comes from Switzerland and if the watch is assembled in the country.

Next year, new requirements will require that at least 60 percent of the manufacturing costs of the entire watch, including the strap and case, are Swiss.

The country's four-century-old watch industry has been suffering recently.

Discover more

Companies

Swiss watch exports post biggest drop since 2009

25 Apr 02:20 AM
Business

Germany's watchmaking beating Switzerland

03 May 01:25 AM

Exports have dropped for 10 months. Switzerland makes about 2.5 per cent of the world's watches each year, but it gets more than half the revenue in the 38 billion-franc market because Swiss made timepieces command higher prices, according to Rene Weber at Bank Vontobel.

Three companies make the majority of Swiss watches: Swatch Group, whose brands include Omega and Longines; Richemont, which makes Cartier and IWC; and Rolex, which also makes Tudor.

Competition is increasing just as smartwatches sap demand for lower-end watches.

Websites such as Borrowed Time have popped up, lending people luxury watches to wear to parties. Swatch shares have slumped 27 per cent in the past year, while Richemont's stock is down 34 per cent.

D'Amore plans to raise money through crowdfunding and hopes to garner some 10 million francs by the end of September in order to make 5,000 to 10,000 pieces, which he'll sell online.

The first models are planned for next year. Without much of a budget for advertising, D'Amore has taken to the Internet in an attempt to attract consumers with punchy YouTube videos. One shows a scene from the Clint Eastwood western "A Fistful of Dollars" overdubbed with dialogue that reflects the project's rebel tone.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Goldgena is surveying consumers to see if they would be interested in cheaper non-Swiss made watches.

So far, 63 per cent of website visitors have voted for Swiss made, in proportions of either 50 per cent or 99 per cent. Still, 348 out of the 947 have said no, which shows there may be consumer demand for an Asian-assembled automatic watch. Goldgena will wait a few weeks to gauge consumer interest before it makes a decision as to which route to follow. D'Amore said he'd prefer the non-Swiss made route.

Goldgena's watches would most likely pressure entry-level brands with a price tag of 500 francs to 2,000 francs, according to Edouard Meylan, chief executive officer of H. Moser & Cie., whose watches start at $15,000.

"The risk is not so big, as I don't think that many customers will see and assimilate the Goldgena Project," he said. If the upstart brand does succeed, however, it could force some other brands to consider abandoning the Swiss made label.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Companies

Business|companies

New World customers warned after ‘password spraying’ attack

12 Jul 02:39 AM
Premium
Property

Auckland retiree faces eviction as ground rent jumps 344%

12 Jul 12:01 AM
Business|companies

Air India crash: Pilot asked colleague why he cut off fuel control switches seconds after takeoff

11 Jul 10:44 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Companies

New World customers warned after ‘password spraying’ attack

New World customers warned after ‘password spraying’ attack

12 Jul 02:39 AM

New World's parent company Foodstuffs says none of its systems were breached.

Premium
Auckland retiree faces eviction as ground rent jumps 344%

Auckland retiree faces eviction as ground rent jumps 344%

12 Jul 12:01 AM
Air India crash: Pilot asked colleague why he cut off fuel control switches seconds after takeoff

Air India crash: Pilot asked colleague why he cut off fuel control switches seconds after takeoff

11 Jul 10:44 PM
'Challenging conditions': Luxury retail giant DFS closing Kiwi stores

'Challenging conditions': Luxury retail giant DFS closing Kiwi stores

11 Jul 07:43 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP