The Watch 299, not to change, is an issue particularly rich in news, new models, food for thought and opinions. With regard to the latter, interesting are those expressed by Edouard Meylan, CEO of Moser & Cie., in the interview that we publish and of which I give you two passages. Mind you, these are words spoken by a man who, when you ask him "What is your dream for the future of the brand?", replies: Continuing to do something relevant for this industry.
Meylan recounts: When we made the Frankenstein Watch and the 100% Swiss Made watch with the cheese case, we were furious. The message was: 'Stop just marketing, really work on the product, work with Swiss companies' and I think we were the first to say that. We were criticised at the time, even by those who promote the same themes today. But that's OK. Now, the pandemic has brought many brands to a standstill, and they have difficulty sourcing from factories in China.
More importantly, according to Meylan (and he is not alone), the Swiss industry has the strength to compete with Chinese companies: We Swiss are good at optimising production, we have a very high quality machine tool industry and we can automate production as well as in China. Even though wages are much lower there, at some point technology and efficiency optimisation weigh more heavily. (...) I believe that Switzerland can become even more competitive than it is today, as the big suppliers already offer the same prices as the Chinese industry, but with higher quality.
These are issues that weigh heavily on the future of Swiss watchmaking, an industry that in order to prosper has a duty to support local component manufacturers by providing them with adequate volumes. Because behind the Swiss Made brand, it is only right that there continues to be an entire industry, alive and active in the heart of Europe.
Dody Giussani
