What Makes Swiss Watches Tick

Last week, my friend called me over the phone crying her heart out because her two-year-old son tinkered with her Swiss watch and broke it in the process. The watch was a gift from her first and late boyfriend who happened to be a true-blue Swiss. How he died has yet to be told by my friend, but that's not what this is all about. Rather, this short piece will attempt to unravel the mystique that surrounds the Swiss brand of watches. Wow, are we going to be like Sherlock Holmes? Ummm... probably not, because I'm a writer, not a detective, and I don't have a friend named....never mind.

Ok, so, let's start by declaring that Swiss watches are made in Switzerland. Not interesting? Yeah, you're right. How about Swiss watches known to be accurate, reliable, durable, shock and water-resistant? Ah, ok, go on. How about elegance and originality of design? Hmmm.. lead on. How about the Swiss watch industry dating back to the 16th century in Geneva where the watch's reputation for high quality started to grow, leading to the establishment in 1601 of the Watchmakers' Guild of Geneva, the first recognized organization of watchmakers in the world? Ah, I'm speechless.

Ooopps, that's enough. More Swiss watch trivia will be unearthed some other time. For now, let's just say that there may be other watch brands that manufacture high-quality timepieces, but Swiss watches have made their mark in the industry and will be forever referred to as the watch to wear.