you know what the front looks like!

highway62 wrote:you know what the front looks like!

Yep, but I want to be reminded

quick reminder then..

highway62 wrote:quick reminder then..

Lovely, lovely, lovely. Thanks highway. How much do you want for it?

sorry, it's one of my faves!

My first Swiss watch. Swatch Irony Body and Soul.



Proof that the 'big boys' can make an affordable 'Swiss Movement' automatic if they feel like it. This watch uses a Swatch-specific 2841-1 movement. My understanding is that it is based on the 2824, with changes made to reduce cost. The movement hand-winds, but does not hack. The pallet and escape wheel appear to be made of plastic instead of metal. I've had it 3 years, and it runs fine. Stainless case, ETA automatic movement, display back, Swiss movement and design. I'd say not bad for $150.

*edited to remove reference to 'Swiss Made'.

While it's nice that you like it, it's not "Swiss Made" in that sense. That movement will be a China special and the assembly will have been mostly done there too. You might have a bloke in Switzerland who screws on a rotor or something, but that's about it.

This one today:

And for me... Halios



Nicolas

Liking that Halios, Nicolas and the black and white shot with the watch in colour is very effective, unless of course that is the natural colour of your skin, jeans, shoes and carpet!

Mortis wrote:While it's nice that you like it, it's not "Swiss Made" in that sense. That movement will be a China special and the assembly will have been mostly done there too. You might have a bloke in Switzerland who screws on a rotor or something, but that's about it.

Source for this statement? Or is it just opinion? I'll tell you that there is nothing on the watch to indicate that the watch is made anywhere other than Switzerland. ETA certainly states that they manufacture only in Switzerland. I can't imagine that ETA would ever manufacture a movement in China, and put the ETA name on it. Swatches do not carry the 'Swiss Made' script, so I'll agree that they may be cased up outside Swizterland, but the movement is certainly Swiss until proven otherwise.

Mortis wrote:While it's nice that you like it, it's not "Swiss Made" in that sense. That movement will be a China special and the assembly will have been mostly done there too. You might have a bloke in Switzerland who screws on a rotor or something, but that's about it.

You might aswell just tell him it's sh*t!!!

Thought this was just a thread to share what other stuff was being worn.............not a judging contest!!

Hope he's more sympathetic to the next watch you put up!!

Not to take the thread further off topic, but I actually quite like the swatch so please don't take my comment for a criticism of it. I just meant that a £95 watch is not "made in Switzerland" in the sense we normally mean. Lavaine was claiming that it is and that was my only objection - it's a nice watch in my opinion.

Many "Swiss" movements are largely Chinese, but are assembled in Switzerland (Sellita, for example, are careful to claim that they are a "Company specialized in assembling" movements). The cost of doing the assembly outweighs the Chinese component making sufficiently to allow a company to claim "Swiss Made" on its watch. Assuming they case it (again, the case can be Asian) etc. in Switzerland then they can stick "Swiss Made" on the dial. There are rules, of course, and they are controversial, but by and large it is possible to do this and get the "Swiss Made" words on there. Companies like Claro-Semag do this much more transparently (intentionally or not).

In the case of this Swatch, not quite enough Swiss assembly has been done to get "Swiss Made" on the dial, so although the movement may very well be "Swiss" in the sense that it is designed there, and the movement is designed there (it might even be "assembled" there), the watch is really just Asian. It's not possible to do a "Swiss Made", at decent profit margins, for £85, and that's the only criticism I was making - when you say "Swiss Made" you imply something that, if it were true for this watch, would get that wording on the dial somewhere.

Original post changed to remove reference to 'Swiss Made' in order to appease the forum police.
BTW Mortis, how do you like your Chinese C8? Or is it only the ETA movements you don't own that you claim to be made in China? Just wondering, as you still haven't provided any sort of reference to back up your claim that the 2841-1 isn't Swiss manufactured.

Goodness me, Lavaine, I wasn't being the "Forum Police" - I just thought it might be worth a mention as sometimes these things make an interesting point to discuss.

Anyway, Google will reveal millions (literally) of places discussing Swiss movements being made in China (and the vagaries of Swiss law and how little needs to be done there to qualify). It should be obvious, though, from Seillta's own tag-line and the secrecy of the industry just how much this goes on.

I will say that I have no problem with the fact that many of my watches have Asian influences on their movements. And you are right in that the CWLs are obviously in this category - in fact, they used to be sold as "Swiss Movement" (a status with no legal definition, per se) as they were finished and cased up in Asia. And don't even get me started on the Asian company with a picture of a Doxa manufacturing line on its website - I'd rather buy the brands which are more honest about what goes on!

Anyway, sorry if I offended - I wasn't trying to do that and I didn't want you to change your post. The watch is nice and good value at the price. And you like it - surely that is good enough?