THE TOUGH GET GOING

The Swiss watch industry’s response to the 2020 health emergency and economic crisis

SINCE ITS EMERGENCE in the mid-16th century in Geneva, the Swiss watch and clock industry has faced many challenges and world crises. Yet, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, it has come out stronger after every setback and carried its people through hard times.

In the beginning, it came as a cottage industry that offered many Swiss farmers the opportunity to set up their domestic workshops during winter and earn additional income by making watches when agricultural activity was suspended. When Calvinism spread across Europe and brought with it a period of drastic reform that banned the wearing of jewellery, many French protestants who had fled to Switzerland to escape persecution combined their clock and watchmaking know-how with that of the goldsmiths, jewellers and enamellers in Geneva to create functional works of art, known at once for their beauty, craftsmanship and practical purpose. This innovative enterprise allowed for the continued livelihood of the affected craftsmen and kicked off a relationship that has prevailed over time.