Switzerland is the birthplace of high quality of watchmaking, which started around the 16th Century, specifically in Geneva which had established its reputation as the place where the luxury timepieces were made. To be clear, according to COSC
A watch is considered “Swiss” if
- Its movement is Swiss
- Its movement is cased in Switzerland
- Its manufacturer carries out the final tests in Switzerland and
- At least 60% of production costs are generated in Switzerland.
- It was assembled in Switzerland
- It was tested by the manufacturer in Switzerland
- At least 60% of production costs are generated in Switzerland, and At least 50% by value of all components is Swiss-made, excluding the cost of assembly.
Now you know that the watch can have a Swiss-made label if it’s at least meet the minimum requirement of 60% the questions is, what watches are made in Switzerland?
Many luxury watches you are familiar with are made in Switzerland. Such as Rolex, Tudor, Omega, Breitling, Longines, Tag Heuer, Patek Philippe, and many more.
The best places to buy Watches in Switzerland
Where to buy watches in Geneva
The most glamorous street for watches is the Rue du Rhône, which has the most exclusive stores in the city. As you can see from the picture below, all the luxury watch stores are located close or on that street.
Where to buy watches in Zurich
As you can see, on the map below, most of the watch stores are located on Bahnhofstrasse which is the main downtown street and one of the most expensive and exclusive shopping avenues similar to Rue du Rhône.
Where to buy watches in Basel
Another famous shopping street is the Freie Str, which has many luxury watch stores located on the street or nearby.
There are many other places you can purchase luxury watches; however, when you travel to Switzerland, you might want to visit at least one of the cities mentioned above. The towns it selfs are fantastic to explore.
Now that you know where you can purchase some watches, you might want to see where the main manufactures headquarters are located.
Swiss manufacture Headquarters
Rolex Headquarters
Address: Rue François- Dussaud 3-5-7, 1211 Geneva 26, Switzerland
Patek Philippe Headquarters
Address: Chemin du Pont-du-Centenaire 141, 1228 Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland
Omega Headquarters
Address: Jakob-Stämpfli-Strasse 96, 2502 Biel, Switzerland
Hublot Headquarters
Address: Chemin de la Vuarpillière 33, 1260 Nyon, Switzerland
Audemars Piquet Headquarters
Address: Route de France 16, 1348 Le Chenit, Switzerland
https://www.audemarspiguet.com
It might be challenging to get a tour of the individual watch manufactures unless you have some connections or got an invitation for an exclusive event. If you enjoy learning about horology, you should visit the watch museum mentioned below. It never hurts to learn more about the history of various watch manufacturers and their timepieces.
Swiss Watch Museums
Watch Museum of Le Locle
https://www.mhl-monts.ch/en/
Address: Route des Monts 65, 2400 Le Locle, Switzerland
Omega Museum in Bienne
https://www.omegamuseum.com/
Address: Nicolas G. Hayek Strasse 2,2502 Biel/Bienne
The Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva
https://www.patek.com/en/company/patek-philippe-museum
Address: Rue des Vieux-Grenadiers 7, 1205 Geneva
The Beyer Clock and Watch Museum
https://www.beyer-ch.com/en/museum/portrait-museum.html
Address: Bahnhofstrasse 31,8001 Zurich
IWC Schaffhausen Museum
https://www.iwc.com/us/en/company/museum.html
Baumgartenstrasse 15, 8201 Schaffhausen, Switzerland
Uhrenmuseum Beyer Zürich
If you ever come to Switzerland to buy, learn or explore the places where many major watch manufacturers are located, this article should help you to maximize your trip to Swiss-Made part of the world.
This article wrote Honza Hroch, the founder of Value Your Watch marketplace
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