News Little known – indeed scarcely at all – in its own country, Victorinox Swiss Army is flying the flag for Swiss made watches on the American market. New workshops in Porrentruy.
Which Swiss watch manufacturer can pride itself on achieving a rate of spontaneous recognition of 92% in North America and on selling, year in year out, around 800,000 watches in the United States, or roughly 20% of the four million Swiss timepieces sold on the American market each year? The answer will come as a surprise to many, since the firm in question is Victorinox Swiss Army, the watchmaking division of the eponymous group based since 1884 in Ibach (Schwytz) and known worldwide for the famous "Swiss Army knife", which incidentally sells annually across the globe in numbers equal to or greater than Swiss watches (25 million).
While Victorinox first entered the watch market in 1989, this sector really took off in 2002 with the acquisition of the Swiss Army brand in the United States and creation of the company of the same name. Lacking space in its Jura premises, Victorinox Swiss Army relocated its production last year to a new workshop in Porrentruy, where it now has a floor space of 1,300 m2, three times larger than previously. Somewhat unusually, the Porrentruy site was chosen by directors not only for the quality of the local labour pool and proximity of the School of Watchmaking, but also because numerous suppliers working for Victorinox Swiss Army are based in the region.
Centralisation of production on a single site has made it possible to simplify the production process – from the reception of components to final quality inspection, including the fitting of dials and hands, casing-up and water-resistance tests – and to increase efficiency. It has also allowed a doubling of the firm’s workforce to 45 employees, far from a luxury considering that 4,000 Swiss made watches are produced here every day, or one million per year, to particularly high quality standards. To these 45 people must be added the teams in Biel (assembly of bracelets, marketing, administration) and Ibach (logistics), making a grand total of around 110 employees.
Sold in the retail trade at prices ranging from 200 to 2,000 francs, with an average price in the region of 520 francs, the 160 Victorinox Swiss Army watch models, the great majority of which are for men, are available in three different lines: Active, Classic and Professional. While each has its own personality and special character, these models nevertheless share important values: they are all Swiss made, offer excellent value for money and come with an international three year warranty. Functionality and legibility are two other major benefits to users.
Among the new products announced for the spring of 2007, one in particular worthy of mention is the Convoy chronograph (see photo) with a broad solid steel case giving the timepiece a superb robustness, emphasised by meticulous finishing touches: protective reinforcements on the side and a double seal for the crown, scratchproof sapphire crystal, screwed back cover and construction water-resistant to 100 m. The sporty functions of these new models also vie for attention: an extra-large chronometer minutes counter stands out clearly with its silvered background against the black or red dial of the watch, offering immediate visual access to this key function for measuring short times. The ultra-precise quartz Swiss made movement records the time precisely to within a tenth of a second, as well as calculating intermediate times. The tachometer scale around the dial and the perfect legibility of the luminous numerals and indexes complete the active functions of this superb chronograph. The new Convoy collection exists in six models: four chronometers with black or red dial mounted on a steel bracelet or natural rubber strap, and two watches with three hands (hours, minutes, seconds), available with a black dial and a steel bracelet or rubber strap. Priced at between 275 and 450 francs, this collection will be available in May.
February 16, 2007
