The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH (Fédération de l'industrie horlogère suisse) is the Swiss

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 watch industry's leading trade association

Trade association

A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association or sector association, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry...

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History

It was created in the 1930 as part of the joint efforts to re-organise the Swiss Watch Industry in a way that it could survive the Big Recession and gear itself to sustain any further downturn. It has always been headquartered in Biel/Bienne

Biel/Bienne

Biel/Bienne is a city in the district of the Biel/Bienne administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.It is located on the language boundary and is throughout bilingual. Biel is the German name for the town, Bienne its French counterpart. The town is often referred to in both...

, Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

. Most of the Swiss Watch Companies are members.

Organisation

It is a private, non-profit trade association, with over 500 members representing more than 90% of all Swiss watch manufacturers (finished products, watch movements, components, etc.).

Goals

The Federation's avowed goals are:

• "To contribute to the development of the Swiss watch industry."
• "To establish a permanent link between its members to promote their joint interests."
• "To represent the Swiss watch industry in dealing with the Swiss, foreign and international authorities and economic organisations."
• "To protect the interests of its members in the drafting of national and foreign legislation, as well as during international negotiations to defend its members' interests by means of legal proceedings."

Affiliated Offices

Aside from offices in Switzerland, it maintains permanent offices in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 and Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

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Swiss Made

The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH launched a proposal regarding the "Swiss made" label. The main reason is that some companies that manufacture fine watches do not enjoy the quality of some timepieces that have the "Swiss made" label.

Jean-Daniel Pasche, who is currently the chairman of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH, said that the reform project looks forward to improve the way fine watches are evaluated.

A Trove of Information

On the FH website, one can find the listings of all the members, including most of the manufacturers of parts and their respective websites, as well as many other interesting information about the Swiss Watch Industry, including the rules on the label Swiss Made, statistics, etc.