#automaticwatch

http://watchesandmoreco.blog/2025/03/18/boderry-titanium-automatic-dive-watch-a-timepiece-built-for-adventure/

If you want a watch, you will just need to buy a watch. But now, after the advent of inexpensive, battery-powered quartz watches in the 1970s—a time not affectionately known as the quartz crisis—you must go to your local jeweler and buy a "luxury mechanical watch made in Switzerland".

The impact of East Asian exports on the traditional industry has proved devastating, and the only way for Switzerland to turn the tide is to rebrand its shares in the trade. Instead of making “watches”, the Swiss are now crafting precious heirlooms that have a pulsing soul and heartbeat. The perfect antidote to our busy and never out-of-date digital age. That, of course, is all we love about exceptional (but clearly underappreciated 50 years ago) timepieces. However, there is an unfortunate flip side anything associated with various C-words such as "collection", or "cult", creates a fanbase that grows by telling stories. And, like automobiles or fashion, the wonderful world of watches also has cynical detractors, shunned by a culture they don't understand and are eager to disparage.

Here are 7 myths about luxury watchmaking that deserves debunking for your clarity and reassurance:

IT’S A WASTE OF MONEY

There's no way to solve the problem:

For what a smartphone in your pocket considers unnecessary and takes up almost a small amount of space on your arm, an expensive Swiss watch. You may be used to spending a lot of money on clothes, but at least this H&M jacket will keep you warm, right?

There are hundreds of reasons behind the exclusive pricing of luxury watches, from unique and rare skill sets to manually making a mechanical watch movement to R&D and complex machine building, plus the huge cost of living in Switzerland. But in the end, the cost is worth it for two things: watches are an investment and will outlast anything else in your wardrobe, and at the same time they make for rich, emotional heirlooms. As long as the watches are getting serviced in regular intervals the cost of each wear will always be Southwards from generation to generation.  

THEY ARE NOT PUNCTUAL

In contrast to the 15 seconds every day controlled by your wind-4Hz up's oscillating balancing spring, a quartz-regulated watch loses or gains about 15 seconds annually at the whim of a crystal vibrating at 32,768Hz.

Given all the bumps, shakes, tremors, and gesticulations your wrist causes to such a delicately placed constellation of components, it's really not that horrible in the big picture and perfectly serviceable for daily timeliness and a triumph of micro-engineering. The fact that Parmigiani Fleurier's test center contains a robot that simulates tooth brushing only serves to highlight the difficulty every excellent watchmaker faces, but always manages to overcome.

IT COSTS A BOMB

Expanding on Myth No. 1, all Swiss timepieces are expensively made; but some are actually quite reasonable. We're still hovering around that four-figure plimsoll line, but brands like Junghans, Oris, Ferrari, Swiss Military, Xylus, and TAG Heuer all make dependable everyday wearers with sapphire-crystal domes, Swiss-made precision mechanics, and water-resistant steel cases that are mounted on slender bracelets made of calfskin or high-tech rubber. Always covered by a guarantee, always reparable, and just as "Swiss" and "Made" as any pricey Piaget or Vacheron Constantin.

IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE A PIECE OF JEWELLERY TO BE THE BEST & EXPENSIVE

Despite being an admittedly old myth, the gem element continues to appear in the literature of many Brands as a shining achievement. Today's rubies are synthetically made, and while they do an important job of reducing friction at pivot points, they are no longer a symbol of quality or value because the anachronistic wonder of their surrounding mechanics has taken their place.

“SWISS MADE” MEANS COMPLETELY MADE IN SWITZERLAND

A government rule states that in order to print "Swiss Made" on your dial, you must have obtained at least 60% of the value of your watch from Switzerland during the manufacturing process. Many believe it should be more, and in most cases it is. However, even if an occasional crystal, dial, leather strap, or screw originates in East Asia, it's likely that this is due to better pricing rather than worse quality, and the savings are always passed on to you.

SMART WATCH MARKET IS KILLING THE LUXURY WATCH MARKET

Apple smartwatches are posing a threat to the Swiss Watch segment owing to their build and mechanism. But a few updates are all that’s going to take to re-convert the recent defectors to a lifetime’s proper watch. The devastation caused by the quartz crisis also means Switzerland is in no mood to take a nap again. Brands like Montblanc and TAG Heuer are at the forefront of smartwatch technology with their own innovations.

QUARTZ IS NOT AS CLASSY AS MECHANICAL