The Swiss Watch Industry Crisis: How Japanese Competition and Multiple Factors Created the 1970s Quartz Crisis
By
bigwheels
Toasted golden, schmeared with insight. Top of the rack.
Summary
The article examines the Swiss watch industry crisis of the early 1970s, commonly known as the 'quartz crisis,' which was actually a compound of three separate disasters that occurred simultaneously. It details how Japanese competition emerged as a major threat, with Japanese watchmakers sweeping all top spots at the 1968 Geneva Observatory trials for mechanical watches, signaling a significant shift in the industry landscape that the Swiss had been monitoring but were ultimately unprepared for.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledIn the early 1970s disaster struck the Swiss watch industry. Now people call it the quartz crisis, but in fact it was a compound of three separate disasters that all happened at about the same time.
The Swiss had been watching the Japanese in the rear view mirror all through the 1960s, and they'd been improving at an alarming rate.
But even so the Swiss were surprised in 1968 when the Japanese swept all the top spots for mechanical watches at the Geneva Observatory trials.
The Swiss knew what was coming. For years the Japanese had been able to make
You might also wanna read
The Decline of UK Shipbuilding: From Global Dominance to Industrial Decline
The article examines the decline of the UK's once-dominant shipbuilding industry from its peak in the late 19th century through the post-WWI
construction-physics.com·6mo ago
Former BioWare Developer Warns AAA Gaming Over-Relies on Live-Service Models
Former BioWare veteran Mark Darrah warns that the AAA gaming industry is becoming overly dependent on live-service business models. He draws
insider-gaming.com·5h ago
BESS Industry Roundup: NeoVolta, Goshe, Frontier Power, Stella, and Prevalon Announce New Developments
A roundup of BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) news covering multiple companies: NeoVolta's new facility along Georgia's I-85 corridor fo
energy-storage.news·8h ago
Boeing Everett Factory: World's largest building by volume with its own indoor microclimate
The Boeing Everett Factory in Washington is the world's largest building by volume at 472 million cubic feet, costing over $1 billion to con
irishstar.com·8h ago
Renaissance Artists as Entrepreneurs: Business Management in the Art World
This article examines how Renaissance artists like Perugino, Raphael, Tintoretto, and Michelangelo operated not just as creators but as entr
italianartfortravelers.com·12h ago
Alloyed: British startup designs advanced metal alloys for drone micro turbines and precision manufacturing
Alloyed, a British startup founded in 2017 by materials engineers from the University of Oxford, designs new metal alloys to create lighter,
econ.st·18h ago