Microbrand Founder Discovers 'Swiss Made' Label Requires Watch to Have Actually Been in Switzerland

The founder of microbrand Helvetica Horologics has been informed by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry that applying 'Swiss Made' labels to watches assembled in a residential garage in Fresno, California, using movements purchased on eBay, does not meet the legal criteria for the designation. 'I thought Swiss Made was more of a vibe,' said founder Tyler Garrison, 28, who launched the brand on Kickstarter six months ago with the tagline 'Swiss Heritage, California Spirit.' 'The movements are Swiss. The font on the dial is Helvetica, which is a Swiss font. And I ate fondue while assembling them. I felt the connection was established.' The Federation disagreed. In a cease-and-desist letter that Garrison described as 'very formal and very Swiss,' the organization noted that Swiss Made designation requires at least 60 percent of production costs to be incurred in Switzerland, final assembly to occur in Switzerland, and the movement to be Swiss — the last criterion being the only one Garrison's watches arguably meet, 'assuming the eBay seller's description was accurate, which our inspection suggests it was not.' The movements, listed as ETA 2824-2 calibres, were identified by a watchmaker as Hangzhou 6460 movements — a Chinese clone — with aftermarket ETA engravings applied with what the watchmaker described as 'either a Dremel tool or aggressive optimism.' Garrison has pivoted. His updated marketing describes the watches as 'Internationally Sourced,' and the brand's tagline has been revised to 'Heritage From Everywhere, Assembled With Love In Fresno.' Twenty-three Kickstarter backers have requested refunds. Four have not, describing the watches as 'actually fine for the price' and the controversy as 'the most entertainment I've gotten from a watch under $200.'