THE HISTORY OF THE GENEVA SEAL
Vacheron Constantin ref. 4217 / Credit: The Watch Centre
While “Swiss Made” is undoubtedly a label of quality and excellence, a must have in the watchmaking industry, there exists another more specific label for watches made solely in Geneva. The Geneva Seal or Poinçon de Genève. This seal of quality is given by Geneva authorities to watches successfully following a set of 12 technical and aesthetic criteria in manufacturing their timepieces. The goal being to ensure the highest quality and precision of the watches and to promote the world-famous Geneva know-how. The seal’s origin goes back to the late 19th century in Geneva and was developed as an answer to the issue of control over the use of the “Geneva Made” insignia by watch companies. This high demand for Geneva-made timepieces goes back even further.
ORIGINS OF THE GENEVA SEAL
The 16th century saw the onset of the Protestant Reformation and Switzerland was certainly no exception. Geneva ended up as one of the key hubs of Protestant migration in Europe and many Protestants migrated there from France and elsewhere; not only for the language but also due to the influence of John Calvin. Among them, many artisans migrated to the city and Geneva became the unofficial capital of Protestantism by the end of the 16th century. Watchmaking was one activity for which the city gained notoriety as many watchmakers and artisans were French Huguenots who had fled persecution in France. These artisans brought with them expertise that was previously confined to the workshops of Paris and the courts of French aristocrats. Consider that both Breguet and Berthoud went to Paris to study watchmaking even in the late 1700s.
Throughout the following centuries, watches exported from Geneva gained praise for their quality and precision, becoming renowned around Europe. Artisans would write “Geneva” on their watch, indicating their watches were made in a geographic location known for its superior craftsmanship, an inscription that become an unofficial stamp of high-quality. The use of the “Geneva” inscription, however, went unmonitored. There was no control over who used it and eventually, as time went by, some less scrupulous artisans started abusing the aura of the Geneva label to attract an audience for their products and promote their average watches as high-quality watches. By then, the Geneva Seal effectively gave no proper guarantee of the actual quality of the timepieces. This had a negative impact, harming the credibility of the Geneva label and the perceived quality of the overall watchmaking industry in the region. Geneva’s reputation as a watchmaking hub was threatened – an industry that was already critical to the economy of the Canton.
Roger Dubuis La Monegasque Tourbillon Volante / Credit: Orologi di Classe
THE HALLMARK IS BORN
A solution was necessary as the talented watchmakers of the city could be discouraged by the cheap marketing tactics of other business people and move elsewhere to make watches. So, as a preamble to the Geneva Seal, the Society of Watchmakers was created in 1873 to work towards a solution to this issue. The solution was to create a new, monitored label that would be given to watchmakers if they followed a set of rigorous mechanical and aesthetic processes fixed by a centralized organisation. These would ensure that the watches had been crafted following the best practices in the region, maintaining the quality and precision of the watch and, also very important, the reputation of both individual watchmakers and the region itself as a watchmaking hub. As such, on November 6th, 1886, a group of watchmakers and Geneva municipal representatives agreed on the creation of the Geneva Seal, and the Republic and Canton of Geneva passed the first law to govern the production of timepieces. This seal would be granted solely to watches produced within the Geneva area and only if their production respected all 12 points necessary to ensure quality. Inspectors were to do check-ins at the manufactures at different times, to verify whether the standards and production practices were in compliance with the new rules. These timepieces would also undergo tests to ensure their performance, if all steps were completed successfully, the watch would ultimately receive a Geneva Seal with a corresponding reference number.
This way, the Geneva Seal and the tests ensured the quality of the watches and the Seal became an official warrant of high-quality watchmaking.
However, there were issues, one being that the law required companies to voluntarily submit their products to the official office before any compliance process began. This led to a significant drop off in the amount of companies using the Geneva insignia but also discouraged companies from using the Geneva Seal – in particular in the early 20th century. In the period leading up to the First World War, the Geneva Seal office saw an average of less than 500 watches per year apply. Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin were among the few companies that did adhere, with Vacheron using the Geneva Seal since 1901.
Today, only a few watches earn the Geneva Seal and the industry largely prefers the less constraining “Swiss Made”. Although the Geneva Seal has been increasing in popularity, in particular as the “Swiss Made” qualification has lost the social capital it once had, consumers have been less focused on demarcations of the sort. Somewhat effected by the rise of others like “Swiss Movement” and “Swiss Parts” but more so by an interest in watches from places like the United Kingdom, China, the United States, and Germany. This is also why the requirements for “Swiss Made” became stricter in 2017, increasing from 50% made in Switzerland to 60%. Nonetheless, the constraints of the Geneva Seal make it much more difficult for companies to commercialise a watch fitting all the requirements, while “Swiss Made” is easier to attain while still enjoying popularity and the image of excellence. To an extent it could be said that the Geneva Seal is today reserved for high-end watches while “Swiss Made” finds itself at home with the mid-range brands. One relatively young brand has distinguished itself in the recent years; while the most technical watchmakers such as Patek Philipe and Vacheron Constantin continue to use the Geneva Seal, Roger Dubuis guarantees that all its models throughout its entire collection have the Geneva Seal. And it is through brands such as Roger Dubuis that the Geneva Seal lives on, continuing to distinguish those that still follow the over 300-year-old traditions of Geneva watchmaking.
For reference, the 12 points of the Geneva Seal are:
The following steps in the creation of the watch must happen in the Canton of Geneva:
Assembly – assembling all the constituent components of a movement and any additional module;
Adjustment – mounting, starting, and adjusting the regulating organ in the movement;
Casing-up – fitting the dial and hands, inserting and securing the movement in the watch case. Each movement and watch case must be individually numbered.
All movements must be provided with ruby stones with polished holes, gear train, and exhaust. On the bridge side, the stones must be semi-glazed and the moldings polished. The stone of the center wheel to the plate is not required.
The hairspring must be fixed by a sliding plate with piton, with a head and round neck. The mobile piton holder is acceptable.
Adjusted or split raquets are allowed with a support system with the exception of extra-flat calibers where the system is not required.
Regulating systems with pendulums with a variable radius of gyration are allowed, provided that they meet the conditions of article 3, paragraph 1.
The finishing wheels must be beveled above and below and have polished moldings. For wheels whose thickness is less than or equal to 0.15mm, only one angle is allowed (bridge side).
The tigerons and the faces of the gables must be polished.
The escape wheel must be light, its thickness not exceeding 0.16mm for large parts and 0.13mm for those below 18mm, its rests must be polished.
The limitation of the angle traversed by the ink must be made against two fixed stops, excluding pins or studs.
Movements with shock-absorption systems are allowed.
The ratchet and the crown wheel must be finished according to the registered models.
Wire springs are not allowed.
The requirements of the Geneva Seal were last updated in 2014.
By: Simon Pontroue