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⌚Has the Swiss Lost Their Touch!?
Swiss getting diluted, Tissot's unusual watch, Panerai's new release, and more!


Welcome watch nerds…
This is Watch Bites, where we wrap up weekly watch insights quicker than you can reset a stopwatch. This week, we’ll dive into controversy behind the curtain of Swiss watchmaking, take a look at a weird and wonderful vintage Piaget, and more!
🍿 5 min read
Here's what we got today:
The most artful watches out there 🖼
A JLC worth robbing a bank for 💰
Is there a secret Swiss watch scam? 🇨🇭
Tudor’s latest spin on the BB58

The numbers above represent market trends in secondhand watch prices. The “Price“ column represents the average secondhand price for the top 30 watches of each brand. This data is sourced from Watch Charts.
Watch News
Does The Term ‘Swiss Made’ Still Mean What It Should?

The open secret of Swiss watch giants exporting the manufacture of certain watch parts beyond European borders is coming to a furious boil among watch fans and industry stalwarts. At the centre of this growing controversy is one question - can a watch claim to be ‘Swiss Made’ if varying components are built and/or assembled elsewhere?
As we all know, profit margins often benefit from a move to cheaper manufacturing regions, with costs being cut on everything from labour to materials. Our favorite Swiss watch brands, much like many beloved automotive companies, are more gradually moving aspects of their production to Asia for this reason. But here’s the rub - there’s not a single Swiss brand that, since moving the ‘making’ of their watches outside of Swiss borders, has done away with the ‘Swiss Made’ tag on their dials. I’m not going to name names here but rest assured these are some of the most profitable organizations in Europe and they’re basically lying to you to get you to buy watches. We have faith in Swiss builds, in Swiss engineers, in Swiss institutions. That’s not to say I don’t trust Chinese manufacturing (just look at the reality-bending counterfeit watches coming out of China at the moment) but no Eastern city has proven itself to be synonymous with timekeeping in the way that Geneva has.
So, we’re at a crossroads now and I predict we’ll see the ‘Swiss Made’ tag become more meaningless over the coming years, perhaps being reserved in sincerity only for the most expensive timepieces from respective brands. In the end, it’s Swiss watchmaking that suffers most - lack of trust in an institution is often a killing blow. My advice to any Swiss watch execs who are reading this? Start being a lot more transparent about what goes into your watches because you can’t keep secrets from the internet nerds.
Panerai’s New Dieci Giorni GMT Puts Its Best Foot Forward

Although Panerai hasn’t been using in-house calibres for very long (their first was made available in 2005), they’ve covered a heck of a lot of ground in the past 20 years. The latest from the Italian brand, the Dieci Giorni GMT PAM01482, represents Panerai’s ambitious spirit perfectly, with a ridiculous 10-day power reserve that’s represented on the dial by a very cool-looking linear indicator bar.
Panerai builds the Luminor collection around what they call ‘leisurely sophistication’, a pursuit that shines through on this new addition mostly thanks to the 44mm blue sun-brushed sandwich dial which, you’ll agree, is classy minus any pomposity. Of course, if you’re not into Panerai’s design language, the cut-out Arabic numerals, sub-dial, and oversized crown guard will sink your proverbial boat as opposed to floating it but that’s just what it is. For everyone else, this is a delightful (if slightly messy) release that grants its wearer peace of mind thanks to a hefty reserve as well as complete reliability and the feature-packed functionality of a modern GMT. The only hang-up I have with this piece (a big hang-up, no less) is its price because let’s face it, $15,200 is a lot to spend on a Panerai that’s not really doing anything special, practically speaking. However, if you love Panerai, the decision should be easy.
Watch Fact

Rolex watches are still assembled by hand and because of this, it takes a while to get a new Rolex out of the factory. After manufacturing parts, putting them together, and running the watch through various phases of stringent testing, it generally takes a year of ‘development’ before you can receive your coveted Rolex.
3-Watch Collection
3 Watch Collection: Art Edition
Where does horology stop and art begin? There’s no shortage of beautifully crafted and artfully finished watches out there; for the right money, you can wear the work of some of the finest artisans in the world on your wrist. Here are 3 examples of how to do that in style. Strap in because this is going to get pricey.

Unimatic Modello Tre U3-HS (Sport watch) - Made as a limited edition run of 100, this Disney-inspired Italian ticker may not be the most technically impressive on a list but what it lacks in that department, it more than makes up for in cultural heft and general swagger. With 300m water resistance and a near-genius use of red tones throughout the design, there’s very little to fault here. There are few Mickey Mouse watches that are this cool. Get yours for $850.
Vacheron Constantin Lion De Darius (Dress watch) - Made in collaboration with the Louvre Museum in Paris, VC’s Lion De Darius is part of their Tribute to Great Civilizations collection and is packed full of detail, in a totally non-overwhelming way. At 42mm it’s not your typical dress watch (duh) but rest assured, this self-winding beauty deserves your confidence and appreciation as much as any other watch you can name. Although its exact price is subject to inquiry, expect to pay over $100,000 for one.
Swatch ‘Turner’s Classic Sunset’ (Everyday watch) - I usually wouldn’t include a Swatch brand timepiece here for obvious reasons but you have to admit that this piece is an absolute joy to look at. The integrated design on the face and strap, a reproduction of JMW Turner’s ‘The Scarlet Sunset’ is the soul of this watch, while the changing colour of the sun is reminiscent of something you’d expect to see on a much more expensive watch. There’s nothing to fault here and frankly, for $100, we should all have one of these.
Total Collection Cost (USD): $120,000
Watch News Bites
Quick Bites
If you’re into uniquely strange watches, you’d be a fool to miss Kollokium’s ‘Variant B’, the company's first official release. This one is an acquired taste, for sure.
Although you may not consider Jaeger LeCoultre a sporty brand, their new Polaris is an absolute cracker. The fact that it hosts JLC’s renowned Geographic complication makes it even harder to pass up.
Tudor’s latest effort is an Italian football fan’s dream. A spin on the beloved Black Bay 58 renders the watch with a blue face which sports the Inter Milan logo. It’s only available in Italy, though…
The new Tissot Chemin des Tourelles Skeleton is quite something. Is it a Tissot? Sure. Is it the Tissot? Unlikely. Still, it’s worth a look.
Ulysse Nardin has released a new model in the Freak collection. The Freak S Nomad is the latest in a highly respect (if unnecessarily technical) line of watches. And it may just be the most interesting Freak yet.
Vintage Watches
Piaget Octagon 99031

Why It’s Worth It: Let’s say you’re looking for something that’ll add a bit of energy to your life. Let’s say you’ve been considering making a statement recently. Well, you’re in luck because Piaget’s peerless ‘70s Octagon may be about to change your life. This watch is basically just a huge 18k gold bezel surrounding an unapologetically simple black dial. Sure, it’s pretty out there as a design piece but if you aren’t willing to take some risks, what’s the point of all of this? Rest assured, there’s no questioning the reliability of Piaget’s automatic calibre 12P1 movement, a piece of fine engineering that will outlast any case it’s set within. A near-mint model Octagon from this era should cost about $4,000, so don’t expect to get one at a thrift shop.
Pre-Owned Watch Deals
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*Watch Bites does not provide financial advice. None of this is financial advice. This is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research!
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