THE average Swiss watch costs $685. A Chinese one costs around $2 and tells the time just as well. So howon earth, a Martian might ask, can the Swiss watch industry survive? Yet it does. Exports of watches made in Switzerland have grown by 32% by value over the past two years, to SFr21.4 billion ($23.3 billion). Demand in the biggest markets (China, America and Singapore) dipped recently, but some of the slack was picked up by watch-loving Arabs and Europeans.
买只瑞士表，平均要花去685美元，而买只中国表，平均只要2美元，而且照样能报时。如果火星人来到地球，恐怕会一头雾水：瑞士钟表业到底有没有出路？答案是肯定的。在过去的两年里，瑞士钟表出口总值增长了32%，已达214亿瑞士法郎（约合233亿美元）。虽然近年来，份额最大的市场（中国、美国和新加坡）需求有所衰减，但热爱钟表的阿拉伯人和欧洲人填补了这个空白。
No one buys a Swiss watch to find out what time it is. The allure is intangible: precise engineering, beautifully displayed. The art of fine watchmaking has all but died out elsewhere, but it thrives in Switzerland. “Swiss-made” has become one of the world’s most valuable brands.
买瑞士表的人，看的的可不仅仅是时间。工艺精良，造型美观，瑞士表的魅力，潜于无形。高档制表业在别处已是朽株枯木，但在瑞士却仍旧欣欣向荣。“瑞士制造”已经成为世界上最具价值的品牌之一。
In the popular imagination, Swiss watchesare made by craftsmen at tiny firms nestled in Alpine villages. In fact, the industry is dominated by one big firm. The Swatch Group’s stable of brands(Breguet, Blancpain, Omega and a dozen others) generated watch and jewellery sales of SFr7.3 billion in 2012. That is up by 15.6% over the previous year and accounts for one-third of all sales of Swiss watches. In January Swatch announced the purchase of Harry Winston, an American jeweller which also makes watches in Geneva.
在众人的印象中，瑞士手表出自阿尔卑斯山脚下小作坊的能工巧匠之手。但实际上，瑞士制表业由一大集团独占鳌头——斯沃琪（Swatch）集团旗下的各大品牌（宝玑（Breguet）、宝珀（Blancpain）、欧米茄（Omega）等）制造的钟表和珠宝，在2012年带来了73亿瑞士法郎的营收。这比2011年增长了15.6%，占瑞士制表业总销售额的三分之一。今年一月，斯沃琪集团宣布收购美国珠宝品牌海瑞·温斯顿（Harry Winston），该品牌在日内瓦亦设有钟表工坊。
Swatch’s dominance goes even deeper than this. It is the biggest supplier of the bits that make Swiss watches tick. It owns ETA, which makes over 70% of the movements (core mechanisms) put in watches by other Swiss watchmakers. Another subsidiary, Nivarox-FAR, supplies more than 90% of the balance springs (which regulate watches).
斯沃琪集团的优势远不只在于市场份额，它还是瑞士表的动力之源——机芯的最大供应商。斯沃琪集团旗下的ETA为其他瑞士制表商提供的机芯（核心配件）占市场的70%。而其旗下的另一品牌Nivarox-FAR提供的游丝（影响走时精度的配件）占市场份额的90%以上。
Many big brands rely on Swatch. LVMH (owner of Bulgari, Hublot and TAG Heuer) and Richemont (owner of IWC, Piaget and Vacheron Constantin) use Swatch components. So do the British and German watchmakers that are trying to break into this lucrative market. Few, however,can match the precision of a Nivarox balance spring.
不少大品牌（的钟表制造）都依赖于斯沃琪。路威酩轩集团（LVMH集团，旗下有宝格丽（Bulgari）、宇舶（Hublot）和豪雅（TAG Heuer））和历峰集团（Richemont集团，旗下有万国(IWC)、伯爵（Piaget）和江诗丹顿（Vacheron Constantin））这两大集团都依赖于斯沃琪集团提供的配件。不少依赖斯沃琪的英国和德国的钟表制造商都试图进军这一获利颇丰的（配件）市场，然而游丝精度能与Nivarox比肩的可谓寥寥无几。
Swatch became the watchmaker to watch inthe 1980s, when it merged two weak companies and launched Swatch watches as are latively cheap brand (though not nearly as cheap as a typical Chinese timepiece). It remains dominant, in part, because other firms find it easier tolet someone else go to all the trouble and expense of producing their watches’most fiddly and essential components.
上世纪80年代，两家弱势公司（ASUAG 与 SSIH）合并后成为斯沃琪集团，从此开始制造价格较为低廉的手表（但尚未同中国表一样廉价）。它之所以能保持优势地位，一部分是因为其他公司宁愿将制造精密钟表基础配件这一费心费财的担子扔给别人。
But Swatch now finds this arrangement irksome. It supplies parts to rivals (Swiss and foreign) which then spend lavishly on advertising. Swatch would like to curb its sales of components, to30% of the Swiss total by 2018. The Swiss Competition Commission agreed to modest reductions in 2012. After lobbying by watchmakers, Swatch will make no more cuts this year, but next year it will probably try again.
但现在，斯沃琪却开始对这个担子心生厌烦。当（瑞士和国外的）对手们在广告上挥金如土时，它却在为他们制造配件。斯沃琪计划在2018年前，将其配件销售在瑞士的市场份额降至30%，并于2012年与瑞士竞争委员会达成了小额减额协议。在各制表商进行游说之后，斯沃琪同意今年暂不削减配件供应，但明年却有可能再次尝试减额。
Swatch may be doing the industry a favour.Its actions may prod other watch makers to invest more in their own factories.Already, Richemont and LVMH are buying up smaller component-makers. “Everyone could actually produce these components,” says a spokesman for the Competition Commission.
斯沃琪的所作所为，或许对整个行业不无益处——这将促使其他钟表制造商加大投资，建立自己的（配件）工厂。历峰集团和路威酩轩集团已经开始收购小型配件制造商。“其实其他人也能制造这些配件的。”瑞士竞争委员会的一名发言人说道。
At present only a few high-end watchmakers can do without Swatch: for example, Patek Philippe in Switzerland and Robert Loomes in Britain. But such Swatch-shunners typically make only a few (costly)watches each year. Firms that make larger batches of not-quite-so-pricey watches still need Swatch. So its retreat from the parts market will cause turmoil, and probably more consolidation.
目前，仅有少数高档钟表制造商能离开斯沃琪（的配件）而生存，如瑞士的百达翡丽（ Patek Philippe ）和英国的洛柏露美（Robert Loomes）。但这些独立制表商大多每年只能制造少量（造价高昂）的手表。其他大量生产价格较为低廉的手表的制表商仍旧离不开斯沃琪（的配件）。这样看来，斯沃琪在配件市场的撤退将引起混乱，还可能带来（其他制表商的）联合。
Meanwhile the Swiss government seems about to tighten the definition of “Swiss-made”. Currently, a watch may not claim tobe Swiss unless 50% of its components, by value, were crafted in the cantons.Swiss watchmakers are trying to get the threshold raised to 60%. That will create demand for Swiss components even as Swatch curbs the supply. So watchout: prices will rise even higher.
与此同时，瑞士政府似乎决心要精确“瑞士制造”的定义。如今，只有瑞士产配件占总价值50%的手表才可算作瑞士表。瑞士制表商正尽量将这一数值提升至60%。这样一来，尽管斯沃琪在削减配件供应，但市场对瑞士钟表配件的需求仍会继续增加。看着吧：瑞士表价还会再涨。
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