China's watch years start the road to industrial regeneration

In 2010, it is also a memorable year for the Chinese watch industry. When China took part in the Panama World Expo 85 years ago and received a variety of awards, the "Melway" clock escaped from all kinds of traditional arts and crafts and stood out in the field of watchmaking that Westerners were good at. He won the gold medal in one fell swoop. Fifty-five years ago, when new China started various industrial constructions, Chinese-made watches were also born in Tianjin and Shanghai.

The intimate contact between the Chinese watch companies and the Swiss Basel Watch & Jewellery Exhibition began in April 1996 when the China Watch & Clock Association organized a delegation for the first time at the Basel Watch & Jewellery Fair. The Chinese watch companies also displayed products together with their international counterparts. It is also able to absorb, learn from, and learn Western watchmaking skills. But before that, a Chinese man named Jiao Dayu had begun to interpret the cultural charm of China and clocks at the booth of the International Independent Watchmakers Association at this exhibition in 1992. "Flywheel" structure and traditional Chinese seal carving, gold carving, and pattern design, etc., as the watch's artistic expression, have not only attracted the attention of the international watch industry, but also become the image ambassador of China's independent watchmakers.

In 2010, on the same stage of the show, the second Chinese, Xu Ke from Changzhou, also opened his own performance for the first time. He showed the world audience time, watch, music, flying balls and many other things. The "flying ball instrument" is an integrated function. The prototype of this work was completed in August 2002. Now it has evolved into the seventh generation. It has a more compact and refined appearance, and its functions are more perfect. It is co-written with the Chinese system in Basel. Zhongye’s century-old legend.

"Made in China" has Hall

According to the report of the China Clock Association, the total output value of China's watch products in 2008 was more than 200 billion yuan, including clock production exceeding 400 million and watch output exceeding 600 million, accounting for 91% of the world's total output respectively. At 83%, the output of watches has already ranked first in the world. However, from the viewpoint of output value, China has not yet become a powerful watchmaking powerhouse in the world. Many people have seen advertisements broadcast on Western TV stations with the theme of “Made in China and World Cooperation.” Today, the meaning of “Made in China” is no longer simply “Made in China” but “Made with China”. The significance of China's mastery of core technologies, simultaneous design and manufacturing with the world is a reality. "China Watchmaking" is also integrated into the world's integration. At present, China is the main production base of the world watch industry. China's watch manufacturing industry has a complete industrial chain from raw materials, accessories, appearance parts, movements to finished products, regardless of new product development. Cycle, or from the product's cost performance, is the world's most competitive manufacturing center.

Arlette-Elsa Emch, president of the CK brand watch under the Swiss watch group Swatch Group, does not deny that all of his jewelry line products are made in China. “Made in China is not ashamed to be mentioned now. In the past, you did a great job. This is why we chose you."

China's LUXUPAK product Shi Bai was once just a Chinese company that manufactured accessories for watches, boxes, and other accessories for many world famous watches. This Chinese company, unwilling to stay behind the international big name brand, brought its brand to BASELWORLD for the first time this year. Hall No. 3 participated in the exhibition. The 4G series automatic watch boxes launched this time increased the consideration of high-tech and portability, changed the original knob-type adjustment, and adopted a visual electronic data board for program setting. Although the booth layout is still slightly thin, but the manufacturers said, "I hope this move will become a huge driving force for China's luxury packaging into a new look." As an important part of China's watch industry chain and the first to enter the international market table The box brand, Pinshao also launched new products with the unique design element “Ebony Wood” in China, conveying the classic story of “Buying and Returning the Pearl”.

The past and present of domestic watches

In 1905, Sun Meitang (1884-1959) founded the Bell Works in Songxian County, Zhejiang Province, in order to manufacture homemade clocks. At the beginning of 1915, the "Milliput Clock Factory" was completed in the Tiantong District of Shanghai's Zhabei District (now Baoshan Road, Hengyi Road), marking the transition from manual processing to machine manufacturing. In the year of 1925, "Mileon" opened 25 branch offices in 11 cities across the country and became an industry and trade company. Sun Meitang also became the "watch king" at the time. Just 40 years after the "Williams" took home the gold medal, the news of "China's self-made watch was successful" was published in the "Tianjin Workers Daily" on March 26, 1955, which meant that the first domestically produced watch was successfully tested in Tianjin. . Six months later, on September 26th, China's first batch of more sophisticated 17-diamond watches were successfully tested in Shanghai.

According to the research of the Camera and Watch Professional Committee of the Beijing Collectors’ Association, “The development history of watches made in China has gone through the development period, the construction period, the development period, the unified movement period, the recession and the rise of new born brands, the branding period, and China. Independent watchmakers' exploration period and many other stages have some classic watches at different stages. Now it has become an important goal for watch collectors. There are many foreign forums on Chinese watches in the Internet, and their users’ enthusiasm. It is no less than the fans of Swiss watches and German watches." The Chinese watch manufacturing industry has accumulated many popular watches in the development process of 55 years. For example, the first Chinese pilot chronograph in the 1960s was a collection hotspot. Seagull watches will be released according to the watch of the year. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the "Golden China Seagull Watch" has cleverly incorporated the morality of Mao Zedong and Jiangshan into a new China.

At the end of January this year, an event titled “China's High-end Watch Launching Tasting” was held in Beijing. The media and watch enthusiasts there were no strangers to the three old-fashioned watches of the Seagull, Shanghai, and Beijing, but for them The changes in market positioning are very surprising. Ten million yuan or even one million yuan watches have become the topic of tasting. The orbital tourbillon watch of the Shanghai Watch Factory and the 1000-meter automatic tourbillon watch launched by Shenzhen Longio are rare in the world watch industry. The series of smashing watches that Beijing Watch Factory cooperated with Xiong's 珐琅 Studio had played a role in boosting the revival of Chinese renminbi in China. Jinyi Watch Industry, a newly invested watch and clock industry, is good at associating Chinese traditional crafts with cultural events. The “Yuanmingyuan Zodiac Beastmasters” watch is a typical model, and the Rongkai brand, which has always been dominated by foreign trade, is Representatives of Fujian watch culture, its hollow carving design has always been the soul of brand design.

At the Baselworld, Longio introduced the Hanwa Tiger Figure orbital tourbillon and the copper relief process was first presented. The Seagull Watch introduced the most complex watch currently produced in China, which combines three questions, a perpetual calendar, and a tourbillon. "Compared to the selling price of similar Swiss complication watches, 'Made in China' is very attractive," said Edlard Hamanlian, a private collector immersed in Hall 6, who is planning to collect a Tourbillon with a seagull watch. Its price Less than one-tenth of the Swiss Tourbillon.