The 2017 Swissness Act
Before 2017, the Swiss-Made label required that the movement be 50% Swiss-manufactured by component value, with final assembly and inspection done in Switzerland. The case, dial, bracelet, and other components could be made anywhere. This was widely criticised as 'fake Swiss-made': watches with Chinese cases, Hong Kong dials, and Swiss-only movements still qualified.
The 2017 Swissness Act tightened this. Now 60% of total manufacturing cost must be Swiss, including case, dial, hands, and bracelet, not just the movement. Final assembly, encasing, and quality control still must happen in Switzerland. Design and 'origin' of the watch must be Swiss-led. This eliminated most of the 'fake Swiss-Made' loopholes; brands using Asian cases either dropped the Swiss label or moved case production to Switzerland.
What still doesn't have to be Swiss
The 40% non-Swiss allowance covers component sourcing where Swiss alternatives don't exist or are uncompetitive: rubber straps (often made in France or Italy), exotic-material dials (mother-of-pearl, meteorite, typically imported), and sapphire crystals (often from Asia). Bracelet finishing and final clasp assembly count toward the Swiss percentage even if the raw bracelet is sourced abroad.
What it means as a buyer
Swiss Made is now a meaningful credential for build quality and brand origin in a way it wasn't pre-2017. A modern Swiss-Made watch is genuinely manufactured in Switzerland to a degree that produces real labour-cost differentiation and real quality control. It does NOT mean the watch is necessarily better than non-Swiss alternatives: a German Lange or Japanese Grand Seiko can outperform a Swiss watch on multiple dimensions. But the label now reflects real manufacturing geography.