2509) "Timemachine", Switzerland: A CHF 25 Gold Coin issued by the Swissmint depicting the evolution of Watchmaking Industry in the country: Date of Coin issue: 29.09.2022:
On 29.09.2022, Swissmint is bringing out a new Gold Coin featuring Switzerland's watchmaking industry titled - "Timemachine”.
It is the first gold coin from Swissmint with a face value of CHF 25 to enter circulation.
The beginnings of watchmaking in Switzerland are closely linked to the Huguenot refugees who came to Geneva in the second half of the 16th Century and brought their craftsmanship with them.
From Geneva, known locally as the city of Calvin, watchmaking spread all over Switzerland.
For more than four centuries, tradition, expertise, advanced technology and innovation have allowed the Swiss watch and clock industry to maintain its leadership on the world market.
Despite (or because of) the crises it has endured, it has always managed to overcome the technological, structural and economic challenges placed before it.
Its exceptional dynamism and creativity have made it a state-of-the-art industry.
The many inventions and world firsts to its name provide particularly flattering and envied examples of its status: first wristwatch, first quartz watch, first water-resistant wristwatch, world’s thinnest wristwatch, world’s smallest wristwatch, most expensive watch, and many more…
The Swiss watch and clock industry appeared in Geneva in the middle of the 16th century.
In 1541, the reformer Jean Calvin, by banning the wearing of ornamental objects, in effect forced goldsmiths and other jewellers to turn to a different art - that of watchmaking.
By the end of the Century, Geneva had already acquired a reputation for excellence.
In 1601, the Watchmakers Guild of Geneva was established, the first of its kind in the world.
A century later, because the city had “too many” watchmakers, many started leaving the Geneva region to set up business in the Jura mountains.
Development of the watch and clock industry is closely bound up with the genius of goldsmith Daniel Jeanrichard (1665-1741) who was the first to introduce the division of labour with the system of “établissage” (independent workshops).
In 1790, Geneva was already exporting more than 60,000 watches.
Many inventions and developments followed over the centuries:
In 1770, Abraham-Louis Perrelet created the “perpetual” watch (in French “montre à secousses”), considered by many to be the forerunner of the modern self-winding watch.
In 1816, Louis Moinet made the first chronograph, called “compteur de tierces”.
In 1842, Adrien Philippe, one of the founders of the prestigious Patek Philippe manufacture, invented the "pendant winding watch". At the same period, the production of complicated timepieces (chronographs, etc) and the introduction of functions such as the "fly-back hand" and the "perpetual calendar", began to flourish.
The mass production of watches began at the turn of the 20th Century as a result of research carried out by renowned watchmakers such as Frédéric Ingold and Georges Léschot.
Increased productivity, interchangeable components and standardisation allowed the Swiss watch industry henceforth to extend its world supremacy.
In 1918, the end of the First World War coincided with the introduction of the wristwatch, and its traditional round shape was adopted once and for all in the early 1960s.
In 1926, the first automatic or self-winding watch was produced in Granges, while the first electric wristwatches made their appearance in 1952.
1967 saw the development, by the Centre Electronique Horloger (CEH) in Neuchâtel, of the world’s first "quartz wristwatch, the famous Beta 21".
Major developments and innovations then followed without interruption - watches with LED and LCD displays, quartz watches without a battery, new materials, etc.
Most often associated with watches or timepieces made in Switzerland, Swiss law considers a watch to be Swiss made if:
- its technical development is carried out in Switzerland,
- its movement is Swiss,
- its movement is cased up in Switzerland,
- the final inspection of the watch is conducted by the manufacturer in Switzerland,
- at least 60 per cent of the manufacturing costs are incurred in Switzerland.
These legal criteria are stated in the "Ordinance on the Use of Switzerland (or "Swiss") for Watches".
Besides the "Swiss made" requirements, the indication "Swiss movement" may be placed on watches that contain a Swiss movement.
In addition to "Swiss made", under Swiss law watches may carry the words "Suisse", "produit suisse", "fabriqué en Suisse", "qualité suisse" or simply the English translation, "Swiss" if the legal criteria stated in the abovementioned Ordinance are met.
The Gold Coin:
The importance of the Swiss watchmaking industry and the worldwide popularity of its products are symbolically represented on the CHF 25 (25 Swiss Francs) Coin with a watch movement (on the Obverse) and Globe (on the Reverse).
The specifications of this Gold Coin are:
Country: Switzerland; Date/Year of issue: 29.09.2022; Coin Theme: "Timemachine - depicting Switzerland's watchmaking industry"; Denomination: CHF 25 (25 Swiss Francs); Metal Composition: .900 Fineness Gold (Au); Diameter/Size: 20.00 mm; Weight: 5.64 grams; Mint: Swissmint; Mintage: 4,750 pieces (in Presentation Case), 250 pieces (in Presentation Case with a Certificate from the designer); Designer: Remo Lienhard/ WES 21.
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Rajan Trikha has commented:
ReplyDelete"Very informative and interesting journey abt watch making."
Thank you so much, Trikha sahab.
DeleteAshok Borate has commented:
ReplyDelete"बहुत ही अच्छी जानकारी !"
Thank you so much, Ashokji.
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