Smartwatch: when technology moves too fast for the law

Updated on January 1, 2017, the «Swiss made» label, which protects watch brands from global competition, is being challenged for its rigidity and complexity. This case illustrates a broader phenomenon: the law can no longer provide a framework for progress.

To date, the software from the smartwatch (smartwatch) that wants to use the famous label must be Swiss. Valère Gogniat, a journalist at the Time, perfectly sums up this absurd situation: «The problem is, no one has clarified what this keyword (»software’) refers to. The operating system? The watch’s apps? The firmware that controls the components? The Watchmakers’ Federation acknowledges this shortcoming and plans to interpret the law on a case-by-case basis. That’s not enough.” We’re in the midst of complete uncertainty, as if the very logic of the new paradigm remains misunderstood by lawmakers.

Having missed the shift to quartz due to arrogance, will our country’s watchmaking industry be able to navigate this new, profound change in the watchmaking landscape? Nothing is less certain…