Swiss made, Geneva provenance and the Geneva Seal
Three claims come up whenever a watch speaks about its origin: Swiss made, Geneva and the Geneva Seal (Poinçon de Genève). They rest on different legal bases, and one does not follow from another. This page is maintained by CLD Design SA, a watch subcontractor in Plan-les-Ouates, and sets out the official texts article by article, with their thresholds and links to the sources.
It is the question our clients ask us most often. This summary is not legal advice.
What Swiss made requires of a watch
The rule sits in a federal ordinance, the Ordinance on the Use of 'Switzerland' or 'Swiss' for Watches, SR 232.1191. Article 1a sets five conditions, and they are cumulative.
- 01Technical development in Switzerland for a mechanical watch, at least the mechanical construction and prototyping of the watch as a whole
- 02A Swiss movement as defined in article 2 of the same ordinance
- 03Casing in Switzerland the movement is cased on Swiss territory
- 04Final inspection in Switzerland carried out by the manufacturer
- 05At least 60% of the manufacturing costs incurred in Switzerland
The 60% threshold has applied since 1 January 2017, and the technical development requirements since 1 January 2019. Both come from the revision of 17 June 2016.
The cost calculation is not open-ended. Article 2c states what is excluded, and nothing else. The calculation leaves out packaging, transport, marketing costs including after-sales service, the cost of the battery, natural products that cannot be produced in Switzerland, and materials not available there in sufficient quantity. Everything else counts.
The case has its own criteria
The case is dealt with separately, in article 4. It is Swiss if it has undergone at least one essential manufacturing operation in Switzerland, if it was assembled there, if it is inspected there, and if at least 60% of its manufacturing costs are incurred there. The text names the three essential operations: stamping, machining and polishing.
Brands founded outside Switzerland
The ordinance sets no condition on where the brand is based. Article 1a defines a Swiss watch by operations, by its movement and by its manufacturing costs, so a brand established abroad may put Swiss made on a watch that meets those conditions. The guide published by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH) sets out what may stay outside Switzerland2.
| Step | Requirement | Text |
|---|---|---|
| Aesthetic design: idea, drawing | May be done abroad | FH guide, § 4.2.2 |
| Mechanical construction of the watch as a whole: shapes, materials, tolerances and treatments of parts and assemblies | In Switzerland; components other than the movement may be developed abroad | Art. 1a(a); FH guide, § 4.2.2 |
| Prototyping, including the CAD and wax stages | In Switzerland | Art. 1a(a); FH guide, § 4.2.3 |
| Movement | Swiss movement within the meaning of article 2 | Art. 1a(abis) |
| Casing | In Switzerland | Art. 1a(b) |
| Final inspection | In Switzerland | Art. 1a(c) |
| Manufacturing costs | At least 60% incurred in Switzerland | Art. 1a(d) |
For a watch that is not exclusively mechanical, article 1a adds the design of the printed circuits, the display and the software.
The guide separates the technical stages, which must be carried out entirely in Switzerland, from the purely aesthetic ones, such as the idea and the design, which may be done abroad. Technical design worked out during prototyping is not regarded as purely aesthetic, so it must be done in Switzerland.
Prototyping may not be moved abroad on the grounds that a process is not mastered in Switzerland. The prototype may still use foreign materials, especially when a material is not available in Switzerland. The CAD and wax stages are part of prototyping, and a wax model can be regarded as a prototype. If the claim is checked, prototyping in Switzerland is proven with documents such as drawings, invoices or accounts.
The technical development requirement applies to the watch as a whole rather than to each of its components, the movement excepted: a case bought abroad may have been developed there. In the 60% calculation, the designer’s royalties count towards the Swiss share if the work is done in Switzerland; royalties for work done abroad count as a foreign cost.
A brand that had its watch designed abroad can hand us the rework of that design and the case engineering, done in our Plan-les-Ouates offices, followed by the prototypes, assembled and fine-tuned in our workshop. The other conditions, including the origin of the movement and the 60% calculation, are checked watch by watch, and the declaration remains the brand’s own.
Printing ‘Geneva’ on a dial
Swiss made has its own ordinance. A Geneva claim does not. It falls under the general regime of the Trade Mark Protection Act (TmPA, known in French as the LPM)3.
The definition in article 47(1) is broad. An indication of source is any direct or indirect reference to the geographical origin of a product. ‘Geneva’ on its own is one.
Article 48(1) then refers to articles 48a to 48c. For an industrial product, article 48c(1) locates the source where at least 60% of the manufacturing costs are incurred. Paragraph 4 adds two requirements. The indication must correspond to the place where the activity that gave the product its essential characteristics took place, and in every case a significant manufacturing step must have been carried out there.
For a watch claiming Geneva, the 60% threshold is therefore calculated on the canton, not on Switzerland.
A registered office is not enough
It is often said that a company registered in Geneva and genuinely active there may print ‘Geneva’ on its dials. That rule does exist, but it applies to services4. Article 49(1) sets it out for services, and article 47(4) adds that regional or local indications of source applying to services are accurate if those services meet the country-wide criteria. For a product, article 48(1) refers without reservation to articles 48a to 48c.
Three provisions remain open and are argued case by case. Article 47(2) excludes geographical names that the relevant public does not read as a reference to source. Article 48d(b) allows a producer to show that the indication matches the understanding of that public. Article 47(3)(c) prohibits the use of a company name or address only where it creates a risk of deception. None of the three is an acquired right. Each one has to be demonstrated.
‘Made in Geneva’ is not stricter than ‘Geneva’
Both wordings fall under the same regime. Article 47(1) already covers any direct reference. Article 47(3bis) closes off qualifiers such as ‘type’, ‘style’ or ‘imitation’. The only claim with a regime of its own is one referring to a specific activity, such as a design or research claim, and article 47(3ter) then requires the entirety of that activity to take place in the named location. In watchmaking, article 3(1bis) of the ordinance narrows that possibility further.
The burden of proof sits with whoever makes the claim
The TmPA settles this in article 51a, headed ‘Reversal of the burden of proof’. Whoever uses an indication of source must prove that it is accurate. There is no prior authorisation and no systematic control, but in a dispute you need to produce the line-by-line calculation and the documents behind it.
The Geneva Seal
The Geneva Seal is a voluntary official inspection resting on cantonal law. Since 2018 it has been governed by the law on Timelab, RSG I 1 255, which delegates the running of the Geneva Seal office to the Timelab foundation. The law speaks of a voluntary inspection of watches manufactured and assembled in the canton of Geneva.
The regulation is specific about where the work is done. Version 2.26, applied since 18 September 2026, requires assembly, adjustment and casing of the movement and of any additional module plates, together with inspection of the finished watch head, to be carried out in the canton of Geneva. The applicant company must be established there.
The scope therefore goes beyond the movement. Casing and inspection of the finished watch are part of it. The regulation does not, however, require components to be manufactured in the canton, and the case must be approved without having to originate there.
Tests on the finished watch
For the watch head, meaning the case with its cased movement, the regulation sets four checks and their acceptance values. Every watch goes through them.
- Water resistancethe value declared by the brand, with at least 2 bar under pressure and 0.5 bar under vacuum. The test is carried out in air.
- Rate accuracythe value declared by the brand, with a deviation of no more than one minute after seven days, on a simulator, with day 0 and day 7 compared by a vision system.
- Functionsevery function of the watch checked over one cycle.
- Power reserveequal to or above the declared value, measured dial up.
The rate criterion is cumulative over seven days; the regulation sets no figure in seconds per day. Version 2.2 lowered the minimum test pressure from 3 to 2 bar, and some pages of the Geneva Seal website still give the old value.
What changes when you outsource
All three regimes point to operations and to places. What matters is therefore where the work is carried out.
Our workshop is in Plan-les-Ouates, in the canton of Geneva, as are our partner machining workshops.
- Technical developmentarticle 1a requires, for a mechanical watch, the mechanical construction and prototyping of the watch as a whole in Switzerland. Case engineering is done in our Plan-les-Ouates offices, and prototypes are assembled and fine-tuned in our workshop.
- Swiss casearticle 4 names stamping, machining and polishing as the essential manufacturing operations, and also requires assembly and inspection in Switzerland. Machining is carried out by our partner workshops in Plan-les-Ouates; polishing, assembly and inspection are done in our workshop.
- Swiss watcharticle 1a requires casing and final inspection in Switzerland. We carry out both in our workshop, as described on our watch subcontracting page.
- Geneva Sealthe regulation requires assembly, adjustment and casing of the movement, together with inspection of the watch head, to take place in the canton. Casing and final inspection are done in our workshop in Plan-les-Ouates. Timelab recommends keeping these operations with a single subcontractor.
The values used in our final inspection, including the water-resistance test pressures and the rate tolerance, are given in one place: the final inspection section of our watch subcontracting page.
Where our role stops
We issue no certification and we hold none. The Geneva Seal is awarded by the Timelab foundation, on an application filed by the brand. Swiss made and any Geneva claim rest on your own declaration, and article 51a of the TmPA places the burden of proof on you. What we bring is work carried out in the canton of Geneva and documented batch by batch, with the records to match.
Questions that keep coming up
Does Swiss made require every part to be made in Switzerland?
No. The ordinance does not require every component to be Swiss. It sets five conditions, including at least 60% of the manufacturing costs incurred in Switzerland, casing in Switzerland and final inspection in Switzerland. An imported component does not rule out Swiss made as long as the calculation holds.
Can a foreign brand sell a Swiss made watch?
Yes, if the watch meets the conditions of article 1a of the ordinance, which says nothing about where the brand is based. According to the FH guide, the aesthetic design may be done abroad, but the mechanical construction and prototyping of the watch as a whole, including the CAD and wax stages, must be done in Switzerland. Casing and final inspection must be done there too, the movement must be Swiss, and at least 60% of the manufacturing costs must be incurred in Switzerland.
What counts towards the 60% manufacturing costs?
The ordinance does not list what counts. Article 2c lists what does not. Packaging, transport, marketing costs including after-sales service, the cost of the battery, natural products that cannot be produced in Switzerland and materials not available there in sufficient quantity are all excluded. Everything else enters the calculation.
Is a case polished in Switzerland a Swiss case?
Not on its own. Article 4 requires four things. At least one essential manufacturing operation in Switzerland, and polishing is one of the three named alongside stamping and machining. Assembly in Switzerland. Inspection in Switzerland. And at least 60% of the manufacturing costs incurred in Switzerland.
Can a company print ‘Geneva’ on a dial because it is registered in Geneva?
The registered-office rule exists for services, under articles 49(1) and 47(4) of the TmPA, not for goods. For a product, article 48(1) refers to articles 48a to 48c, so to the 60% manufacturing cost threshold in the place named and to a significant manufacturing step carried out there. Counter-arguments exist, notably article 48d(b), but they rest on evidence, and the burden of proof lies with whoever uses the indication.
Are ‘Made in Geneva’ and ‘Geneva’ treated differently in law?
In terms of the applicable regime, no. Article 47(1) covers any direct or indirect reference, so ‘Geneva’ on its own is already an indication of source. Adding ‘Made in’ does not create a stricter category. The only claim with its own regime is one referring to a specific activity, and it requires the entirety of that activity to take place in the named location.
Who can apply for the Geneva Seal?
The inspection is voluntary and the law reserves it for no particular brand. The application is filed by the brand, including when it hands the operations to a subcontractor. The conditions are an establishment in the canton, approval of the movement, stamping of the seal, certification of the finished watch and regular audits. The seal is awarded by the Timelab foundation under delegation from the State of Geneva.
Can a brand hand the Geneva Seal operations to a subcontractor?
Yes. Asked in writing in September 2026, the Timelab foundation stated that the application is still filed by the brand. The operations can be split between several subcontractors, provided each one is entered in the Geneva commercial register and works within the canton. Timelab nonetheless recommends keeping them with a single one, for practical reasons. Certificates of affiliation to an AVS (old-age and survivors' insurance) fund are not requested for every application. When they are, they must cover the staff who actually carry out the operations.
Do components have to be manufactured in Geneva for the Geneva Seal?
The regulation does not require it. It ties four operations to the canton: assembly, adjustment, casing and inspection of the finished watch head. The case must be approved, but it does not have to originate in the canton.
Does subcontracting cost you Swiss made?
No, provided the supplier is in Switzerland and the operations the ordinance locates in Switzerland are actually carried out there. Casing and final inspection are among them. The point to watch remains the 60% calculation, which is done line by line.
Sources
- SR 232.119, Ordinance of 23 December 1971 on the Use of 'Switzerland' or 'Swiss' for Watches, articles 1a, 2c, 3 and 4. English translation on Fedlex
- FH guide, Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, Guide to the use of the designation 'Swiss' for watches, version 5 of 13 September 2018, sections 4.2.2, 4.2.3 and 4.2.4.5. FH guide (PDF)
- SR 232.11, Federal Act on the Protection of Trade Marks and Indications of Source (Trade Mark Protection Act, TmPA), articles 47 to 51a. English translation on Fedlex
- IPI, Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property, guidance on indications of source. IPI questions and answers
- RSG I 1 25, Geneva cantonal law on Timelab, 21 September 2018. Text on the Geneva statute book (in French)
- Geneva Seal regulation, Timelab, version 2.2 of 16 September 2026, applied since 18 September 2026, chapters 2 and 9 and appendix A.3. Regulation (PDF, in French)
This page summarises official texts and cites its sources; the links were checked on the update date shown at the top of the page. The English translations on Fedlex are provided for information and have no legal force. This page is not legal advice, and a specific project deserves the opinion of an intellectual property adviser.
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