The most interesting developments affecting the Swiss watch industry in the long term may very well be taking place in China. The development of the domestic Chinese watch industry is likely going to be consequential. Due to changes in Chinese governmental tolerance for Swiss watch imports, the deterioration of the Yuan relative to the Swiss Franc and the incredible availability of reasonably priced labor in Japan in comparison to the tighter Swiss labor market, Chinese imports of Swiss watches are decreasing. China is already a major exporter of parts and cases to Switzerland. As the Chinese watch industry evolves and moves towards higher quality watches, Chinese horological exports of finished watches will also increase. Right now, brands like Ciga seem to combine design from Europe and Chinese manufacture. But as China develops a greater domestic horological design capability, more and more totally all China designed and manufactured producers like Wien are going to pop up. The craze in China for Swiss watches and Swiss horological imperialism has probably peaked and will start diminishing as Chinese makers develop their reputations for quality and value as Kentaro Hattori did at Seiko. As a BRIC leader, China may be expected to become a leading horological supplier among the various BRIC nations. Despite the concentration of power held a small group of Swiss producers and conglomerates (Rolex, Swatch and Richemont), the Swiss watch industry is irreversibly bound to high production costs which explains why lower priced watches are disappearing from Swiss production lines for the most part. Grand Seiko has not in any way disrupted the Swiss watch industry but it may be the harbinger of what China can do in the future to disrupt the Swiss watch industry. What GS did was to convince a sizeable number of people and the global watch press that consumers could enjoy most of the quality of fine Swiss horology for say 50% of the cost without too great a diminishment of prestige. As in the 1960s when Seiko’s success at observatory trials became more and more evident, the Chinese will probably create some incredible high accuracy, highly finished movements second to none despite a serious lower cost than any comparable movement can be produced in Switzerland. The movements will be incorporated in beautifully conceived and assembled Chinese watches that will be priced at 30% of any comparable Swiss watch. The Swiss will be caught in the cross hairs. In the end, the brand equity of the Swiss horology houses will not be enough to insulate the Swiss industry from this onslaught. The Breguet logo will not be enough to get me to pay 300%+/- more for a Swiss watch which is not demonstrably better in anyway from an on the mark Chinese reference. As certain Swiss makers outside of Rolex, Swatch and Richemont fail, the trade names and IP will be acquired by Chinese concerns so that some of the Chinese production will be marketed under familiar Swiss names. I may very well be wrong on some of my assumptions but I think that it will be interesting to see what happens in the next decade or two.

I happily wear mine with the bund. It is comfortable and gives the SJE0835 an interesting vibe.

An insightful review. Seldom is a moderately priced diver so elegant. I consider this particular Willard iteration to be quite exceptional, particularly in terms of its case, dial finish, indices and Seichu watch straps. I think that some people are too finicky about the daily time deviation range of the 6R35 movement which is between +25 and -15 seconds per day. I also have a GS Spring Drive diver which is obviously more exacting in its accuracy but which lacks the unique charm of the SPB237. Even the much more expensive SLA 033 Willard iteration with a 6L35 movement has the same daily time deviation range.

Vintage Titoni references and Felcacare wonderful and new Titoni references coming to market have their own virtues. 

Kikuo Ibe who devised the G-Shock watch concept and who remains the G-Shock Creative Director to this day has brought more horological joy and functionality to the world than any other single contemporary figure in the realm of watch design and production. The G-Shock in all its permutations is a masterpiece of industrial design. That even the most modest of G-Shock references can happily coexist in the same collection with noted exemplars of high horology is a testament to the universality of the G-Shock. 

Carol Forestier-Kasapi formerly the Head of Movement Creation at Cartier for many years is now at Tag Heuer. She is one of the great movement experts of our time. If Tag Heuer takes advantage of her great skill set the brand will benefit. 

Certina is not meaningfully retailed by Swatch in the US so the out of sight, out of mind factor depresses Certina awareness in the US. That said, Certina makes some neat references and is worth focusing on for anyone who is looking for something a bit out of the same old same old with the benefit of an ETA movement. When I went on to Chrono 24 this morning, there were a total of 1,142 Certinas listed. When I did the location screen seeking only US Certina listings, there were only 17 Certinas listed by US sellers.