From 50 Years Ago: Manufacture of Watches.

The belated desire of the Government of India to sponsor the manufacture of watches within the country has so far remained unrealised. This is because, among other reasons, watch makers of many countries including America have shown some interest in the proposal, but not the watch makers of Switzerland who have resisted so far the modern trend towards dispersal of produc-tion in different countries. There has been no Swiss collaboration in the manufacture of watches outside Switzerland, no desire on the part of Swiss watch makers to move with the times and to meet the threat of loss of markets by agreeing to allow others to exploit their pat-ents and techniques for a mere royalty or to ex-ploit the latter jointly, in partnership with the nationals of other countries. Manubhai’s exhortations and Import Control’s blandishments have both failed to produce the desired result.

The latest reports from Delhi, however, suggest a slight softening of the attitude of the Swiss watch makers insofar as they have expressed a willingness to study the terms of-fered by the Government of India for the establishment of a watch industry in this country and to report on it. Import Control blandishments, however, seem to be working on the standard, familiar lines. The willingness to help or collaborate in the establishment of watch making is conditional upon the permission to import Swiss watches according to an agreed quota, until the domestic industry goes into full production.