How did you come to study the sociology of the Swiss watch industry?

There are several reasons that made me choose this topic. First, I have always been interested in the classical literature on nation-making since my bachelors, in particular, Benedict Anderson’s Imagined Communities or Eric Hobsbawm and Terrence Ranger’s collection of essays The Invention of Tradition. Being Swiss myself and being born in Geneva, I was curious to apply some of these theories to the context of Switzerland, where I thought that a gap in the literature existed. Choosing the watch industry as a case-study allowed me to explore different aspects of our contemporary societies that have always fascinated me: the development of industrial capitalism, the construction of the nation-state and its political imaginary, and the complex relations between the local and global scales in the context of economic and cultural globalisation. Choosing this topic thus allowed me to understand the place where I have lived and where I grew up through sociological and anthropological tools. The objective was thus also a reflexive one: understanding my own society, its symbols, its production relations, and its position in the world-society and world-economy.

Can you describe your thesis questions and your methodology?

The central research questions are: How has the Swiss watch industry historically contributed to shaping the Swiss national imaginary? How do global production and value chains — especially those linked to raw material extraction and transnational labour — interact with the image of the watch as a distinctly “Swiss” product? What role does the Swiss Made label play in maintaining a national narrative in an increasingly globalised industrial context?

To address these questions, I adopted a mixed qualitative methodology combining historical, ethnographic and sociological approaches. On the historical side, I engaged in historical literature to trace the development of the watch industry in relation to state formation, economic policy, and national discourse, following the method of historical sociology. On the ethnographic side, I visited production sites and conducted semi-structured interviews with a wide range of actors across the industry: watchmakers, artisans, unskilled workers, engineers, union representatives, and employers. This allowed me to capture a diversity of perspectives across the value chain.

Methodologically, I conceptualised the watch industry as part of a transnational system — what could be called a world-system — encompassing the global extraction of raw materials, their transformation, the manufacturing process in Switzerland, and the international sale of watches. This systemic view enabled me to challenge binary narratives that oppose globalisation and national identity, showing instead how they are often co-produced.

What are your major findings?

One of the main findings of my research is that the Swiss watch industry plays a key role in sustaining a national imaginary that appears local and traditional, while being deeply embedded in global processes. The production of watches, which often symbolise precision, heritage, and Swissness, relies on global networks of raw material extraction, labour, and capital. Yet, these transnational circuits are made invisible through the symbolic and legal power of the Swiss Made label, which condenses complex global dependencies into a singular national identity.

Second, I found that the development of the Swiss watch industry and the construction of the Swiss nation-state are not separate or opposing processes, but rather co-produced. The industry contributed materially and symbolically to the formation of Swiss national identity, particularly during the 19th and 20th centuries, and in turn benefited from state policies, infrastructure, and legal frameworks that reinforced its prestige and global competitiveness.

Third, the thesis challenges the idea of a zero-sum relationship between globalisation and nation-building. Rather than seeing globalisation as undermining national sovereignty or identity, I show how it has been strategically harnessed by the Swiss state and industry to reinforce national narratives. In this sense, globalisation and national identity operate in a synergistic rather than contradictory way.

Finally, I show through the interviews how different positions within the industry shape different understandings of Swissness, labour value, and industrial change. While the symbolic power of the Swiss Made label is widely acknowledged, many actors also express ambivalence or critique regarding its legal definitions, its role in hiding global dependencies, or its implications for labour hierarchies.

What could be the social and political implications of your thesis?

My thesis has several social and political implications. First, it challenges dominant narratives about national identity and economic sovereignty. In public and political discourse, national industries like Swiss watchmaking are often portrayed as bastions of tradition, self-sufficiency, and local excellence. By revealing the extent to which this industry relies on global supply chains, transnational labour, and international markets, my research questions the authenticity of such narratives. This has implications for how we think about national branding, protectionism, and industrial policy — not only in Switzerland but more broadly.

Second, the thesis contributes to debates about globalisation by showing that it does not necessarily erode nation-states. On the contrary, in the Swiss case, globalisation has been used strategically to reinforce national identity and prestige. This calls for a more nuanced understanding of how states and industries adapt to and co-produce global processes, rather than simply being their victims or passive recipients.

Third, there are labour and social implications. The symbolic value of the Swiss Made label often obscures the real conditions of production — especially the roles played by migrant labour, subcontracted workers, and global extraction networks. Making these hidden layers visible raises ethical questions about who contributes to national wealth and prestige, and who is excluded from its symbolic and material rewards.

Finally, my research opens up a broader reflection on the politics of representation: how national identity is constructed, who gets to define it, and how certain histories and dependencies are made visible or invisible. This is particularly relevant in a context where nationalist discourses are resurging across Europe and beyond, often relying on idealised, decontextualised visions of national economies and traditions.

Speaking of protectionism and nationalism, do you think that President Trump’s decision to impose a 39% tariff on Swiss imports into the United States will affect Switzerland’s national imaginary — even if we hope that he will amend his decision?

As I show in my thesis, much of what carries the name or image of Swissness is ambiguous, imagined and contradictory. It is the result of narratives, branding, and symbolic associations that extend far beyond the country’s borders. This is not unique to Switzerland. Other nations also cultivate such imaginaries: President Trump’s fixation on “American goods” raises the same question — what exactly makes a product American? Is it manufactured domestically, assembled from imported parts, or simply branded by a company registered in the United States?

Once we ask these questions, it becomes clear that national products are deeply embedded in global supply chains. Watches labelled “Swiss” often depend on materials, components, and expertise sourced from multiple countries; the same is true for many so-called American products. Without acknowledging this reality, waging trade wars on the basis of national labels risks damaging far more than the targeted countries. It disrupts the complex networks of production and exchange that link economies worldwide.

This type of economic nationalism, which is overfocusing on the nationality of goods, will not address the underlying problem: the deep social inequalities created in the preceding decades by the neoliberal economic order. These inequalities have fuelled discontent and political polarisation, yet shifting the focus to “national” goods does nothing to resolve them. What is needed instead is a new economic framework — one that preserves openness while ensuring fair redistribution and robust social protections transnationally.

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On 5 June 2025, Théo Sacha Pilowsky defended his PhD thesis in Anthropology and Sociology, titled “Sociologie économique et historique de l’industrie horlogère suisse: temps, nation, globalisation”. Senior Lecturer Yvan Droz presided over the committee, which included Professor Jean-François Bayart, Thesis Director, and, as external reader, Giulia Mensitieri, chargée de recherche, Centre lillois d’études et de recherches sociologiques et économiques (Clersé), Université de Lille, France.

Citation of the PhD thesis: 
Pilowsky, Théo Sacha. “Sociologie économique et historique de l’industrie horlogère suisse: temps, nation, globalisation.” PhD thesis, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, 2025.
Access:
The thesis is available in public access in the Geneva Graduate Institute’s repository.

Banner image: ocphoto/Shutterstock.
Interview by Nathalie Tanner, Research Office.