# Fab Suisse



## Bobby Jones (Apr 11, 2018)

The wording Fab Suisse on my 1951 JW Benson movement.

Is it unusual to find this wording "Fab Suisse" on a watch like this?

The info I have found below talks about the wording on the watch dial.

Quote from another forum...

The following is a message posted on the Horological Meandering discussion forum, by Marv, on June 14, 2011, addressing the question of why certain watches bear the marking, "Fab. Suisse".

There was a French law (Art 15. de la loi du 11 janvier 1892) that said that it was prohibited to import into France any product whose brand, name, sign or mark could mislead the consumer, in the sense that it could be understood as having been produced in France whereas it was not the case.

In 1924, a very strict interpretation of that law applied: a brand name that had a "French" origin or meaning could be considered on its own as a misleading mark! Even a brand with a foreign name, but with one subsidiary in France, was concerned! Therefore, many Swiss brands were concerned by this strict rule.

In order to be allowed to import watches into France, many Swiss watchmakers had to add a "legal rider" on the dial to explicitly mention the Swiss origin: "Importé de …", "Fabrique en …". There was a tolerance for the watches whose dial was too small to have the whole rider printed. In that case, the short "Fab. Suisse" was accepted.


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## gimli (Mar 24, 2016)

Well you've answered your own question I would say. It's not unusual but you're not going to find as many FAB SUISSE watches as SWISS/SWISS MADE.

Also, at some point that french law ceased to exist...


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