jason_recliner wrote: ↑December 12th 2021, 6:57am
Yeah, I really like the Unimatics. Cool new brand. I wonder how much is actually made in Italy though.
They are marked "made in Italy" which imparts, as far as I can tell, that a product so marked must be 100% conceived, designed, made, and packaged, in Italy. Given labeling law wasn't my major, I can't be certain, and it does appear there may be some wiggle room. Consider the following:
Italy
The “Made in Italy” labeling requirements – an initiative funded by the Italian government and one that is considered a national economic resource – requires that products be completely manufactured in the country: components, design, the works. In 2011, the Italian Supreme Court clarified the standard in a case in which a leather goods manufacturer had been found to have imported leather goods made in China with the indication ‘vera pelle Italy’ (‘genuine leather Italy’). The lower court found that the goods were effectively made in China with Italian leather and that a small adhesive label on the product – bearing the words ‘Made in PRC’ – indicated their Chinese origin. Nevertheless, the Appeals Court ruled against the manufacturer, holding that the adhesive label was insufficient to prevent consumers from being misled as to the origin of the products.
The Supreme Court overturned the decision, confirming that ‘origin’ does not refer to provenance from a particular place; rather, it refers to provenance from a specific manufacturer which guarantees quality control in the manufacturing process and bears sole responsibility in respect of consumers. The fact that a product is manufactured abroad on behalf of an Italian manufacturer that guarantees its quality is irrelevant if the words‘Made in Italy’ are used fraudulently to suggest to consumers that the product has been manufactured entirely in Italy. I have no clue what would constitute such a fraud - it would seem to me that including the mark "Made in Italy" means just that given the definition for its use.
https://www.thefashionlaw.com/the-law-o ... d-to-know/
The article also lists the labeling requirements for the US and France.
Wikipedia states definitively:
In 2009, the Italian law 135[6] stated that only products totally made in Italy (planning, manufacturing and packaging) are allowed to use the labels Made in Italy, 100% Made in Italy, 100% Italia, tutto italiano in every language, with or without the flag of Italy. Each abuse is punished by the Italian law.[7]
The above is based on the following reference from the Way Back Machine:
[7]V Made in Italy e lotta alla contraffazione Archived 2014-03-24 at the Wayback Machine leg16.camera.it
https://web.archive.org/web/20140324050 ... raffazione
The text is posted in Italian, although there are English translations that support the 100% standard- this is the actual legislation and shouldn't be too tough to translate to English if you are so inclined in your mind to.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Made_in_Italy
Given the advanced levels of manufacturing in Italy, particularly in the automotive industry, it's not inconceivable that Unimatics could be 100% made in Italy (cases and other machined parts, dials, handsets, straps, bracelets, crystals and Sew fourth). Given Unimatic is transparent about their use of sourced movements, I suspect they would still qualify to use the mark. Had they not revealed the source of the movements, and say, assigned movements with UM caliber numbers, perhaps such would constitute the type fraud the Italian Supreme Court spoke about in their ruling.
At any rate, the Italian standard appears to be amongst the strictest in the world on par with that of France where manufacturers must prove their products have earned the privilege of being marked "Made in France". The US requires 95% of the components in a product marked "Made in the USA" be 100% made in the USA. In fact, since looking into marking regulations, after a cursory search, the FH's 60% benchmark is actually among the weakest in the world .