It's not the same. If you become a watchmaker in Switzerland, you'll have to do a 4 years apprenticeship/vocational education and to become a master takes years

It's not the same. If you become a watchmaker in Switzerland, you'll have to do a 4 years apprenticeship/vocational education and to become a master takes years. Those people are well paid, because the GDP per capita in Switzerland is quite high and the salaries of people in this industry is high. Yes, a Seiko gives you the same, but a Swiss Certina also gives you the same for a much lower price. There are over 100 swiss watch brands and you don't have to pick a luxury brand to get a decent mechanical/automatic watch. You won't get all the hand-made stuff or heritage for that price though.