One thing that always puzzled me.
During WWII the Swiss made watch movements for both sides. In which case, how did they ship out the movements for the allies during hostilities?
Maybe this is of interest?
From
The Economics of Neutrality: Spain, Sweden and Switzerland in the Second World War by Eric Golson.
Watches, Timepieces and Detonators for the Allies:
No previous studies have resolved the importance of Swiss precision timepieces for the US and the Allies. Whether for Army, Navy, Air Force or even Special Forces, watches and timepieces allow for the accurate coordination and synchronization of units; they also provide precise timing for navigation and devices such as detonators. During the Second World War, the American and British watch industries were not sufficiently developed to offer such precision in the mass quantities required by their war effort. The principal source for such precision timepieces was Switzerland. Allied watch requirements versus availability demanded the rationing of timepieces, with allocations of military supplies typically only to officers and enlisted men, who needed watches to perform their duties.
This rationing was a direct result of shortages of accurate and precision timepieces in the Allied sphere; acquiring extra precision timepieces was a priority amongst Allied economic planners. Correspondence from the Swiss Embassy in Washington DC indicates that the US authorities were confiscating Swiss watches destined for other North and South American countries, including other Allies, in order to boost their own supplies. They did this despite American and British complaints about similar German tactics throughout this period.
Swiss watches purchased by the United States and other American countries were considered priority exports. They were typically taken to Portugal or the UK. From there, they were flown to the East Coast of the US for onward shipment in the Americas. Available correspondence suggests that, during 1943 and 1944, watches destined for other American countries, both Allies and neutrals, were confiscated at the US ports while awaiting onward shipment.
Table 4.12: United States Imports of Swiss Watches and Movements, 1942‐1944 (in thousands) Year Total Swiss Exports Net United States Imports As a % of total Swiss Exports
1942 13,958 5,293 38%
1943 14,533 7,994 55%
1944 11,838 6,500 54%
Sources: NARA RG107/160/929, folder marked “Watches for Post Exchange,” memo dated 3 May 1945. Notes: includes both finished watches and movements.
A 1944 memo quoting the Chief of the Clock and Watch Unit of the War Production Board provides new statistics for the number of Swiss watches that actually reached the US. Whereas official Swiss statistics indicate that the Americans purchased 28% of Swiss watch exports in 1942, American import figures put the levels considerably higher.
As seen in Table 4.12, at the peak of Swiss wartime export production in 1943, the US was absorbing nearly 8 million of the 14.5 million watches and movements produced; this equates to just over 55% of Swiss exports, compared with the official figure of 35%. Similar differences were recorded in 1942 and 1944. Switzerland was the main American supplier, with an estimated 33 million watches sent to the United States during the war, over two‐thirds of American supplies.566 But even after diverting Swiss watches from other destinations, the rate of imports could not satisfy American demand.
Army correspondence indicates annual shortages in millions throughout 1942‐1944.567 Unfortunately, because of a lack of specific data it is difficult to know exactly how many watches the United States expropriated from third‐party neutrals.