Word: swiss
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...also receive insignia neckties, umbrellas and hats, while the 1954 graduates are being given shirts, tote bags and cassette tapes of "Voices of Harvard," made for the University's 350th anniversary. But members of the class of 1964, in addition to mugs and shirts, will take away a Harvard Swiss army knife...
Once upon a time, high-quality watches ticked, had mechanical movements (hand- wound or self-winding) and almost always came from Switzerland. But that was before the onslaught of Japanese quartz watches dealt a near deathblow to the Swiss industry. Now Swiss watchmakers, who survived by converting to quartz technology, plan to turn back the clock...
...being led by Societe Suisse de Microelectronique et d'Horlogerie, originator of the popular quartz Swatch Watch. The company has - produced six prototypes of a mechanical, self-winding version of the Swatch, which will probably go on sale next year for about $40. Though quartz models constituted 90% of Swiss-made watches last year, the mechanical versions could account for half of all sales...
...revival has two motives. One is that the tiny batteries needed to power quartz watches are not widely available in Third World nations, where the Swiss want to expand exports. The other is competition from an unlikely source: the Soviet Union. Clunky Soviet watches -- often made with Swiss tools bought a decade ago -- are now the rage in Europe...
Gaddafi, who put $10 million in trust to fund the award, had no say in choosing the winner. Swiss Socialist Deputy Jean Ziegler, a member of the jury that selected Mandela, said "ironclad guarantees" assured that Tripoli's influence would not be felt in Geneva. Nonetheless, human rights activists were clearly worried about the new philanthropist. Said an official of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: "If the jury would consider people like Salman Rushdie, it would give more credibility to its independence...