The lion’s share of high-end watch brands come from French- and German-speaking regions, so the correct pronunciations of their names are not always obvious or easy for speakers of other languages.
In this highly entertaining video by our friends at The Watches TV, Marc-André Deschoux takes to the streets of Geneva to get some . . . um . . . fun pronunciations to demonstrate how not to say the names before moving on to the correct pronunciations, which Deschoux expertly rolls off his loquacious tongue.
I hope you enjoy this amusing 14 minutes of watch fun as much as I did.
For more videos from the world of watchmaking, visit www.watchestv.com.
* This article was first published on July 16, 2020 at Are You Pronouncing Your Favorite Watch Brand Names Correctly? Here Are A Few That You May Be Getting Wrong And How To Say Them Correctly (Video).
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Thanks for the repost!
One tiny comment: French and Swiss-French pronunciation does actually differ. The Swiss place the emphasis firmly on the first syllable of the word or name rather than on the second or last as in France. On several amusing occasions I have witnessed aficionados trying to correct Swiss watch dealers on the correct way to pronounce their own Swiss brands ….
Yes, that’s true. And funny enough, the German speakers do the same!
I liked the video and that little cute girl who was pronouncing a brand name.
I used to worry about this, till I heard JLC pronounced by a rep. from the company, and at a later time when I used that same pronunciation at a watch dealer, I was “corrected” by a sales-person. I recently saw a youtube video about picking out “the perfect 3 watch collection” at a NY dealer, and the sales-person keeps using the weirdest pronunciation for JLC that I’ve ever heard. Given the choices, I’m going to go with the person who actually works for JLC.
Saying something like “Oh-mee-guh” at a dealer, is also a great way to weed out snotty sales people.
Ha ha, very good point!
Found the video I was referring to. What is this guy even saying: “zhay-zhay”?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dadhk7nktkw&t=926s
Yeah, he’s emulating the French pronunciation of the word “Jaeger.”
That’s the correct original pronunciation, although maybe a degree removed from the ideal of a natural French speaker. Think of the French word for ‘I’ – Je – and how the ‘J’ is pronounced; then think of the French word for ‘to eat’ – manger – to understand how the ‘ger’ is pronounced.
‘Yay-gerr’ would be the pronunciation of the German word for types of infantry. I think the pronunciation ‘Jay-gerr’ is fine for a native English speaker, though. We’re too reverential sometimes.
The German word “Jaeger” (actually Jäger) means hunter…and German speakers do pronounce that word the German way in this brand name. It’s been my experience that both pronunciations are equally acceptable within the industry. While Edmond Jaeger was French from today’s viewpoint, he was actually born in the Alsace at a time (1850) when ownership of the region was going back and forth between France and Germany. I only live a few kilometers away from this region, and I can tell you that the dialect they (still) speak is a good mix of the two languages. He went to Paris in 1880, but very likely spoke both languages himself as well as the native dialect, which is also very likely why no one is particularly bothered whether it’s pronounced the German or French way. It’s a very interesting discussion altogether and I love all the perspectives.
Ah, so ‘Yay-gerr’ ist gut. Thank you for the info! Nice area to live, btw.
Yes, “Jäger” ist auch gut! And, yes, it is a very nice area, we really enjoy it!
I’m guessing Ensisheim isn’t too far from you? Was only watching Herzog’s ‘Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds’ last week, and the regime-affirming effect a 15th century meteor strike had for Habsburg rule.
We’re somewhat further north, but general area, yes. I wasn’t familiar with ‘Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds’ but now I really want to watch it. Is that on Apple TV?
Yes, it does seem to be. Like all Herzog’s documentaries it’s very well-made and is imbued with a certain atmosphere through the combination of beautiful cinematography and Herzog’s quirky narration.