Swatch Group History (today)

The Swatch Group today

The Swatch Group Ltd. is the number one manufacturer of finished watches in the world. The Group is active in the manufacture of finished watches, jewelry, and watch movements and components. It produces nearly all of the components necessary to manufacture the watches sold under its 19 watch brands and the multi-brand Tourbillon retail label, as well as the entire Swiss watchmaking industry. In addition, it operates its own worldwide network of distribution organizations. The Swatch Group is also a key player in the electronic systems sector.

The Swatch Group takes its name from the extraordinarily successful story of Swatch, one of the world’s most widely recognized consumer brand names. Less than 30 years ago, the Swiss watchmaking industry was battling a serious crisis; the first Swatch watches were released in 1983. The years since then have seen the recovery of the Swiss watchmaking industry as a whole, and the establishment of The Swatch Group as a strong, diversified industrial holding. This solid foundation has allowed the Group to broaden its reach and extend its range of brands. Today, the Swatch Group offers watches in all price categories, and Swatch Group monobrands and the multibrand Tourbillon retail mark hold leadership positions in all market segments:
– Breguet, Blancpain, Glashütte-Original, Léon Hatot, Jaquet-Droz, Omega and soon Tiffany & Co. in the Prestige and Luxury range;
– Longines, Rado and Union Glashütte in the high range;
– Tissot, ck Calvin Klein, Certina, Mido, Hamilton and Balmain in the middle range;
– Swatch and Flik Flak in the basic range segment;
– Endura in the private-label segment;
– Tourbillon, the retail mark under which all selected Swatch Group watch and jewelry brands of the Prestige and Luxury range, as well as Swatch products are offered in a unique and exclusive multi-brand environment.

Today, the Swatch Group continues to invest heavily in research and development, driving the steady expansion of its leading position in materials and process technologies and in product design and manufacturing. In particular, the Swatch Group engages in significant development activities in microelectronics and micromechanics. The Group is also active in the field of telecommunications and in the automobile and service sectors. Sports timing and measurement technologies, although not a core business, play a key role in terms of brand and Group visibility. A strong number of Swatch Group companies serve as official timekeepers at a variety of international sports events, including the Olympic Games.