Results for Swatch

Will Coronavirus, and a recession, shorten that waiting list you’re still on? An economics professor and a former Swatch Group MD weigh in…

Entire nations forced under lockdown, airlines teetering on the brink of collapse, fistfights erupting over rolls of toilet paper … Coronavirus has rocked the planet and God knows what life will be like when ‘normality’ resumes. It’s unlikely to be normal as we knew it, that’s for sure. In such desperate times, it may seem … ContinuedThe post Will Coronavirus, and a recession, shorten that waiting list you’re still on? An economics professor and a former Swatch Group MD weigh in… appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

INTRODUCING: The Swatch Sistem51 receives an elegance upgrade with the Petite Seconde

The Swatch Sistem51 collection centres its value proposition around two things the rest of the Swiss watch industry finds very much at odds - technical innovation and affordability. With the new Swatch Sistem51 Petite Seconde, we get both of those things in a classically dressed-up package, with the centre seconds of previous models moved to a … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Swatch Sistem51 receives an elegance upgrade with the Petite Seconde appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Swatch or Patek, what would you wear if you were President? USA vs Australian Presidents and PMs decide…

It’s a surprisingly vexed question. You get voted into office as a Prime Minister or President, and suddenly the public’s attention turns to your wrist. Do you continue to wear the watches you’ve worked so hard to acquire? Or do you suddenly downgrade your wrist to what you were wearing when you were in short … ContinuedThe post Swatch or Patek, what would you wear if you were President? USA vs Australian Presidents and PMs decide… appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Swatch Sistem51 Petite Seconde

After its release in 2013, the Swatch Sistem51 collection has proven itself as a fun, geeky, and affordable option for the mechanically-obsessed collector looking for more out of the Swatch brand.

New and reviewed: Swatch Q Watch and six other 007 watches

Swatch released 7 watches the Bond franchise. The first 6 after 6 of the movie icons. And the 7th for Q. Here is our detailed review for Swatch Q.

What are these Swatch X 007 watches I’m seeing and can I still buy them?

Swatch just dropped their latest James Bond collaboration – the Swatch X 007 Tribute Collection – and the big question on everyone’s lips is … can you still buy these exclusive models? And the answer is: sort of. A quick peruse of Swatch Australia’s ecommerce page shows that some models are still available, while others … ContinuedThe post What are these Swatch X 007 watches I’m seeing and can I still buy them? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Business News: Swatch Group Takes Legal Action Against COMCO

Just before the new year, Swiss competition regulator COMCO, also known by its German acronym Weko, announced a provisional suspension of ETA’s right to sell movements to third-party brands. Once the dominant supplier of mechanical movements in Switzerland, ETA and its parent Swatch Group have been embroiled in a decades-long dispute with COMCO over the movement maker’s allegedly anticompetitive practices. Now the dispute between Switzerland’s largest watchmaking group and COMCO has taken a fresh turn with the Swatch Group filing a complaint with the Swiss federal court on January 20, demanding a repeal of COMCO’s decision to suspend sales, a move first reported by Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ). An example of an ETA movement with upgraded features that ETA only supplies to sister brands; seen here inside a Hamilton According to the competition agency, the suspension of sales is meant to further weaken ETA’s market power as a major movement supplier, while allowing space for other movement suppliers to ramp up production and build their order books. The suspension remains in force until summer 2020, when COMCO will reach a final verdict on ETA’s rights and obligations. COMCO did allow a narrow exception to the ban, allowing ETA to sell its movements to small- and medium-sized watch brands that are existing clients. But the exception came a stipulation: Swatch Group has to treat all clients equally, which means selling movements to one small brand...

Swatch Introduces the James Bond 007 Collection

Ahead of the upcoming James Bond film No Time to Die, Swatch has unveiled the Swatch X 007 capsule collection. Each of the watches in the line-up are inspired by the elaborate title credits and artwork that have become a signature of the James Bond film franchise. The collection takes inspiration from films across the decades, ranging from classics like Dr No, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Moonraker, and Licence to Kill, to recent instalments like The World is Not Enough and Casino Royale. Swatch is no stranger to the British super spy, having launched several 007 collections over the years, some of which have gone on to collectors’ items. Amongst the most successful editions is the James Bond 40th anniversary set of watches presented in a briefcase of 2002, the 22-piece collection of watches modelled on notable Bond villains of 2008. The 007 Villains collection (left), and the anniversary briefcase. Photo – Sotheby’s From Connery to Craig Each packaged in a box resembling a VHS cassette tape – something consumers below a certain age will probably not recognise – the watches in the Swatch X 007 collection are offered in two sizes, depending on the model. The watches inspired by Licence to Kill and Casino Royale are in the original, 34 mm “Gent” case, while the Moonraker, Dr No, The World is Not Enough, and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service editions are a more modern 41 mm and presented in the “New Gent” case style. Licence to Kill and Cas...

Introducing: Swatch X 007 Collection Captures The Spirit Of Iconic Bond Imagery

These films have been formatted to fit your wrist.

Swatch Group Cancels Time to Move 2020

Business News: Swatch Group Annual Profit Falls with Hong Kong Slowdown

Hong Kong’s political unrest has resulted in the first fall in annual profits at the Swatch Group since 2018. The world’s biggest watchmaking group, which owns brands like Omega and Longines, just announced its 2019 results, showing declines in both sales and profits. Net profit fell 13.7%, while sales declined 1.8% at constant exchange rates, or 2.7% at current rates, to 8.24 billion francs. The drops in profit and sales were primarily due to a drastic contraction of its business in Hong Kong – a city with a population of just 7.4 million – where Swatch Group owns over 90 retail stores, largely catering to shoppers from the China. Sales in Hong Kong for the second half of 2019 fell by 200 million francs. While Hong Kong was the key driver of the decline, it was not the only one. The luxury watch business in general is suffering from anaemic growth, which is also evidenced by the watch division results at diversified luxury groups like LVMH and Kering. On a more positive note, Swatch Group has managed to fulfil its stated aims of reducing operating expenditure and thinning inventory. Operating expenses dipped about 6%, while operating cash flow rose 30% in 2019. And after several consecutive years of growth, the group’s inventories declined by 1% in 2019, to a still-substantial 6.85 billion francs at cost. It’ll be a slow 2020… With Swatch Group predicting the situation in Hong Kong will continue to be “challenging” in 2020, it is in a weaker positio...

New fun watch: Swatch Big Bold Jellyfish

Swatch updates its latest product line the Big Bold with a striking watch - the recreation of the popular see through case first seen on the Jellyfish.

In-Depth: Swatch Group Battles With COMCO Over ETA Movement Sales

At issue is whether Sellita really will be able to compete with ETA in an open market for mechanical watch movements.  

Swatch Introduces the Big Bold Jelly

One of the iconic Swatch watches from its 1980s heyday was the Jelly Fish (ref. GZ010), which was unveiled in 1983, the same year Swatch itself was launched. A quartz movement entirely exposed in a clear plastic case – accented with brightly coloured hands – the Jelly Fish was a bestseller that encapsulated what Swatch was all about: no-frills but fun watchmaking. The Jelly Fish remained in production, in one form or another – there was even a COSC-certified chronometer limited edition (GK124) in 1990 – for over two decades. Now the spirit of the Jelly Fish returns as the Big Bold Jelly, essentially the same idea but in a larger watch case. The Big Bold Jelly features a quartz movement inside a Big Bold case, just like the recent limited editions created in collaboration with fashion label A Bathing Ape (BAPE). The case is a large 47mm in diameter, with the crown unusually positioned at two o’clock. But just as with the original Jelly Fish, the case is clear plastic, while the band is translucent silicone. And the hands are rendered in bright colours – red, yellow and blue – with a bit more colour provided by the gilded wheels within the movement. Key facts and price Big Bold Jelly Ref. SO27E100 Diameter: 47mm Height: 11.75mm Material: Clear plastic Water resistance: 30m Movement: Quartz Functions: Hours, minutes, and seconds Strap: Silicone with aluminium pin buckle Availability: At Swatch stores Price: US$110 For more information, visit Swatch.co...

Swatch Group Furious Over Antitrust Agency’s Impending Movement Sale Ban

The Swiss Competition Commission will ban ETA from supplying movements to all third-party customers in 2020, starting 1st January; Swatch Group calls foul.

Photo Report: The SWATCH SISTEM51 HODINKEE GENERATION 1986 Launch Party In Times Square

Bright lights, big city.

Just Because: My Top Picks From The Upcoming 'Swatch, The All It Takes Is The Will To Do It Exhibition'

Phillips smashes it out of the park with a killer collection of ready-to-buy vintage Swatch watches.

Swatch Inaugurates New Headquarters in Biel

A long snaking building that stretches some 240m, the new Swatch headquarters in Biel, or Bienne in French, is the culmination of five years of work. Selling about 9.5m watches a year for about 450m Swiss francs of revenue, according to Swiss bank Vontobel, Swatch was the foundational company of its parent, the aptly named Swatch Group, which also owns Omega and Longines. Like many of its parent company’s recent projects, the Swatch building was designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, the 2014 Pritzker Prize winner who is best known for his works of wood or paper, as well as his temporary structures for humanitarian aid. Its new home is covered in a honeycomb timber grid that incorporates windows, nine balconies and solar panels. Visible from the inside is the Swatch logo, derived from the Swiss cross, incorporated into some of the grid’s cells. And hidden within the structure is a network of wires and cables for telecommunications, electricity and the like. The Swatch headquarters, with the Omega building at the far left The Swatch building ends in La Cite du Temps, which sits in front of the Omega factory and headquarters Shigeru Ban, Nayla Hayek, and Nick Hayek Jr at the opening ceremony on October 3, 2019 The glass-walled Swatch store in front of the new headquarters With the new headquarters in the background Light, flexible and sustainable, the timber beams used for the outer structure number some 4,600, all precisely cut to fit with join with each other per...

Swatch Tresor Magique: The Watch Harry Potter Would Have Worn

The Swatch Tresor Magique might have a platinum case, but it looks like something Harry Potter would have appreciated wearing while attending classes at Hogwarts. However, there is more that is even notable about this watch, which Martin Green divulges here.

Is A Richemont And Swatch Group Takeover Or Merger A Possibility? Here’s Why It’s Worth Consideration

What would a corporate acquisition of Richemont or Swatch Group look like? What players might be involved? How could this affect the watch-buying and collecting community? Chris Malburg sets out his opinion in this must-read article.

Bring a Loupe: A Platinum Swatch, An Oversized Eberhard, And A Gold Heuer Carrera

Our weekly picks of watches from around the web.

In the Haus with the new Bau Swatch Collection

To celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Bauhaus design movement, Swatch have released the Bau Swatch Collection of 25 new watches inspired by the pre-WWII German school of design. The Bauhaus design philosophy has had significant impact on a number of watch designs over the years, including from Patek Philippe, Nomos and Stowa. Now Swatch … ContinuedThe post In the Haus with the new Bau Swatch Collection appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

BUSINESS NEWS: Why the Swatch Group has millions of watches sitting in warehouses

The Swatch Group have published their 2019 Half-Year Report, revealing some interesting information. The group has reported an increase in their inventory levels, which include components, movements and watches, to a total of 7.1 billion Swiss francs (up 2.6 per cent from 2018). More broadly, the group, which owns brands such as Tissot, Longines and … ContinuedThe post BUSINESS NEWS: Why the Swatch Group has millions of watches sitting in warehouses appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Business News: Richemont and Swatch Results; Massive Inventories at Swatch

Swiss watchmaking groups Richemont and Swatch Group just announced their first quarter and six-month results for 2019 respectively, with each going in opposite directions. Owner of brands like Cartier, IWC and Panerai, Richemont saw growth across most segments and regions. Overall sales were up 12% at constant exchange rates, with every region growing in the low teens save for the Middle East and Africa. Sales in Asia grew 10%, led by China, where demand is up due to lower taxes locally on luxury goods and more stringent checks on travellers importing items bought overseas. Most notable was the performance of its online channels, namely luxury fashion mall Yoox Net-a-Porter (YNAP), pre-owned watch merchant Watchfinder, and to a lesser extent. That growth is from a low base of comparison: last year’s first quarter for each platform was only two and one month respectively. That being said, online sales are still substantial, rising to 50% to €648m, almost equal to the €698m of sales in the Americas as a whole. The group’s watchmaking brands, which include A. Lange & Söhne and Vacheron Constantin, saw overall sales dip 2%. This was attributed to a reduction in the number of sales channels as well as reduced orders of new product by retailers. Up in Biel, where the Swatch Group has its headquarters, half-year sales were down 3.7% at constant exchange rates, to 4.07 billion Swiss francs. Net profit followed suit, shrinking 11.3% to 415m francs. For the full year, howe...

In-Depth: Taking The Swatch Group Manufacture Tour

Two hundred reporters, three days, six towns, six brands, zero Baselworld.