Swatch

The Swatch Group Ltd. in Biel (Switzerland) is today the largest manufacturer and distributor of finished watches in the world. In terms of sales (in Swiss francs) the Swatch Group represents some 25% of the watch production sales in the world. In 2001 the Group produced some 114 million watches, movements and stepping motors, with yearly sales of 4182 million Swiss francs. The Swatch Group has 160 production centers situated mainly in Switzerland, but also in France, Germany, Italy, USA, Virgin Islands, Thailand, Malaysia and China - over 440 reporting units.

The Swatch Group is synonym for emotional and luxury products of high quality. With its own worldwide network of distribution organizations, the Group is active in the manufacture of finished watches, movements and components (ETA, Nouvelle Lemania, Fr�d�ric Piguet, etc.). It produces practically all the components necessary to its eighteen watch brand companies. The Swatch Group offers watches in all price and market categories:

* Breguet, Blancpain, Jaquet-Droz, Glash�tte-Original/Union, L�on Hatot, Omega, Longines and Rado in the luxury, prestige and the top range segment
* Tissot, Calvin Klein, Certina, Mido, Hamilton and Pierre Balmain in the middle segment
* Swatch and Flik Flak in the basic segment
* and Endura produces "private label" watches whose prices vary according to the customer's wishes

But the Swatch Group is not only a watchmaking group. Research and development of state-of-the-art products and technologies play a major role in its activities. Microelectronics (e.g. EM Microelectronic-Marin - low power, low-voltage) and micromechanics represent another important part of its operations. The Swatch Group is also active in the field of telecommunications and the automobile sector as well as in the service sector. This includes sports timing which measures the time at multiple international sports events and most of the Olympic Games. The Swatch Group is also official timekeeper and data handling operator for the Olympic Games in Athens, Torino, Beijing and other cities.

The Swatch Group adopted its present name in 1998 (since 1986 it had been called SMH Swiss Corporation for Microelectronics and Watchmaking Industries Ltd. The change has been made because of the difficulty in adapting the name and its the abbreviation "SMH" into other languages). The group was founded in 1983 through the merging of the two Swiss watch manufacturers ASUAG and SSIH.