Swatch Group-Swiss Mechanical Watch Movements by Swiss Watchmake

The Swatch Group takes its name from the extraordinarily successful story of Swatch, one of the world's most widely recognized consumer brand names. The Swatch Group Ltd. is the number one manufacturer of finished watches in the world. The Swatch Group operates 156 production centres, primarily in Switzerland, but also in France, Germany, Italy, Thailand, Malaysia and China.

Although the Swatch Group today includes some prestige luxury watch brands, the initial emphasis was on the lower end of the market. The name "Swatch" stands not for "Swiss Watch" as is often thought but for "Second Watch". The initial philosophy behind Swatch was that people would buy inexpensive second-or even third-watches with the emphasis on style and fashion.

The Swatch History

Swatch is a relatively new name in the field of watchmaking. The company was initially formed in 1983 by the merger of Swiss watch companies ASUAG and SSIH. The company was initially named "SMH Swiss Corporation for Microelectronics and Watchmaking Industries Ltd". This incredibly cumbersome name was changed in 1998 to The Swatch Group.

The initial merger of the two companies was prompted by the Hayek Study. Nicolas G. Hayek was given the task of mapping out a survival strategy for ASUAG and SSIH, both of which had been through troubled times, and Swatch was the ultimate result.

Swatch is without doubt the most successful wristwatch of all time. The secret of its success is the Hayek' management.

High-End Swatch Brands

Since its formation, the company puts its emphasis on the consumer market. Nowadays, some high-end brands are owned and distributed by the Swatch Group. Some of the most prestigious brands that belong to the Swatch group include Blancpain, Breguet Rado and Omega.

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