Swatch are a brand that is all about people. About turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, at every possible step. Through it’s design and heritage, the brand celebrate the joy of life. A mentality that shines bright in to the style and aesthetic of their products! A brand that is ideal for those who love art, design, sports and the most exciting lifestyle trends.
We are very happy to be able to now bring Swatch to First Class Watches! A fantastic, diverse brand, for all ages, genders and personalities! These watches can now be found online and in-store!
Take a look below to find out a little more about the brand, and if you have any questions, just get in touch at info@firstclasswatches.co.uk
Shop the full range of Swatch watches here!
The History of Swatch
Swatch began in the early 1980’s under the leadership of the CEO of ETA SA, Ernst Thomke. The brand started with only a small team of engineers, led by Elmar Mock and Jacques Müller. Thomke also hired a marketing consultant, Franz Sprecher, to give the project an outsiders consideration. The project being a timepiece in plastic, that would offer a fashionable look too.
The original plan for Swatch was to re-capture the entry level market share that had been lost by Swiss manufacturers during the quartz crisis. They were looking to regain the market back from Japanese companies that had grown through the 60’s and 70’s, such as Seiko and Citizen. They also aimed to re-popularize the analogue watch, at a time that digital pieces were becoming more and more popular themselves.
In 1983, the group hired Jacques Irniger. A marketing executive who formerly worked for Colgate and Nestlé. His job was to launch the swatch. Following this, the first collection was introduced on March 1st of the same year in Zürich, Switzerland. This first collection was made up of twelve models, with the price ranging from around CHF 39.90 to CHF 49.90 (roughly £33 – £41).
Sales targets for the brand were set to a huge one million pieces for 1983, and 2.5 for the following year. Using an aggressive marketing strategy, and very competitive pricing for a Swiss watch, it gained instant popularity. Compared to conventional timepieces, these models were a massive 80% cheaper to produce, without any loss of accuracy. This is why we still see the fantastic low prices today, but can also guarantee accuracy and reliability too!
Following the success of the brand, in 1985, a Lebanese entrepreneur, Nicolas G. Hayek, alongside a group of Swiss investors, took over the majority shareholding of Swatch. This newly consolidated group was named Societe Suisse de Microelectronique et d’Horologerie, or SMH. Hayek became the chairman of the board of directors, and CEO in 1986, and later went on to rename the company to Swatch Group, the company we know today.
This was a fantastic combination for the brand, combining marketing and manufacturing expertise to bring Switzerland back in to the market as a major player in the world of watches. Swatch developed and used innovative synthetic materials for the watch-cases, as well as a new ultra-sonic welding process and assembly technology. This is a brand that have not stopped changing and innovating to improve their product, and still remain one of the most popular, and well known brands around the world.
We will be bringing you much more information on the brand, and all of the individual collection soon, so keep an eye on the blog for those!
