Businessweek

The Swatch Group AG operates as a manufacturer and distributor of finished watches worldwide. It produces watches and movements for watches or analog systems. The company also engages in the design, production, and marketing of electronic components. It provides general services, and research and development activities. The company’s activities are organized into in four operating segments that include Watches segment, which markets finished watches; Watch production segment manufactures watches and watch movements; Electronic systems segment engages in the design, production and marketing of electronic components; and General services segment, which serves and finance companies, research and development, and real estate companies. The company offers Breguet, Blancpain, Jaquet-Droz, Glashutte-Original/Union, Leon Hatot, Omega, Longines and Rado in the luxury segment; Tissot, Calvin Klein, Certina, Mido, Hamilton and Pierre Balmain in the middle segment; and Swatch and Flik Flak in the basic segment. Endura produces ‘private label’ watches. The company 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. In January 2008, Swatch Group and Tiffany & Co. have signed a 20-year deal to develop, produce and distribute Tiffany watches worldwide. Under the terms of the agreement, a new incorporated company wholly owned by Swatch would be established in Switzerland, and would be authorized to use Tiffany's trademarks and operate under the Tiffany name. The distribution network of the new range of Tiffany watches would include Swatch affiliates, retail facilities and third-party distributors, in addition to Tiffany stores worldwide.