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Swatch reports higher profits in first half

Swiss watchmaker Swatch says that its profits rose in the first six months, but its performance was dampened by the strength of the Swiss franc.

Published: 21 July 2017 09:12 CEST

Swatch reports higher profits in first half

Omega belongs to the Swatch brand. Photo: Matthew Eisman/AFP

“The overvalued Swiss franc dampened growth in the first half of the year,”Swatch said in its first half report.

“As in the previous year, the first half of 2017 was characterized by worldwide turbulence,” the report said.

“However, the Swatch Group, with its 20 strong brands and its own retail network, is very well represented worldwide, and was therefore able to generate net sales of 3.7 billion Swiss francs (3.3 billion euros, $3.9 billion).”

That represented a fractional decline of 0.3 percent compared with the corresponding period a year earlier.

At constant exchange rates, sales would have risen by 1.2 percent.

Net profit grew by 6.8 percent to 281 million Swiss francs (254 million euros), slightly short of analysts' expectations.

Looking ahead, Swatch said it “anticipates very positive growth in local currency in the second half of the year. In addition to its already strong own retail business, wholesale should also develop positively”.

Swiss watchmaker Swatch wins latest trademark battle with Apple

Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek with the Zero One wristwatch in 2014. File photo: AFP

In the current case, Apple had alleged the Swiss company’s ‘Tick different’ slogan was too similar to the US company’s ‘Think different’ slogan of the 1990s.

Apple originally filed an objection with the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property, but that organisation turned down the complaint.

Read also: How luxury watchmakers are gearing up for Brexit

The US company then took the case to the St-Gallen based Federal Administrative Court.

To have a chance of winning its case against Swatch, Apple had to prove that the famous slogan – the related TV commercial won an Emmy for Outstanding Commercial in 1998 – had more than 50 percent recognition in Switzerland.

However, the Federal Administrative Court ruled Apple had not provided sufficient evidence that this was the case and found in Swatch’s favour.

The evidence for awareness of the slogan in Switzerland consisted of just several articles on Apple in Swiss broadsheet NZZ.

This dispute was just the latest in a series of legal confrontations between the two companies.

In 2007, Swatch, which is headed up by charismatic businessman Nick Hayek, trademarked the term ‘iSwatch’ before Apple was able to register the term ‘iWatch.

The Swiss watchmaker also trademarked the expression ‘One more thing’, which was made famous by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

Apple has had other legal problems in Switzerland. In 2012, it reportedly paid 20 million Swiss francs (€17.8 million) to Swiss Federal Railways to avoid going to court over its use of the design of the Swiss railway clock in its i06 operating system.

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