9:45 p.m.
I know, I know — I keep beating that “The 80′s are Back!” drum, but really, they are!
Swatch and Tiffany Ink Strategic Alliance
“Under the agreements, Swatch Group will create a Swiss-based watch-making company, authorized to use Tiffany’s trademarks . . . Swatch has made clear it will produce a full line of Tiffany & Co. watches, all made in Switzerland. Many of the watch designs for which Tiffany is noted will be continued and new designs will be added.”
Brian and I were talking the other day about how it’s just about time for Swatch to make a reappearance, and voila! What a reappearance! For those of us who remember Swatch watches from the 80′s, it seems like an unlikely alliance, but the Swatch company raked in so much cash from its original venture that it ran around buying up smaller, boutique watch companies like a teenage girl set loose in Hot Topic.
“Swatch Group is the world’s largest producer of watches and jewelry, with 2006 sales of over 5 billion Swiss francs, or 3.85 billion US dollars. Its stable of brands, which includes Breguet, Blancpain, Omega, Longines, Rado, Tissot, Calvin Klein, Pierre Balmain, Certina, Swatch, Flik Flak and Endura, is produced in some160 production centers, located in Switzerland . . . ‘Tiffany & Co. is a true luxury brand with a long-standing heritage in watches. The two companies will collaborate on design, engineering, manufacturing, marketing, distribution and service,’ added Nick Hayek Jr., CEO and President of Swatch Group’s management board.”
I, for one, can’t wait to see what they come out with — a Tiffany Swatch? Japanese schoolgirls will swoon!
