The head of Swiss watchmaker Swatch Nick Hayek said at a press conference Swatch Bellamy in China that he sees no competitor in Apple, which produces “smart” watches. Hayek is convinced that consumer electronics can not compete with the products of the Swiss company.
Hayek spoke about how things are going with sales at the end of last year, the first models of “smart” watches Swatch Bellamy. It was named after the American writer Edward Bellamy, who suggested the idea of using credit cards. Swatch Bellamy, equipped with contactless technology close to field communications (NFC), and give its owner the opportunity to use a watch instead of a credit card to make contactless payments and opening electronic locks.
As reported by Kommersant, the first four versions of the model “smart” Swatch watch in plastic casings of different colors were presented in October in Shanghai and launched in sale in China in cooperation with Chinese national payment system China UnionPay and the state Bank of Bank of Communications. Watches are sold in China for €80-100. According to Hayek, Chinese consumers have welcomed this new product is “very good”. This year it is planned to launch Swatch Bellamy in the United States, Brazil and Switzerland.
“We cannot say that we have nothing in development. Our company is a large manufacturer in each segment and in each category,” said Mr. Hayek.
In October 2015, the Swiss manufacturer of Swatch watches introduced in China the new model of Swatch watches Bellamy, with which to pay for goods and services. Model $95 went on sale in January 2016, the first in China, later in Switzerland and the USA
The success of the market for smart watches is important for the company, because this market is actively growing. According to research company IDC, in 2016 it will be sold at 34.3 million hours, while in 2015 sales are estimated at 21.3 million units. IDC forecasts that by 2019 sales will reach 88.3 million “smart” hours in a year. The importance of success in this market recognizes and Hayek. According to him, smart watches provide an opportunity to sell more hours. However, as he noted, Apple is not a competitor to the Swatch here.
“We can’t talk about competition with Apple. They produce consumer electronics, and we don’t want to enter this sector. We’re competing with jewelry, so we have two very different world,” he said at a press conference.
In January Swatch reported full-year profit falling by 21% and revenue by 3%. For the first time in the last six years, watch manufacturers fell overall export performance.
