Swatch Sales of ETA Watch Movements to Big Rivals Halted
- No sales to big rivals until Swiss regulator makes new policy
- Measure may throw watchmakers’ production plans in disarray
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Swatch Group AG faces a threat to sales of a key watch part as the industry reels from a plunge in demand for lower-end timepieces.
Switzerland’s antitrust regulator is temporarily banning Swatch from supplying mechanical watch movements to big rivals next year as it reviews whether there’s adequate competition in that market. The move came as a report Thursday showed that the country is on track to export fewer watches than it has in any year since 1984.