Swatch Factory Fire to Affect Other Watchmakers

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swatchThe CEO of Swatch (SWGAY) is warning that a Sunday fire at its metal component factory could impact other watch producers.

Nick Hayek said that the blaze, which damaged a plant owned by its ETA Manufacture Horlogere unit, had caused damage that would take three to four weeks to repair. Swatch is the world’s leading producer of internal watch movement’s, supplying components to most other watchmakers, Reuters notes.

Still, Hayek described the fire as a “relatively minor event” that would have only a limited effect on Swatch itself.

The fire was contained to part of the plant dedicated to galvanizing metal watch parts. The fire destroyed one work area and spread smoke damage to another.

Swatch is alerting its component customers — which include Hermes, Richemont and LVMH — about the production delays.

Shares of Swatch fell slightly in over-the-counter trading on Monday.


Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, https://investorplace.com/2013/12/swatch-factory-fire-affect-watchmakers/.

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