Swatch Group Ruins Everything! 

Jory is being really clueless about swatch. They make most of there sales through Omega,Tissot, and Swatch, with certina and longines catering to various European and Asian customers. The rest of their brands are either marketing exercises, or cater to specific clientele mostly in non US countries. BlancPain and Breguet are the feathers in their cap, not meant for general consumption. Harry Winston is well known in high end enthusiast circles, and Hamilton is known in low end Enthusiast circles. It's really not that hard to wrap your head around. People accuse swatch of forcing companies to bend over to support a vertical section of Swatches portfolio. I have no problem with this - if you are a collector it shouldn't matter, and it is smart for Swatch to approach watchmaking in these practical terms.

Harry Winston was a famous New York City jeweler, whom among other things, donated The Hope Diamond to The Smithsonian. He was also immortalized in the song, "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend".

At least I can buy their watches without being on a waitlist for 10 years and a day.

The One thing I like about the Swatch group,and their " tier" system of brands is that you can be fairly confident in what you are getting for your money in terms of quality, finishing,movement etc. when you choose one of their brands.They seem to be very consistant in that as you move upward in price , you are getting higher quality pieces.Unlike some brands ( ahem, Seiko )Where a higher price does not insure higher quality.

Funny about the Rado “targeted group”. My wife is Pakistani and she said Rado is huge over there. Every great event is celebrated, usually, with someone getting one as a gift

The Swatch group has done a good job of saving lots of brands that would have gone bust if it wasn’t for them. Sharing out slightly different versions of the powermatic 80 movement has given these brands excellent watches at a reasonable price. I like Omega but I think I could do a better job running it than the Swatch group. Rolex watches aren’t any better than Omega and they are easier to make because they are generally a simple design but Rolex’s have excellent proportions and bezel action as well as playing the supply below demand game very well. The new Speedmaster should have had a adjustable clasp and 100 meters of water resistance but they fell short with it. The Seamaster is excellent but they should have kept it at 41mm and made it a millimetre thinner. They also need to match the submariner bezel action. It can’t be that tricky. A tapered bracelet would finish things of nicely too.

The brand Omega has deep meaning for me. It was the watch brand my grandmother loved. Thus for me, they are the ultimate watch brand. I miss her dearly.

Swatch group saved a lot of brands from the quartz crisis

"Different strokes for different folks..." In Poland Hamilton is almost non-existent and the known Swatch brands are Tissot and Certina. Hamilton just chose the strategy of being in Holywood movies probably to retain some American heritage link. And if you ask some non watch geek about watch brand he will more often recognize Omega than Breguet. (the latter is for connoisseurs ;-) Therefore they are trying to position the brand next to a Rolex to be known and desired all around the world. Do you think that the Rolex couldn't outbid the Omega and return to being Bond's watch? Interestingly today i have read an article about Rolex deliberate shortage, and the author proposed someone who wanted the watch quite beautiful (and pretty expensive) Glashutte, and the response was: "Nice one, but it's not a Rolex". They are trying to achieve similar state of mind with Omega. It's just a strategy and setting for different geographical markets. In the old days of cold war amongst the Swiss brands getting through iron curtain were Atlantic, Delbana and Delma. Who has now heard about them in the west?

Macy's and Nordstrom sell Rado and Mido. I agree that the current Longines catalog is amazing. It appears that Swatch has positioned Longines in the spot Omega occupied before it went upmarket with the 85xx movements.

Harry Winston is like the Richard Mille of the swatch group

The marketing surrounding Longines is becoming more common. They’re a huge sponsor of horse racing

I own Tissot, Longines, Certina, Mido, Omega and even a vintage Rado Diastar. I love most of them.

I love Mido. It's like a Longines that always fly under the radar.

Longines are the sponsors of several big sports events. Yet the point is well based

"Not spending time advertising Rado in the West." Pretty sure that Europe is in 'the West', and Rado is in as many watch shops in the UK as Hamilton/Tissot.

This doesn't bother me particularly much. I've travelled through China, Asia Pacific, Middle East and India enough to realize that different markets attract different brands, and thus, the companies will advertise what sells most by region. Longines and Tissot as part of the Swatch Group get WAY more advertising in India than Hamilton, whereas it is the exact opposite in the USA. In Saudi Arabia, I saw way more ads for Certina and Rado than I did Tissot. Flik-Flak sells like hotcakes in Japan and Korea, but I suspect few outside of the West Coast in the USA have a clue or interest about the brand. While there are certainly brands with global renown (Swatch, Omega, Rolex) the fact of the matter is the average person in different regions have different things that appeal to them (including, sometimes, just the brand name regardless of design cues) - so naturally, a larger brand like Swatch, which has multiple offerings under their umbrella, will cater their advertising and their marketing to the specific market in question. That said, I do certainly agree, and wish, that they would STOP with the non-stop limited edition releases on Omega. The people for whom watch collecting is a hobby - Swatch isn't worried about targeted marketing missing them - these are the folks who go out of their way to FIND what they WANT! For a smaller, unrelated example, take a look at a national (in the US) chain AD like Ben Bridge. I didn't have one in my smaller home town growing up, but my first experience with them was in 2010 when my mother and I were buying a watch for my Father's 50th Birthday. When I walked into the BB for the first time, it was like walking into a candy store for me. They had Rolex, Omega, Breitling, Hamilton, Tissot, Longines, Tag Heuer, Blancpain, Cartier, Movado and Raymond Weil all on display, and about as many additional brands available in catalog, but not available for direct viewing at that specific store. About 2 years later I moved to that city, and I pop into BB every so often, and the changes have been immense. Within the two years from my first, to my second visit, they stopped keeping Movado and Raymond Weil in stock - they weren't moving as many as they'd like, and the margins were better on other brands. Omega disappeared a few months later because Omega started their new program of only selling in Omega Branded Stores. A couple of years after that, Longines, and Hamilton disappeared from the display cabinets, though that is about when I purchased my Hamilton Khaki direct from them through their catalog. Tissot and Cartier followed shortly thereafter. Finally, the next to go was Breitling, because the BB in question decided to devote an entire section of their store exclusively to Rolex, and like Omega, Breitling decided to opt out of getting into a battle over in-store retail space opting to be online catalog only. As such, at this moment, I can still buy all of those watches from my local Ben Bridge if I wanted, but I have to work with the salesperson to order from their online catalog, The only watches I can acquire in person are Rolex, Tag Heuer and Tissot, because, up here, those seem to be the largest market for the people who walk into the store. I have no doubt though, that I could fly out to another Ben Bridge in another city in the USA and see that they are selling a different set of watches in their Brick and Mortar Retail space because the audience in that city probably has different tastes to cater to!

In Australia comparing price tiers, we get Tissot and Rado, but no Hamilton from an authorised dealer.

Rado Captain Cook in bronze, especially the red dial one, look very great.

At least they have Vladimir Putin as official Blancpain ambassador.

That’s why I have lots of Hamiltons, Longines, Midos, Certina and a Glashütte Original Panoreserve rose gold. Same holds for Montblanc from Richmond…everybody should buy their Rolex and Omega and let me buy all the undervalued pieces nobody has ever heard of 🤫

Swatch group has the power to provide some great brands at affordable prices, which it does. Can they do more? Probably yes, but at least they offer all enthusiasts of the hobby something by producing a wide range of products for every price range.

Definitely 100% agree with you, officially Certina doesn’t have representation in the US as per an email I received from them. It’s a shame that brands like Rado, Certina, Mido and specially Glashütte Original doesn’t have the marketing backup that they deserve from the Swatch Group. Huge fan of your channel, watching it from Puerto Rico 🇵🇷

Rado has been heavily promoted and sold in the Middle East since at least the early 1980s. Certina produces some excellent pieces for the money.

First saw Rado in ‘84, in the East End of London, an acquired taste, but very innovative, even then, with curved cases, matching sapphire crystals and the use of ceramics! I get your point with Longine, they’re knocking out some great stuff at reasonable prices.

To be fair Swatch group the they did 'save' the Swiss watch industry during the quartz crisis of the 70's and early 80's.

Subtracting the Swatch business mode.....most watch geeks know about the other brands and will buy them once they do their homework. True watch geeks....like me buy wonderful non-mainstream time pieces. Shabbat Shalom broheim lol.

You forgot Jaquet Droz. Absolutely brilliant watches. Virtually non-existent in any watchmarket…

One thing is about Swatch. All their brands now have the Nivachron hairspring. Now the Swatch Sistem 51 Irony Petite Seconde Automatic. The first Automatic small hand hands that Swatch makes is an amazing watch for its price with the Audemars Piguet Nivarox hairspring technology after the Flymagic.

I love my RADO Captain Cook. I think I’m going to start wearing it again.

Hey. Rado is pretty big in India but no Hamilton for us here.

Those brands owe everything to the Swatch group. So, they will follow whatever the Swatch group decided. The end.

I think this is quite a bummer. In Switzerland all the Swatch brands are present (especially Certina), I knew that Certina and Rado are not a big thing in the US but not that all of these brands would be absent. I think its strange.

I think this is a very regional thing. In Germany, Omega, Tissot, Rado, Mido are available in every well sorted department store. Hamilton doesn't seem to be that big here, though.

For what it is worth Jory, Rado is selling very well here in your native New England. So popular are these watches that you might not be able to get a discount on most Captain Cookes.

Omega paid many fortunes for the co-axial movement and has stuck them in everything. There is a business case for doing it. When a co-axial comes back for service Omega can charge a fortune and most outside watch makers don't know how to properly service them. I strongly prefer the vintage Omega in-house movements.

This is a fascinating discussion. I live in Atlanta and, from my standpoint, the Swatch Group does a great job marketing all their different brands. Macy’s and Nordstrom’s always seem to carry Rado, Longines, Hamilton, and Tissot. We even have some AD’s here who specialize in Breguet, Blancpain, and even Jaquet Droz. The only Swatch brands I never see around here are Mido and Certina, unless they are pre-owned.

I'm not a Time Teller, nor am I another authority on watches, but I'd never heard of Harry Winston either.

Rado is the watch company that introduced scratch-resistant hardened steel cases and Saphire crystals back in the '60s. They were founded back in 1917, you can find them in the states in selected jewelry stores. They have a lot of following throughout South America and the Caribbean, their Captain Cook watch is been around since 1968, and the Rado Diastar which was introduced as the first scratch-resistant watch. Anyway, nice vid brother.

In Europe, at least in Spain, all Swatch Group brands are all around the place (well, except for Harry Winston)! Certina, Rado, Tissot and Logines are extremely popular "entry level" brands here and they are easy to find anywhere. For brands like Breguet, Blancpain or Glashütte you need to go to luxury stores, but they are also easy to get. It's weird this happens in such a huge potential market like USA?! I guess they will have their business reasons? Production issues? Very strange...

The funny thing is that while Tissot is not a bigger name in the US market, they have some of the most Chinese homage models of any Swiss brand. There are really too many Le Locle knockoffs to count, and the PRC 200, Visodate, Tradition and Couturier are also popular homage "inspirations". Tissot being an affordable, entry level, Swiss brand, is very popular in China, so it's no surprise that fake and homage Tissots would also be produced. Likewise, the Longines Conquest has also inspired various copies, as has the RADO Jubilé. Some of this can be attributed to the Chinese admiration of Swiss watch brands, and the fact that many affordable Swiss brands produce their cases in China.

Considering I haven't heard of half of those brands, you may be on to something. I checked out several of the websites and you're right, there are some fine-looking watches I've never even seen. If nothing else, thanks for expanding my watch horizons. :)

I remember in the late 80s back in PR! My uncle sporting a Rado DiaStar in gold with stones and all that on it! I grew up thinking rado was a super high end luxury watch! You had a rado or a rolex back then in PR and you had status...In the 80s Rolex was not as pricey as of now so maybe thats why both were compared then... !? Who knows! I remember growing up wanting a rado especially one of their full ceramic ones

Love omega. Up to 2 of them now!

Considering you are a 'watch expert' the fact that you don't know Harry Winston says more about you than Swatch group. Maybe if many 'watch experts' expanded their coverage past Rolex and nine or ten other brands, people would know other brands better.

As a watchmaker with 55 years @ the bench i have repaired many of these brands, when they were independant they were very desireable! in my opinion Swatch have ruined the watch industry. Such a shame Glasshuten are part of the group,as i consider them along with lange to be suprior to all the swiss brands. Swach have made life difficult now that ETA movements & spares are restricted, as there are millions of watches with ETA movements, many are heirlooms or presentation models in gold cases which will need parts in future.! It is fortunate that my parts supplier is still authorised to import ETA movements & spares @ present! Thanks for another great video. All good wishes.John Anderson, watchmaker Sussex, England.

Love my Hamilton, would love an Omega, but would love the ability to try on a Certina and Longines or Glasuhute. Might own one if I could

I encountered Rado for the first time in Macy's. I was shocked with how much I liked the Captain Cook. So much so, I chased down one of the LE (Jory's favorite two words from the Swatch group) versions and currently have a 42mm version in rotation. Some of those other brands are out there, you just have to keep your eyes open.

One of the biggest negatives is that Longines is not allowed to move upwards. No inhouse movements allowed for Longines. Because it would directly compete with Omega then.

Um... this 'argument' didn't make any sense. Period. You acknowledge Swatch group is pushing Omega as a prime seller, and seem to lament that people don't know about different tier watches--and acknowledge that some viewers may be okay with this. Okay. So what's your point? That other Swatch brands should be marketed more heavily in the US? Say so. That Omega gets too much money? Say that, then. I don't think you really had a point except that alot of folks in North America don't know certain Swatch group products. So what? Longines, Glashutte, Breguet, et al are not marketed to the NA mainstream. You want that to change? Then say so. Then connect that to Omega's success somehow. This just seems like a lot of flapping one's arms over nothing.

Just as an FYI Jory, Rado is well marketed in the UK. They're very well stocked in mid-level highsteet/shopping mall watch shops. Not that they're very popular, but they're well known here.

Seems to be a geographical thing. All of the above brands are known and readily available in Europe (asides from Harry Winston).

I have seen the Rado Captain Cook green dial in my watch store in India... It looks soo incredible! I can't buy it though cause I'm a thirteen year old kid. Sad.

You miss the idea of a conglomerate, all of these watch makers are better off with Swatch, as a rising tide lifts all boats. Having worked for Certina in the US the Swatch group is a Laissez-faire attitude return x each year to the bottom line and you are left alone. The truth is that without Swatch some of the other brands would have been belly up.

Rado has always been Swatch group's Guinea pig. They're coined for their very interesting use of materials in their designs; Like all ceramic cases. Then Swatch Group takes these innovations and shares them with the other watch companies in their group. I have a ceramic jubilee that is pure class.

Great video. Completely agree with you, even though Omega is my fave watchmaker atm. RADO, for example, used to sell here in Australia for a fair price, between 4-6k average. Last week I saw their caption cook range at a jewellery shop on the clearance rack next to the Daniel Wellingtons! Shame…

I Today saw a RADO watch in a display case at a Sams Club so yes they are here in the US.

Rado is at Macy’s in the US. I saw the Captain Cook today.

If you lived in New York, Jory, you'd know Harry Winston. They're primarily a diamond dealer and jewelry company, like Cartier.

In 2019 according to Morgan Stanley production numbers were: Jaquet Droz 3,500, Glashütte Original 14,000, Blancpain 25,000, Breguet 28,500, Omega 720,000, Longines 2,1 million, Tissot 2,8 Million, Rado 260,000, Swatch 3,2 million, Mido 150,000, Hamilton 160,000, Certina 210,000, CK 650,000

Certina does also have and still has a presence in Norway to, so not only Eastern Europe.

One of the lesser known thing about the Swatch group watches is that they have "true GMTs" or "traveller's GMT" movements just like Rolex, Tudor, Grand Seiko/Seiko or Omega in their more affordable lineups. Mido's Ocean Star GMT and Certina's DS Action GMT both share the same movement and they are quite affordable. Shame the Mido is too big because it is a handsome looking watch.

Stop this! If Swatch listens to you all these underrated brands will no longer be attainable.........

Didn't Swatch Group trickle down the Silicone Balance Spring from Omega into Tissot's Powermatic80 movement to create the Powermatic80 Silicium?

When I first started out, I bought Rado, Mido, Certina from Jomashop. It was them that introduced me to these brands. Certainly not an AD. Fine with me I wouldn’t pay AD prices for them. Nice watches though.

Harry Winston is one of the biggest names in the super high end Jewelry Business. Actresses wear millions of dollars of his diamonds on Oscar Night every year. Mido, Certina and Glashutte Original have some really great offerings.

they’re brands they’ve bought up, and each has their historical approaches that largely continue. very different price points, different typical buyers, different sense of the value in marketing them. as much as i’d like a breguet for the price of an omega or longines, it’s not going to happen. it’s more exclusive, more aspirational, less accessible. just happen to be currently owned by same parent company.

Two weeks ego purchased my first luxury / premium watch. And I went with Mido commander Big Date. Gorgeous watch that has fantastic build quality. And I looked at many brands. The ones that appeal to me pretty much fall all under the Swatch group except Breitling.

Rado, Mido and Tissot sells pretty good in Mexico, Longines too.

Watch companies seem to advertise in limited ways. Most of the ads I see for watches are at sporting events like horse or auto racing.

Rado and Certina are readyly afailable here in Holland.

Many years ago Rado was pretty well known here in the US for their ceramic watches. Harry Winston is very famous for jewelry, but not watches until possibly recently. Longines can be found here easily. Blancpain and Brequet are sold in boutiques, and really don't need advertising to attract buyers.

Swatch Group is why the companies that are owned by them still exist today. Be grateful.

Cool episode, I liked it! At least here in Austria in the heart of Europe, I regularly can find Rado watches in shops. The first time I noticed this brand was in 2020. When visiting Villach (southern part of Austria) I saw the Captain Cook in a window. Surprised me immediately! The point is, Villach is a rather small city. The most shops with luxury watches are in Salzburg, but Vienna is catching up slowly. Sorry for my bad english.

Hey Jory, G-shock squares got updated module 3495 with some long demanded fixes - I got mine 5610U with negative display today. No big watch channel talked about it yet!

Imagine if the swatch group as found in Croatia 😂😁 Crwatch Group

Good Day; Henry Winston are originally diamond miners and jewelers.

Excellent points. I remember seeing a Longines appear on Walmart. That told me everything I need to know about the Swatch Group. I don't care anymore about Swatches, meaning all their brands, they're like Proctor and Gamble who sell 50 brands of detergent under different brand names. These watches have lost their appeal for me. Swatch aren't about watch making, they're all about the marketing. Daniel Wellington on steroids.

I agree. Is sad that swatch group don't put that much interest and resources in the other brands its posses. Me in personal love Longines and Certinas, Rados as well. I have a Diastar Rado with over 14 years and still looks and work like new. Good video👍.

I have nothing to defend. I am just an enthusiast who is still hunting the perfect one watch.

Harry Winston likes to make things bling bling!

I have a Mido baroncelli mark 1 with a silver sunburst Dial and delfin hands, it's a beautiful dress watch, I have iit on the bracelet and the wife has a leather strap for when she wants to use it and that's quite often they are great watches for the price. I recommend that you review the Mido Multifort Patrimony in blue it's beautiful and one my list for upcoming purchases.

If the brands have no distributors in your country, buy them on the internet, they are all there. All my watches have been bought on-line, even the vintage ones.

I live in Ontario, Canada and my wife bought me a Rado Captain Cook in bronze as a birthday present. It is a great watch and with the ETA movement it will be easy to service. Although they are available, there sure aren't many of them out there. I believe that Rado tries to market their watches to a younger demographic, and I'm a young 65. It's a regular in my rotation.

Maybe it's because my town has a lot of Indians, but I've definitely seen Rado on the wrists of Indian moms. They're definitely in the wild, just not on the wrists of "watch enthusiasts".

This video came on autoplay. Right as he says it's 1:38 I looked at my watch and BAM ITS 1:38. SPOOOOKY

After looking at 10,000 dive style watches online. I have found the ONLY dive style watch that gives you the best value for your money is the (Steinhart Ocean2 Premium). No aluminum bezel insert. No aluminum bezel when everything else is stainless. No NH35 Japan movement inside. No plastic parts inside the movement. No "mineral glass" on back case viewing window when its Sapphire for the crystal. No ungaurded crown. No "weighted plastic" rotator but real metal. Half the cost of the Mido 200C. The second best value for the money I believe is the Ball Rescue Chronograph made from stainless and titanium and ceramic with a true inhouse movement (which I am skiddish about these "inhouse" movements) but with the Ball I am willing. Neither of these brands are Swatch owned.

But is swatch group really any different from (or worse than) Richemont and its Panerai schenanigans...?

For years, I used to think that there's some 'secret exclusive club' for most of the watches in the Swatch Group (Glashutte, Mido, Breguet etc.) because of which we never hear about these. Only later I realized that it was because of crappy marketing of some brands and overhype of others that drove brand value these days. Really is a shame 😞

Just bought a Mido Multifort and love it.

You can get Rado and Mido at Macy's. I see them in the case.

True about Rado, huge in India too

They sell Rado watches at the Macy’s 5 miles from my house in the suburbs of Philly.

If I had all the OG Swatches from the 90’s that I collected I’d be in like sliced bread. Had a ton of them and spent less than 40 dollars for the best of the line up

It is a bit disappointing that swatch has the power to market particular watches in different parts of the world. But in saying that, a lot of the watch brands you've mentioned in this video have been on my radar for quite some time. Mostly because of watch reviewer channels (like your own). You do so much for the watch community in finding out about brands we normally would never have considered. Thank you so much for that. ❤💜❤

Luxury watches in Asia start with Rado. In India - Hamilton, Mido, Certina are non existent, so collectors love sourcing them. Currently Authorised dealers have to follow stringent rules to sell them; no rebates,etc. Plus these watches depreciate a lot. The world recognised Rado because Captan Cook is well advertised and watch reviews loved it. I wish other Swatch group brands start doing business in my country soon.

So I have a GO and while its beautiful, it has some serious QC issues, not sure how I feel about the brand anymore. Its been back to Germany twice in the year Ive owned the Panomatic Lunar. We'll see when its back again. Swatch definitely needs to invest some more in production.

You tend to see more swatch products in Europe. Can’t understand why they are not marketed in the US .

Arguably, to the general public, the top 3 most-known luxury watch brands are Rolex, Omega & Tag Heuer. Swatch Group definitely has to focus on Omega to safeguard its position, if it loses it, it is as if it is losing nearly the whole luxury watch industry. All other brands are too niche to waste resources on I guess for Swatch Group.

My dad is not crazy about watches like I am but he does have a rado. I'm not familiar with it and I guess I do fall for the marketing behind omega because I look at them alot more. I think at the end of the day brand recognition is really what is winning the market. I actually don't like omegas design but I like a few from the other swatch group brands. Im holding out on them because I feel like I do want to be noticed sometimes by what's on my wrist