The world's largest watchmaker, the Swatch Group, announced on 19 January that its sales reached a record $6.7 billion for 2010, and is upbeat about the year ahead.
The Geneva-based group announced a year-on-year 19% rise in sales, with its watches achieving an "excellent performance" in all markets and price segments. Apart from Swatch watches, the group also makes luxury timepieces like Breguet, Blancpain, Rado and Omega.
The group said that it was optimistic about 2011, on the back of strong December sales, which were up 21% year-on-year.