After launching its first Swiss Made collection under the Fossil brand, Texas-based Fossil Group is now focusing on Swiss Made production for other brands of the group. The company is introducing a new Swiss Made line of watches for Burberry at BaselWorld and aims to launch further collections for private and licensed brands in 2013 and 2014.

Today, Fossil Group already produces and exports 400,000 Swiss Made watches annually. In 2002, the group acquired its Swiss production capacity with the purchase of three small watchmaking companies originally from Biel, Switzerland that specialise in designing, prototyping and assembling under the roof of Montres Antima SA. By acquiring Swiss Technology Production in Manno, Ticino in 2012, Fossil now also owns its own production facility for movements in Switzerland. At the moment, it produces several thousand automatic movements annually. Earlier this year marked the start of building a new plant for the production of watch cases that provides 30 jobs in the town of Glovelier in the Swiss Jura. This facility will gradually expand to employ over 100 people by 2015.

Martin Frey, managing director of Fossil Group Europe, says: “By gradually extending our Fossil Swiss Made production for private and licensed brands, we continue our existing long-term commitment in Switzerland. At the moment, our turnover share is small, but we see great growth potential for our brands in the medium price range. We have the know- how, the brands and the sales channels in order to develop these markets. To realize this potential, we now want to extend the necessary capacities and build an appropriate vertical integration.”