The Early Days of Swatch: Birth of the Fast Fashion Watch Business Model

Nikola Drašković (), Milivoj Marković () and Christian Petersen ()
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Nikola Drašković: Rochester Institute of Technology Croatia
Milivoj Marković: Rochester Institute of Technology Croatia
Christian Petersen: Insight Design Guide

Tržište/Market, 2018, vol. 30, issue 1, 93-108

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the application of the fast fashion business model outside the apparel industry. The study reviews the business history of Swatch and investigates its business model at the time when the brand was introduced to the market. Swatch repositioned the watch as an accessory or a fashion item, rather than a timepiece, initiating a dramatic strategic shift within a rigid and traditional Swiss watch industry.Design/Methodology/Approach – Due to the limited availability of studies researching applications of the fast fashion business model outside the apparel industry, this study is explorative in its nature and utilizes the case study method. The data necessary for developing a case study originates from secondary sources and from a series of in-depth interviews.Findings and implications – Swatch developed a completely new business model to the watch industry. As the case analysis discusses, this model consisted of several elements commonly related to the fast fashion business model. This extended the fast fashion model across the traditional boundaries of the apparel industry. Limitations – Due to a focus on one case study, which assumes industry specific factors, generalization of findings are limited. Originality – Fast fashion related research is primarily focused on the apparel industry, as the environment in which the model was originally developed. This study extends fast fashion as a concept with valid applications outside its traditional industry.

Keywords: fast fashion; new product development; watch industry; business history; marketing strategy; country-of-origin effect (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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