Biel/Bienne (Switzerland), July 15, 2016 – Swatch Group foresees the publication of the half-year results by Thursday July 21, 2016, followed by the traditional conference call for financial analysts.

Based on net sales of the group expected to be lower of some 12% in the first half-year 2016, resulting from the decreased sales mainly in important markets like Hong Kong and partially Europe, especially France and Switzerland (while mainland China develops positively), the operating profit and the net income are expected to be lower of some 50% to 60%, obviously due to the decrease in sales but also to the tradition and the industrial long term philosophy of the Swatch Group to consider its employees not just as a cost factor but to keep them (also in spite of important cancellations of orders from third parties), to maintain investments in new products and marketing and to pursue a defensive price increase policy.