The Dawn of Swatch

The Dawn of Swatch tells the remarkable story of how a simple plastic watch didn't just save the Swiss watch industry—it reshaped how we think about branding, innovation, and disruption.
In the 1980s, as Swiss watchmakers lost ground to Japanese quartz technology, Swatch broke every rule: bold, affordable, fashion-forward, and marketed with game-changing creativity.
Blending first-hand accounts with analysis, the authors reveal how strategic vision, unconventional thinking, and fearless marketing turned Swatch into a global success. More than a business case, this book offers timeless insights into brand strategy, innovation, product launches, entrepreneurship, and building iconic brands.
Ideal for business leaders, entrepreneurs, marketers, and anyone interested in strategy, it provides a blueprint for how bold decisions and visionary branding can redefine an industry.

Dr. Omar Merlo is Associate Professor of Marketing Strategy and Academic Director at Imperial Business School. He previously lectured at Cambridge University and the University of Melbourne—where he earned his PhD—and has been a visiting professor at institutions including Oxford, LSE, UCL, ETH, EPFL, Lausanne, Lugano, and Aalto. His research on marketing strategy, services, and branding has appeared in Journal of Marketing, JAMS, Journal of Service Research, MIT Sloan Management Review, and others. As an advisor, he has worked with many global firms, including McKinsey, Airbus, Unilever, Samsung, Audi, ABB, Barclays, and HSBC.