Swiss Competition Body Prolongs Measures on Swatch Movements

The Swiss competition authority extended by a year provisional measures allowing Swatch Group AG to reduce supplies of watch parts to third parties, giving it more time to complete an investigation into the matter.

The temporary measures will remain in force through 2013, the competition body, known as Comco, said today in an e-mailed statement. The regulator said it won’t complete its investigation before the middle of 2012, and acknowledged that watch companies need to order parts several months in advance.