Duty Free Border Downtown | Swatch Group

Travel Retail Operators

Swatch Group

The Swiss based Swatch Group re-invented the watch business in the early eighties by introducing a series of colourful plastic timepieces which became very fashionable, the diver style Chrono becoming a collectors item.

The Company moved quickly into the duty-free market and their products became big sellers in airports and on airlines, with slick convenient packaging and good price points.

Today, you will find the Brand in virtually all major airports, either in a shop-in-shop store or a stand alone unit. Almost all world airlines list the products in their in-flight store. In reality, watches only attract local sales or import duties, not Excise Duty, so they are sold as Tax-Free products, but the prices in the Travel Retail market are usually between 10/20% cheaper than the local stores. In some airports, stand-alone Swatch stores or kiosks are normal tax-paid stores and not tax free, so it is worth checking this status with the retailer, before you buy.

The Group Company have other famous names such as Tissot, Omega, Tiffany & Co. and Balmain, but these products tend to be marketed separately from the main Swatch brand range. Tech-Airport Holding is the retail arm for the Group running a series of different outlets in airports under the name 'Hour Passion'. Stores can be found in airport locations including Singapore, Paris Charles-de-Gaulle, Geneva Cointrin, Nice Côte d’Azur, Venice, Milan Linate, Beijing, Wuhan China, London Gatwick and Berlin.

The duty free on arrival global search 'App' for phone and tablet is now available in Android version beta v1, we are working hard to make it the best travel shopping site and mobile App available, the Apple/iOS version will follow soon. You will be able to search the globe from your phone for duty-free shops at your destination, on planes, boats, airports or border stores. To download the app click the image below to check before you fly!