Swatch demands $170 million from Samsung over Galaxy Watch watch faces. Swatch is seeking $170 million in damages from Samsung in what it calls the largest trademark case of its kind in the UK, after London's High Court found the South Korean electronics company liable for allowing digital replicas of Swatch timepieces on Galaxy Watch faces.
The case, which began in 2019 and covered alleged infringement within the European Union before Britain's exit, centers on third-party apps available on Samsung smartwatches that let users replicate designs from Swatch-owned brands including Omega and Tissot. A British judge is expected to rule on damages soon following the conclusion of a trial on Friday, according to court documents seen by Reuters.
The $170 million figure, laid out in a June 19 filing by Swatch's solicitors, is based on hypothetical license fees across 10 Swatch brands and reflects the "prestige, reputation and drawing power" of the group's portfolio. Samsung has called the demands "extravagant" and outsized, according to the Financial Times, which first reported on the trial. The ruling could also clear the way for a parallel Swatch claim against a Samsung subsidiary in the United States.
Swatch accused Samsung of "large-scale appropriation" of "valuable and carefully protected" trademarks in written statements filed to the High Court. Neither company has commented on the ongoing proceedings beyond the filings.
The case exposes a deliberate strategic divide. Swatch, whose brands span from affordable plastic watches to luxury timepieces worth tens of thousands of dollars, has refused to enter the smartwatch market, even as Samsung, Apple, and Huawei dominate it.
Tissot CEO Sylvain Dolla said in a 2025 filing that the brand had chosen not to produce smartwatches despite approaches from major tech companies. Licensing Swatch designs for smartwatch faces "would destroy the value which has been built up in the Swatch Group brands," Dolla said.
"It would kill the value of the fine Swiss watch: it would no longer be exclusive."
Swatch sells connected products like SwatchPAY! but has never launched a full smartwatch. The company is essentially arguing that its trademarks are worth $170 million in a market it refuses to enter.
